Silver Park
Bob Marsh: Silver Park
701 E. D Street, Pueblo, CO 81003
Permanent installation
Admission: Free
Review by Genevieve Waller
Silver Park is a bit of magic nestled on a side street near downtown Pueblo. In the summer of 2020, the artist Bob Marsh began coating the façade of a disused stucco rowhouse in silver paint and silver-coated objects and sculptures. Over the next few months, he completely covered the front of the building, realizing a dream he had in the 1980s of creating a Silver Park in his hometown of Detroit—a steel city like Pueblo. [1]
An installation view of Bob Marsh’s Silver Park in Pueblo. Image courtesy of the artist.
A detail view of a window sculptural arrangement in Bob Marsh’s Silver Park. Image courtesy of the artist.
Each boarded-up window and locked door in the outdoor installation becomes a frame within which Marsh builds a careful composition. A plastic baby sits in an oversized seashell—like Botticelli’s Birth of Venus—in one vignette.
A window sculptural arrangement in Bob Marsh’s Silver Park. Image courtesy of the artist.
In another a cow skull is surrounded by table legs, a metal strainer, an accordion, and the blades of a ceiling fan that crown the arrangement and break out of the rectangular window space. The silver coating of paint unites the disparate objects, making their forms and textures the focus, though undoubtedly, the items' original uses inform the stories they suggest.
An installation view of Bob Marsh’s Silver Park in Pueblo. Image by DARIA.
Between the windows and doors, wooden chairs float on the walls and tree limbs seem to sprout out of the stucco, including one that holds a birdcage. The difference between natural wood and carved chair legs and seats blurs together, especially under the silver glaze.
A view of a chair, branch, and cube installation in Bob Marsh’s Silver Park. Image courtesy of the artist.
These objects post questions about what is real, what is natural, and what is uncanny about the everyday—augmenting the otherworldly effect of the silver world.
A view of two doors and a window in Bob Marsh’s Silver Park. Image by DARIA.
This spring, Marsh will add more sculptural details to Silver Park, and he plans to stage performances onsite in May. [2] I look forward to seeing the park installation grow in mystery and complexity and serve as the backdrop for his silver-clad figures, transporting us even further into Marsh’s dreamscape.
Genevieve Waller (she/her) is an artist and writer originally from Wichita, Kansas. She holds a BA in art history, an MFA in photography and art history, and an MA in visual and cultural studies. She is also a long-time college radio DJ, most recently on Radio 1190 in Boulder. She is the founder and editor of DARIA.
[1] In my correspondence with Bob Marsh, he notes: “The idea for Silver Park arose about thirty-five years ago in Detroit as a response to a call for designs for a new park in downtown Detroit.” Thanks to Kiko Juelle for pointing out to me the similarities between Detroit and Pueblo.
[2] For more information about the performances and Bob Marsh’s work, visit https://www.facebook.com/bob.marsh.31 and www.instagram.com/bob.marsh.31/.
