Stonehouse - boundary separation

Another aspect of both Stonehouse and Union Street that I find interesting is the lack of knowledge about the boundaries of the area.  Many people who travel down Union Street are unlikely to acknowledge the fact that they are travelling right through the heart of the Stonehouse region.  The joining of Stonehouse, Derriford and Plymouth into a single city i.e Plymouth, meant that the boundaries between the areas have become much more blurred.  Therefore those who travel down or up Union Street are more likely to understand the area to be Plymouth than Stonehouse, apart from perhaps those who live locally and have built up a history of the area via this.  Stonehouse being such an important area historically, and still an interesting and dyanamic location to this day should probably have more acknowledgement as a location than it is currently recieving.  This interests me in terms of improvements to the area, as it would be good to bring a stronger identity back to the area.  Below is a picture of a sculpture in California that acts as a signifier of the boundary between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood:

This sculpture, as well as being used to identify the boundary is also engaging as it draws the viewers eye upwards as you walk below it, and in doing so, allows for an optical illusion to occur in which the colour of the sky is altered at certain times of day.  Labelled the Empyrean Passage, Dan Corson the creator said:

"Empyrean Passage is reminiscent of both a theoretical black hole and portal into the celestial worlds ... The form is constructed like a giant hoop skirt and gracefully moves in the wind, creating a gossamer lighting effect overhead. While this project is an oculus to the heavens, more focus is usually paid to more terrestrial stars in this neighbourhood. "

The sculpture looks and acts almost like a pillar between the two locations and creates an "entrance gateway" that pedestrians are able to travel underneath, almost transporting them between the two worlds.

(http://www.dezeen.com/2008/02/05/empyrean-passage-by-dan-corson/)

This sculpture is interesting as it is interactive as well as symbolic, and also very environmentally friendly.  Although most interesting at night, the Empyrean Passage also is functional in the day due to the added illusive effect on the inner edges of the rings.  This therefore allows for a very functional, engaging and effective addition to the environment whilst giving an invisible, yet important boundary, a physical representation.