Created for the SJ26 festivities at San José City Hall Plaza, these large scale illuminated sculptures celebrate the cultural dimensions of sports, highlighting symbols of teamwork, collective effort, and the spirit of winning. Championship Ring and Soccerman / Quarterback were developed through a collaborative studio to site process with students from San José State University and CADRE, blending traditional metal fabrication with digital modeling, rapid prototyping, and programmable LED systems.
Constructed from steel, PEX tubing, polycarbonate, and custom electronics, each sculpture merges industrial structure with responsive light animation driven by sequenced data. Familiar sports iconography is reimagined at architectural scale, transforming objects associated with victory, athletic identity, and fan culture into immersive public artworks. From early concept sketches to parametric 3D models, structural engineering, welding, panel fabrication, circuitry, and LED choreography, the project became a hands on learning ecosystem where interdisciplinary teams translated digital designs into civic scale installations.
Premiered during the SJ26 block party alongside performances by Kehlani and Dom Dolla, the sculptures activate the plaza as a luminous gathering space that invites visitors to move, celebrate, and connect. Produced at the SJSU Foundry, the works embody service learning, experimentation, and collective craft, demonstrating how educational spaces can shape the visual identity and cultural life of the city.
“Championship Ring”
Steel, PEX, LEDs, Polycarbonate, LVCIA board, I/O board, Animation data
width: 6’ x depth: 5’ 6” x height: 4’
Credits:
Art Direction: Esteban Garcia Bravo
Lead fabricator: Jennifer Cannon
Welder: Sophie Lastra
Concept design: Denielle Sambilay
3D model: Jaycee Chang and Shaira Aguayo
Structural Engineering: RBHU
Metal fabrication Esteban Garcia Bravo, Nabeeha Ahsan, Sophia Nguyen, Jocelyn Monreal-Velazquez
3D printing: Aidan Khaleck, Emily Chiang
LED Wiring: Daria Orlova, Sydney Silva Shirley, Shirley Zhong
PEX tube fitting: Rhyme Balatbat, Jared Langner
Panel cutting: Miguel Cano, Akari Che, Alejandro Maciel, Alexander Rodriguez
LED animation: Andrea Arellano
“Soccerman / Quarterback”
Steel, PEX, LEDs, Polycarbonate, LVCIA board, I/O board, Animation data
width: 7’ x depth: 2’10” x height: 6’
Credits:
Art Direction: Esteban Garcia Bravo
Lead fabricator: Jennifer Cannon
Welder: Sophie Lastra, Evee Palmeno
Concept design: Anh Tran
3D model: Evee Palmeno, Anh Tran
Structural Engineering: RBHU
Metal fabrication Esteban Garcia Bravo, Nabeeha Ahsan, Sophia Nguyen, Jocelyn Monreal-Velazquez
3D printing: Aidan Khaleck, Emily Chiang
LED Wiring: Daria Orlova, Sydney Silva Shirley, Shirley Zhong
PEX tube fitting: Hugo Pérez, Benjamin Sandoval
Panel cutting: Noe Naranjo, Stella Cai, Hugo Pérez, Aiden Khaleck, Megan Lee
LED animation: Courtney Spisak
