Artwork Details

Title:  Brant 
Artist: WOWHAUS (Scott Constable & Ene Osteraas-Constable)
Year: 2025
Media: Stainless Steel, LED lighting, cast concrete

Physical Description of Work

A 12-foot-high by 6-foot-wide stainless steel conical sculpture features perforated images of multiple Brant birds rising in flight, evoking a sense of motion, as if the birds are taking off. Each bird measures approximately 1 to 2 feet in width. Walking around the sculpture, viewers see the images forming a flock ascending into the sky.

The sculpture is internally lit with LED lights, which shine through the perforated bird images, illuminating the surrounding space at night. Highly visible both day and night, it commands attention within the streetscape. At the base is a conical concrete footing, flush with the bottom of the sculpture, which gradually flares upward to form the 6-foot-wide top of the cone.

Artist Statement            

The Brant celebrates the annual migration of the endangered Black Brant goose, which passes overhead through this region each year. If you listen closely as the birds move across the sky, you may hear their distinctive, loud call—a signal of the changing seasons. This sculpture is one in a series of site-responsive, permanent artworks created nationwide by WOWHAUS, designed to evoke the beauty and fragility of native ecosystems while fostering environmental stewardship and a deeper appreciation for nature.

Artist Biography

Founded in 1997, WOWHAUS is a transdisciplinary collaboration between artists Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable. This award-winning duo creates pioneering artwork that enriches and activates public spaces nationwide, engaging diverse audiences. Their work is highly site-responsive, drawing inspiration from the cultural, historical, and ecological factors that shape a sense of place. Community engagement is integral to their practice, and they have been selected for multiple artist residencies both in the United States and abroad.

Scott Constable studied at RISD and earned his art degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, concentrating in Sculpture/Generative Systems. Constable has taught and lectured at numerous schools and institutions, including the California College of the Arts, where he served as the Wornick Distinguished Professor of Wood Arts.

Ene Osteraas-Constable, recipient of two Creative Work Fund Grants and an Oakland Individual Artist’s Grant, earned her BFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The daughter of an Estonian immigrant, Ene’s work is informed by a deep appreciation for the cultural diversity of the United States and a keen interest in how lived experiences shape our understanding of self, civic spaces, and community.

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