'Something Pacific' about La Jolla

Something Pacific-Paik

Technology is a process of improvement and replacement. Once a newer, better, faster, model is released, the older models become obsolete and are then replaced. The growth of technology and dependence in the United States has shaped our culture and social lives as well. This is a theme in Nam June Paik’s sprawling installation “Something Pacific” at UCSD in La Jolla.

Nam June Paik is inspired by Dadaism and was part of the Fluxus movement of the post World War II era. His work using televisions quickly became a signature for his work.

In "Something Pacific,” Paik uses old and ruined televisions and incorporated them into the landscape surrounding UCSD's Media Center. Some have Buddha and figural companions blankly staring at the empty screens. A copy of Rodin’s ‘Thinker’ sits atop an old Walkman near the entrance to the building. This TV graveyard can take many meanings. It is a reminder that tv and media have shaped the landscape and environment of modern times. It is also a warning to students of the cyclical nature of technology.

The lobby of the Media Center has one of Paik’s interactive TV displays. Students can change what is being viewed on the banks of screens using a control panel. Video sequences of Paik’s or MTV can be manipulated on the multiple screens. The colorful changing screens are a striking contrast to the almost macabre scene outside the Media Center doors.

To learn more about art in La Jolla and local contemporary and lowbrow artwork, visit Thumbprint Gallery on Kline Street. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Source:

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/paik.shtml

A Walk Along a La Jolla 'Terrace'

Terrace-Ferrara

Architecture and landscape design are both ways of dividing space into harmonious and functional areas. College campuses have an enormous amount of space in which to work with. Jackie Ferrara did a project for the Stuart Collection at the La Jolla campus of UCSD, creating a terrace space for the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Facility. The ‘Terrace” was designed with the help and consultation of the architects from Moore Ruble Yudell and landscape designer Andrew Spurlock. With their advice during the early development of the project, the Terrace became functional and aesthetically appealing.

The Terrace has three main parts, the large northern terrace, the central space dominated by circular stairs, and a smaller southern terrace. Each section flows into the other. Black, red, and green slate tiles are used to pave the walkways between the three areas. The walkways are surrounded by Australian willow trees and benches; encouraging scientists to rest in the sun and contemplate. The terraces link the two wings of the building, creating an overall pleasant cohesive look to the facility.

The linear patterns of the walkway combined with the consecutive curvature of the staircase juxtaposed with the stone and grassy landscape create an interesting blend of hard and soft. The Terrace is a feat of architectural and landscape design. Once you have finished contemplating the complexities of cellular division on the Terrace, drop by Thumbprint Gallery, on Kline Street in La Jolla, to see contemporary and lowbrow art. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 p.m. to  4 p.m.

Source:

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/ferrara.shtml

Color Runs Through UCSD Campus

Two Running Violet V Forms-Irwin

As with all mediums, there is a limit to how much one can do with it. Some types of paint will remain transparent no matter what, while others are difficult to thin out or create impasto. Artist Robert Irwin found these limitations frustrating and gave up on painting all together. He began to experiment with architectural sculpture and incorporating the qualities and effects of paint into a three dimensional environment. His sculpture for the Stuart Collection at UCSD in La Jolla, “Two Running Violet V Forms” expresses Irwin’s goals.

With the man-made eucalyptus forest between the Mandeville Center and the Faculty Club as his site, Irwin constructed two running chain link fences in the shape of V’s. Each fence is approximately 25 feet high and the links are covered in blue-violet colored plastic. The fences do not reach the ground, allowing ample space for pedestrians to walk beneath. Purple flowering ice plant has been planted under the fences, accenting the color.

The V Forms illustrate Irwin’s ideas about light and dimension. The fences weave between the trees in straight lines providing a different perspective to each individual as they move around the eucalyptus grove. As the day progresses, light catches and reflects off the chain link in different ways, changing the color and visual qualities of the V Forms.

The “Two Running Violet V Forms” are an interesting translation of painting into a thee dimensional space, well worthy of experiencing. Once you have seen the color and light qualities of the Forms, visit Thumbprint Gallery, located on Kline Street, to see more local contemporary art in La Jolla. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Source:

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/irwin.shtml

The Sun God of UCSD

Sun God-de Saint Phalle

Art creates ideas, promotes thought, and can easily become a symbol. This is the case of Niki de Saint Phalle’s “Sun God” statue at the University of California, San Diego. As part of the Stuart Collection, the statue was commissioned for a specific location on the La Jolla campus; namely the Mandeville auditorium. Its central location and vivid colors draw a stunning amount of attention.

Niki de Saint Phalle is a wildly famous sculptural artist. Her work is mainly in Paris and Northern Italy. Her spreading fame with her “Nanas,” or earth mother sculptures, shows her fascination with modern feminism. Her work has a distinctive colorful palette with curvilinear lines creating form and depth. The “Sun God” was her first sculpture in the United States. The brightly colored fourteen-foot bird is perched atop a fifteen-foot arch. Golden plumage shoots out from its head in rays, resembling the sun.

