Kitundu's Ruupaywa

I am excited to announce that I am serving as the project manager for installation artist’s Kitundu’s forthcoming sound installation entitled Ruupaywa - Songs of the Watershed. It begins at the threshold of mixed evergreen and oak savanna and winds its way to the edge of the bay. It pays tribute to the Muwekma Ohlone People and recognizes both their history and their continued presence and power. Ruupaywa (the eagle) is a chief, a protector, and a creator in the Muwekma Ohlone creation story. This sculpture represents a protector spirit, a guardian of spaces above and below ground. It is meant as a vessel, a sheltering place for reflection, remembrance, and visioning.

The Alameda Creek Watershed Center in Sunol is only 16 miles from one of the most significant Golden Eagle breeding areas in the world. These birds are powerful residents of the watershed and surrounding areas. This eagle sculpture is a framework, an invitation to the Muwekma Ohlone community to generate imagery and song in a collaborative partnership. Open areas in the wings and tail will be filled with images gathered collectively on “Watershed Walks.” The sound component will be composed entirely from voices from the tribe translated into the songs and calls of the watershed.

Sculpture

The Golden Eagle is made from welded 2” square steel tubing, sandblasted and painted to withstand the harshest elements. It floats in a protective posture facing Mt. Diablo to the north, its wings wrapped around 3 benches oriented according to the cardinal directions. The 3500 lb structure is composed of 5 assemblies bolted together at their seams and resting on 9 plates anchored in the concrete. The intersecting steel members create a lattice that ensures the structure is strong enough to support itself and endure wind loads or any unanticipated loads or impacts. All corners and edges will be rounded and smooth to the touch.

Several openings in the sculptural framework house 9/16” waterjet cut laminated glass panels printed with translucent imagery taken by “watershed walk” participants and selected through consultation with the tribe. These images will be printed onto the laminate of DuPont Sentryglas® by Pulp Studios. The steel structure will have tabs welded in place and engineered to support stainless steel standoffs onto which the glass will be mounted as part of installation on site. The vivid images will populate the area with color and texture through reflected light and cast shadows. Tule reed textures printed on tail panels will evoke the historic shelters constructed by Muwekma Ohlone people.