Under the Over Bridge

Mark Schlesinger teases viewers with texture, form and color, using existing bridge concrete as canvas to experiment with space and perception at the Ninth Street underpass. The New York painter, now based in San Antonio, developed glittering fiber-optic terrazzo benches and new, vibrant coatings and compounds to highlight the bridge’s structure.

By day, light appears to travel in zigzag paths through the large cubes that are part of his installation. Just wave your hands over the surfaces of the cubes for playful visual effects. By night, bands of color across the ceiling of the underpass glow to create a colorful portal of illumination and reflection.