Earthtones by d.p.Etlinger

1414 Hardy St., Houston, Texas 77026 • 281.546.3637

MD Anderson awards commission to d.p.Etlinger for

Proton Therapy Center

Artist's rendering of Proton Therapy Center from Old Spanish Trail Rd. [rotunda located on the far right of image].

d.p.E.'s Calendar

Oct 29--Eastman Gallery, Meet-the-Artists, 6-9pm

 Nov 07--West University Elementary School  fundraising auction, 7-11pm

Nov 19--Sheila Klein Opening Reception @ The Foundry; open studios tours, 6-10pm

Nov 20--12th Annual Warehouse ArtCrawl open studios tours [in warehouse art district], 2-9pm

MD Anderson broke ground on the new Proton Therapy Center in early May, 2003. Originally in search of an appropriate light fixture to adorn the rotunda of this new facility, SK Interiors chose d.p.Etlinger to design and craft a unique fixture for the space. But after a little dialog, a light fixture just didn't seem like the right fit for the space, considering the purpose of the facility--utilizing proton beam therapy to treat cancer. It simply lacked any sense of  meaning--and hope.

A brief look though d.p.'s portfolio

d.p.Etlinger's Origami Crane will be suspended from the rotunda ceiling.

quickly changed the scope of the project in a dramatic way--a sculpture was the answer! A little investigation led those at MD Anderson to the Japanese Origami Crane [see explanation below]. d.p.Etlinger was awarded a commission to construct an origami crane made of stainless steel tubing that would float high above the ground floor of the glass walled rotunda. The Center is scheduled to open in early 2006.

Origami Crane Legend

Legend says that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will have their heart's desire come true. The origami crane has become a symbol of peace because of this legend, and because of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as an infant, and it took its inevitable toll on her health. By the time she was twelve in 1955, she was dying of leukemia. Hearing the legend, she decided to fold 1,000 cranes so that she could live. She folded 644 before she died. Her classmates folded the remaining number and she was buried with a wreath of 1,000 cranes. While her effort could not extend her life, it moved her friends to make a granite statue of Sadako in the Hiroshima Peace Park: a young girl standing with her hand outstretched, a paper crane flying from her fingertips.