Over at the Cherry Hill Neighborhood, a tight-knit crew of fearless students, alumni, and faculty from Portland State’s School of Architecture are putting their design education to real-world use right here at Pendarvis Farm. These young creatives are manifesting a giant, meandering pathway that will enfold the stage, musicians, and audiences in a monumental hug.
“The environment will invite audience members to enter an open tunnel, and be drawn along a walkway that traverses the landscape. We wanted the paths to not only encircle the stage but also inscribe a visual boundary around the entire area, really defining the Cherry Hill venue.”
Travis Bell, associate professor in the School of Architecture.
At their tallest, the 80 arches rise 27 feet into the air. At night, hundreds of LED light strips and angled lights embedded in the arches will create a magical, sparkling effect.
“During the day, it will look lovely, providing a little bit of dappled shade. At night, when it’s all lit up, it’s a little like a glittering snake, connecting it all. The gates will be set up a bit like an accordion, and people will be able to walk through the entirety of this beautiful trellis-like triangular geometric space – or just pass through part of it, entering and existing as they need to.”
Master of Architecture student Curtis Trueblood.
Following a ten-year tradition, the PSU Architecture stage is a low-waste affair – rather than going into landfills, the 1,000 sticks of lumber from the stage will be dismantled and donated to local high school shop programs after the festival magic fades into memory.
Which was your favorite PSU Architecture stage from past years? There was the 2017 Treeline Stage, which was transformed into sleeping pods at the Clackamas County Veterans Village? Remember the 2019 apple crate stage, and the 2015 stage made of giant cardboard tubes? Or did you experience the very first Treeline Stage (2014), made from wooden shipping pallets?
Video Interviews with PSU students
Pickathon chatted with PSU students working onsite on the Cherry Hill Neighborhood build out!
Tatiana Babich, a PSU student, shared insights on the unique design of this year’s stage. The students are building a sequence of gates that alternate between cantilevered and straight, creating a procession that forms a hug around the performers and audience.
Learn more about this exciting collaboration in our latest video:
Cherry Hill: Photo Gallery
