Orchard Park, NY | Proposed in 2025 | Dichroic glass, laser-cut powder-coated aluminum, stainless-steel cable | 22’ L x 15’ 1 ½” W x 49’ H
As part of the design of the new Highmark Stadium, the Buffalo Bills Public Art Program issued a nationwide call to artists seeking proposals for a multistory suspended sculpture to be installed in the open-air atrium of the stadium’s main concourse. The Call to Artists identified that proposals should reflect the diverse demographics of the team’s fan base and embody the themes of belonging, pride, generosity, honor and respect.
Gordon was born in Rochester, NY, just 70 miles east of Buffalo, so this project was appealing on a sentimental level. The goals and themes identified by the project stakeholders resonated with his desire to humanize public spaces, encouraging connection between otherwise diverse people in support of a common cause and community. As a fan’s first and last impression of the stadium, Gordon felt a strong desire to convey a distinct, yet versatile, connection to the team’s history and the importance of their fans’ place within it.
Gordon’s concept is grounded in capturing the feeling of experiencing the electricity of watching a professional sports team while surrounded by like-minded fans, united in celebration of their hometown team. The Buffalo Bills’ fanbase, known as the Bills Mafia, is unique for its over-the-top tailgating traditions, the fierce loyalty of its fans and a deep community spirit that embodies western New York’s tough, yet family-centered, culture. This oversized team spirit was fertile ground for designing a sculpture as unique as its fanbase.
The result is a dynamic, suspended sculpture of hundreds of multifaceted football-shaped roundels of dichroic acrylic. Each roundel shimmers with color, morphing from the Buffalo Bills’ signature blue and red to a spectrum of golds, greens and purples. The eye-catching qualities of the dichroic acrylic takes advantage of the concourse’s light-filled space to cause each football-shaped form to sparkle in the sunlight, evoking a sense of a ball in motion. Interspersed between the acrylic roundels are abstracted aluminum “footballs” laser-cut in Buffalo’s signature Zubaz pattern. In total, the delicate and dynamic necklaces of color and light foster a “You have arrived” moment for fans, creating a lasting impression of team pride and a sense of belonging.
