A Competitive Space Built on Common Ground

Largely informed by typography, artist Scott Albrecht’s work often deconstructs letter forms with the intent to reconsider the relationship between message and viewer, encouraging the viewer not to simply read and consume a message but to engage with the piece, in the hope that it creates a deeper connection to the concept and its environment. “A Competitive Space Built on Common Ground” employs this approach by using a consistent visual language of geometry, which, at first, may give the appearance of a pattern but is actually a carefully considered representation of letterforms from the underlying message. Scott drew on discussions with project partners that emphasized how squash requires cooperation and respect for one’s opponent that forms from competing within such a confined and intimate space. While you may be opponents in the match, you are also something of teammates within the sport.

Deconstructed letterforms from the title inform the architecture of the work, moving left to right at staggered heights throughout the piece before stacking on to a second line. While this is an established direction within the mural, Scott started to think of the columns of letters in this context as two opponents, occupying a space and moving with a cooperative ebb & flow similar to that found in a match – one player may move forward while the other falls back until it’s their turn to move forward and the other falls back, and so on. The sentiment in this mural achieves the duality of competition and respect both for individuals playing a match but that can also be attributed to the Arlen Specter US Squash Center itself. At its core, the center holds this perspective and love for the sport that informed the process of bringing the space to life, underscoring how a strong foundation is just as important to the physical construction as it is to the cultural integrity that the Arlen Specter US Squash Center is building and cultivating.

Location Note: This is an interior mural and may not always be accessible for public viewing.