CO-G Wins WS Development’s Inaugural Design Competition for Public Art

This year, WS Development inaugurated Design Seaport, a biennial juried competition that calls on participants to create public art in the fast-growing Boston neighborhood. The first winner is hometown firm CO-G, led by principal Elle Gerdeman, who earlier this year debuted Loose Fit, on view through early autumn. The pillowy, cobalt-blue installation combines two aspects of Gerdeman’s training: fashion (early in her career, when she considered going into the field, she learned how to sew as a tailor’s apprentice) and architecture. Polished vinyl cells were packed with recycled denim from Blue Jeans Go Green—a program that turns unwanted jeans into cotton insulation for buildings—and then hung from a recyclable lumber frame. “We saw puffiness creeping into fashion trends,” Gerdeman says, explaining how the current shiny, marsh­mallowlike down jackets influenced the structure’s aesthetic. “It’s a contrast to the hard, flat, glassy architecture that surrounds it.” Brilliant blue waterproof canvas, sourced from a local marine supplier, was hand-sewn onto the flip side of each panel using sail-stitching patterns. It makes the structure resistant to the elements—even the hurricane-force winds that can blow through the Seaport in the summer. Its quilted form has a Boston-specific reference, too: the cedar shingles popular in New England architecture. The result is sturdy but soft, even huggable. Inside the structure, all that denim insu­lation helps block out noise, offering a moment of respite—and making Loose Fit a great fit for the city.