Door to the Past

Ahh... it's been a while since my trip to L.A. But downtown, around the corner from that sculpture I wasn't allowed to photograph, there is this amazing door. I can't find much information on it. From what my friends told me, it's the last remaining piece from a beautiful, art deco building (the Atlantic Richfield Building). I think this is my favorite photo from my trip to Downtown L. A. It makes me think of those sci-fi shows like Quantum Leap. A door to the past that can take us to the future.


If only we still built with such attention to detail and aesthetic. Don't get me wrong, I love the modernist architecture that you see in magazines like Dwell.... but sometimes, I think it would be nice to have something other clean lines and box architecture. Yes... it's cheaper... it's probably quicker and easier to build that way as well.

And don't get me started on sustainable architecture! I think it's great and all buildings should be built in a sustainable manner. "Green" town homes are sprouting up around Seattle, like mushrooms after a downpour, and they are so butt-ugly. Just because it's sustainable...DO YOU HAVE TO PAINT THEM PUKE GREEN AND RUST RED? Do you have to show every freakin' bolt that goes into the siding? Does that siding have to look like it you got it from the remainder pile at the lumber yard?

Look at this door! Wouldn't it be fantastic to walk through that everyday on your way to work? Isn't there a way to merge modernist, sustainable architecture with elements of folly? Maybe people are doing just that.... I haven't seen it. Then, again, I haven't exactly looked for it either.

Paul Conrad: Chain Reaction

It's been a while since I lasted posted, but here is a new one.

This is a sculpture in Santa Monica by Paul Conrad. Conrad is a political cartoonist and sculptor. This piece took my breath away when I stumbled upon it. It is unsettling and beautiful. Made of hundreds of chain links, it is, in the Artist's words, a statement of peace.

To me the chains represent how we are ultimately tethered to the fear of mass destruction and that this fear links us to the need for peace.

Location: Santa Monica Convention Center

Forbidden Art

So...! There was this one piece, the first piece of public art I am taken to by my gracious guides in Bunker Hill, that, while being public art, was apparently FORBIDDEN! Unfortunately, it was also a favorite of my guide. But, when I tried to take a picture of it, I was scolded by a security guard.

I MEAN REALLY! It's not like I was trying to SELL CRACK COCAINE! Or take off my clothes and SPLASH AROUND LIKE A NUDY BOY in the fountain which held the piece. All I wanted to do was take a picture of it like a PROPER TOURIST. Isn't that part of the purpose of public art? To attract tourism?!

Anywho.... It is a rather nice piece that looks like a double-helix. Or a set of stairways. (There wasn't any water in the fountain ANYWAY! but this is supposed to make it look like it goes on indefinitely.) So this is my interpretation of the sculpture in the context of experiencing it.

P.S. if you would like to see it go here. Apparently, this person could take a picture.

Sculpture: Four Arches

This is an Alexander Calder sculpture called "Four Arches". I love the motion of this piece... and, of course, the Calder Red. From this angle it looks like an erupting volcano.



I also like how elegant something this massive (and it is pretty big) looks against the gigantic skyscrapers in the distance.



The curved arches are reminiscent of Gothic architecture to me. This, with the vibrant orange-red of the steel, makes it a great study of contrasts; heavy, massive materials looking light, fluid and elegant; the muted tones of the surrounding buildings with the vibrancy of the sculpture's color.

Calder was also fascinated by the Circus. One of his early jobs as an artist was to sketch the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus. He did sculpture later in his career based on circus themes. Which may be why, when I look at this piece, I ultimately think of an Elephant separated from the Circus parade marching down main street.

Location: Los Angeles, Bunker Hill

Sculpture: Ulysses

I recently took a trip to Los Angeles. One of the goals of this trip was to absorb as much art as possible. So, with the aid of some great tour guides, I went out in search of public art. My friends live close to Bunker Hill in Downtown L.A. So, of course, this post (and others to follow) are from this area.


This is another Alexander Liberman. Thanks to having seen his Olympic Illiad at the Seattle Center, I knew when I saw this piece from a distance, that it was a Liberman. This one's called "Ulysses". Is it named after the Ulysses (Latin name of) the legendary Greek King (Odysseus in Greek)? He's the king who wandered around for 10 years after the Trojan War. I'll have to read more about him, but according to Wikipedia his name could mean "The one who is wrathful/hateful". Interesting.

Or is it named after James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" the story of Leopold Bloom and his travels around Dublin?

Or, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the U.S. who lead the Union in the Civil War?

It's probably named after the Greek King (given the name of his other work in Seattle). I, however, think this piece should be called Metallica, since it's made of heavy metal and looks like an electric guitar thrust into the ground. Also, when I think of L.A. I think of heavy metal bands from the 80s with their teased out hair, skin-tight jeans, and pointy guitars... Or, I think of Gidget and the Beach Boys.

Hey it's possible (just not probable)! Metallica started in 1981 and this statue is dated 1988.

Again, I love how Liberman is able to take these massive, heavy forms and make them seem as if they are floating in space; re-organizing themselves.

Location: Bunker Hill, Los Angeles

Relief: Manhole cover

So... I'm walking down the street wondering what my next subject will be. I'm stopped at the Northeast corner of Marion and 3rd Avenue in Seattle and I look down. How many times have I passed one of these manhole covers and missed this?

I love the pattern. It's whimsical. Everything should be made with this kind of awareness to the aesthetic. Seattle City light could easily have just put down a metal disk... flat and functional. Instead, this enhances the streetscape and reminds us where our run-off water goes and what it affects. Thanks Seattle City Light!

Location: Marion and 3rd Avenue (Northeast corner...on the ground.... you're standing on it!)

Sculpture: Henry Moore

This sculpture is by Henry Moore and it's called Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae. Made in 1968 and owned by the Seattle Art Museum, this piece is sits in the 4th Avenue Plaza across from the Seattle Public Library. And I have to laugh! Not because I think the piece is silly... but because this it sits outside the building where my back doctor is. Let me tell you, I know about vertebrae and what happens when they get worn down!

I like Henry Moore's sculpture. It makes me want to touch it. It looks worn like the Grand Canyon... eroded by the elements over time. Or, perhaps this is the backbone of an ancient giant, and like pebbles at the bottom of a stream, it has been eroded by the flow of people and cars rushing through the streets of Seattle. Was this what Moore wanted us to see? A broken, worn backbone?
Moore often sculpted the female figure reclining. Is this a representation of the essence of that? Is it the core of the figure?
One of the best things about this sculpture is its relationship to the Seattle Public Library building by Rem Koolhaus. I like the way this organic, smooth and curvaceous form balances the geometry and hard lines that make up the library.

One thing to note... in the lobby of the 4th Ave Plaza building, is this fantastic painting. I wonder if this inspired Koolhaus when he was scouting the location for the public library.