Another California Day Project
“34°08'45.0"N 118°03'06.6"W”
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden
This project is the first of a series inspired by our experiences in the California landscape. We love California, especially the aesthetic beauty that lies in the rugged landscapes from mountains to ocean, layered around and within the vibrancy of the city. There is a rawness to the environment that speaks to the more simple things in life that are pure and refined. In contrast, we have discovered the patterns within these environments saturated with color and textures that make up the material of our surroundings. These are the elements which we draw from as the platform for our “Another California Day” series. This piece in particular is inspired by the colors of the Los Angeles Sunsets, and combines both geometric and organic qualities that are often seen when observing the landscape. There is also an aspect of change as you rotate around the piece, mimicking vanishing horizon lines, and the way the light changes our perception of a landscape. We feel such excitement and enthusiasm when we think about all of these elements, and we can’t wait to translate the visuals into new interpretations and materials for K&R.
This site, “34°08'45.0"N 118°03'06.6"W” at the LA Arboretum was the major inspiration for this installation. Located below the San Gabriel Mountains, the 127-acre botanical garden is home to a diverse collection of plants, largely California natives. What drew us to this specific site was the openness of the location. Centered among a ring of trees was a vacant space that looked as if something needed to be there. Eventually we discovered there was once an old Ficus that had blown over in the 2012 wind storm that devastated the area. This site was once occupied by a magnificent tree and now remains vacant. We feel this piece is, in some way, a celebration of the life that was once there.
It is also a critical time for Southern California where we are experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. Because of this we are forced to reconsider our lifestyle and implement a more sustainable way to protect our resources and consider alternatives. This will affect the landscape of Sothern California, where plants and animals thrive from the abundance of our resources. Now it is time to face the reality of living in the desert and embrace the changes in our landscape. In doing so, this project seems much more relevant in this site at the LA Arboretum.
This sculpture was part of “The Nature of Sculpture” at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, curated by Patricia Ferber.