The students of UCSD adopted this bird as their own mascot. It has been incorporated into the UCSD culture and events. The statue has been clothed in caps and gowns, sunglasses, given a machete and headband, etc. Some students joke that it is actually a dormant Pokemon, waiting for someone to awaken it with a Sunstone. The largest annual Student Association sponsored event has been named after the statue: Sun God Festival. The statue has become a meeting point for student gatherings, rallies, and events. The statue has also been transcribed onto memorabilia for the campus: coffee mugs and t-shirts.

After seeing the unofficial mascot of the University of California, San Diego, stop by Thumbprint Gallery, on Kline Street in La Jolla, to see colorful lowbrow, contemporary, local art. The gallery is open from 12-4pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

UCSD's Stone Poetry

UNDA-Finlay

Many different forms of art cross over and flow from one form to another. Poetry can be translated into paintings; myths are carved into sculptures, and vice versa. Some of the most fascinating pieces of art incorporate two or more artistic forms into one cohesive whole. Ian Hamilton Finlay was a Scottish artist who is well known for his sculpture and poetic writing. In his commissioned sculpture for the Stuart Collection at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, Finlay carved poetry into stone, entitled: “UNDA.” Finlay also used the dichotomy of wild nature and controlled culture.

Just north of the playing field between the Humanities building and the Thurgood Marshall College student apartments sit five large, roughly cut, English limestone blocks. On each block the Latin letters V, N, D, A are carved in various orders. A ‘S’ form separates some of the letters indicating that one should transpose the letters it separates. Using this formula, each block reads UNDA. It is a one-word poem repeated over the stones.

This statue was Finlay’s first outdoor sculpture in the United States. It seems to relate the message that all art is connected to nature as closely as this one piece. Simplicity and beauty become one with the environment, making Finlay’s sculpture seem timeless. The use of Latin letters contributes to the classical nature of the sculpture as well. After deciphering and contemplating Finlay’s UNDA poem, visit Thumbprint Gallery, on Kline Street in La Jolla, to see more art by local artists. The gallery is open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Source:

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/finlay.shtml

La Jolla Snake Makes One Pause for Thought

Snake Path-Smith

They say ignorance is bliss. However, through curiosity, through study, through knowledge does one truly find oneself. It is a theme that has been discussed in countless texts, including the Bible. Artists and authors have toyed with the boundaries of moralistic stories related to the theme of knowledge and sin. The Stuart Collection at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla has their own piece that explores this idea: “Snake Path” by Alexis Smith.

The path is constructed of colored hexagonal slate tiles that create the scales of a serpent. The body of the snake makes a 560-foot, winding path, with its head and tongue leading the pedestrian to the Geisel Library. The snake wraps its body around part of the concrete walkway. Coils of the tail create small circular gardens. One of the gardens is representative of the Garden of Eden with pomegranate and other fruit trees. A bench in the garden is inscribed with a quote from Thomas Gray: "Yet ah why should they know their fate/When sorrow never comes too late/And happiness too swiftly flies/Thought would destroy their Paradise/No more, where ignorance is bliss, tis folly to be wise." A large granite book sits beside the Snake Path with a quote from Milton’s Paradise Lost: “And wilt thou not be loath to leave this Paradise, but shalt possess a Paradise within thee, happier far."

The connections of the snake, the garden, and the book are clear. The Snake Path leads students and pedestrians, around the garden, towards the knowledge held within Geisel Library. The Snake Path may also allude to the growth of the students, their development, and preparation for the “real” world.

The Snake Path is a meditative walk, allowing one to think about the meanings and ideas behind its construction, and location. To learn more about contemporary, lowbrow, and local art in La Jolla, visit ThumbprintGallery on Kline Street. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Source:
http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/smith-a.shtml

An Impressionist Take on La Jolla

California Coast

The history and tradition of art in La Jolla is long and filled with extremely talented individuals. Maurice Braun was an influential impressionist painter who worked in La Jolla and around San Diego for a great part of his life. His artwork is said to have captured the life and light of Southern California in ways other artists could not. Braun also became a prominent person in the La Jolla artistic community.

Braun was born in 1877 in Hungary. His family immigrated to the New York when he was four years old. He studied fine arts at the National Academy of Design. In 1909, Maurice moved to San Diego, drawn by the landscape and the Point Loma Theosophical Society. A year later Braun founded the San Diego Academy of Art. Braun was a founding member of the La Jolla Art Association. He split his time between the East and West coasts for several years after that, painting wherever he could. In 1929 he joined the Contemporary Artists of San Diego.

The plein-air paintings of Maurice Braun shone a spotlight on San Diego, and more specifically, La Jolla. “The Jewel” shines bright and sun-drenched in his seascapes. His other landscapes fully grasp the feeling and atmosphere of the hills and trees around San Diego. Some of these landscapes could be compared to Monet’s Haystacks. It is no wonder that Maurice Braun is considered to be one of the most influential painters of his time.

Maurice Braun’s impact on the La Jolla artistic community lives on in the La Jolla Art Association and the San Diego Academy of Art. To learn more about the local art community, visit Thumbprint Gallery on Kline Street in La Jolla. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12-4pm.

Source:

http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/v54-4/pdf/v54-4Stern.pdf

http://mauricebraun.com/