Large lovely new nests rest on granite posts designed decades ago by William Reimann.
I first noticed the nests at night, March 18, outside the Porter Square T station in Cambridge. Returning over the next few days to take their pictures, I caught connections to the enduring designs in the granite bollards ( posts) beneath them. This led me to finally follow up through online resources to confirm that William Reimann designed the bollards that were placed in 1983:
“Combining traditional folk art with modern urban design, the artist sandblasted these intricate ethnic designs into the granite bollards that surround the station. The designs are based on elements unique to the various ethnic groups who populate the Porter Square area, including African, Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Hispanic, Italian, Japanese, Penobscot Indian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Scandinavian. “ ( quote from Cambridge Public Art Tour map)
That led me on to other impressive public art on William Reimann’s website, including work in local parks that I will want to post about in future.
Meanwhile my online research and wanderings around the physical site have left me clueless about who made the nests. So I am posting now in hope of clues about the making of the nests, and of course to invite anyone near Porter Square to enjoy these enticing intricate structures while they last!
Can you help solve the mystery?
Who created large lovely nests outside the entrance of Porter Square T Station?
I will revise this or start a new post as needed. Many thanks!
Art Outdoors 
What a fascinating puzzle!
Sent from my iPad
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My public artwork seems regularly either trivialized; or more rarely, actively vandalized. Underneath what are termed ‘nests’; sit square granite bollards collectively representing [a fraction of] the vigorous visual life of the ethnic immigrant resident’s 36 homelands and the array of cultural backgrounds we meant to honor. Many of them, or their children, likely still live within the locus of Porter Square Station, according to the U.S. Census of the decade before the station was built. The nest metaphor may be truthful quite apart from the author’s intent, in my view. By glaring contrast, nests are meticulously made, their process delivered to the birds; and to us, by the mysterious, purposive, forces of nature. For the most part, bird nests are worked on with parents considerably at risk, just like immigrants, but also yield structures of great dignity; up until their fledgling offspring mindlessly decorate them, poised in reverse, if you’ve ever watched, with the conclusion of their ingestions. No further comment. William Reimann, Cambridge, MA.
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Thank you for your very valuable perspective from your creative work in public art! I hope that everyone has gone or will go to your website http://www.williamreimann.com/ (noted in red type in the post above) for overview and details of your wonderful work.
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