PROGRESSIVE PERCEPTIONan exploration of natural boundaries in the display of history and art

A garden seems an obvious setting for large & important pieces of sculpture. The changes of natural light, the juxtaposition of stone, bronze, or lead with the green texture of bushes and the vertical lines of tree trunks add something to the sensuous pleasure of sculpture that is missing in the purely architectural space of a gallery.

“

Grounds for Change: Major Gardens of the 20th CenturyWilliam Howard Adams

Progressive PerceptionA Thesis

by christine bemis

© Christine Bemis 2012Created in Studio Eu�Reich�a5th Year Architecture ThesisUnder the supervision of Professor Jonathan Reich

California Polytechnic State UniversitySan Luis Obispo, California

Published June 2012.

Special thanks to those of you who havestruggled with me,

supported me,stood by me,

and gotten me this far.

I could not have done this without you.

ISSUE

SITUATION

INSPIRATION

PROPOSAL

GOALS

DESIGN PROCESS

A SCULPTURAL PARK

WORKS CITED

I. what’s wrongII. a different approachIII. what’s been doneIV. what’s next?

V. how?VI. proposal

VII. influential ideasVIII. influential forms

IX. settingX. program

XI. design goalsXII. artistic influencesXIII. historic influences

XIV. early ideasXV. conceptual sectionXVI. form concepts

ISSUE

CO

NTE

XTL

ESS I think that there is a major

disconnect between the art we see in traditional museums, and the way that those museums let us interpret and understand those pieces. Those works of art were not created in a vacuum of white walls, next to other things that look somewhat similar. They were created in history, as a part of history, and had an impact on the resulting history.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

12

IN C

ON

TEX

T

Left:Sculpture Silhouette of Rodin’s ThinkerPeter Guffin

Right:ThinkerAuguste RodinColumbia University

13

We, as visitors to museums, deserve the chance to understand a piece as a part of its own time and place. We are not always innately interested in these works as high works of art, seen because they’re famous, which is how traditional museums seem to display them: on a pedestal, behind the glass case, untouchable and near inaccessible. Apart from the physical necessity to preserve some historical works, it is truly a shame that we as viewers are kept so apart from these pieces-- in proximity as well as context.

an issue of context

14

Right:Learning to ThinkAntony Gormley‘Places with a Past’Spoleto FestivalCharleston, SC

15

museum vs. sculpture park

Sculpture parks have the same set of issues keeping the general public from truly appreciating, comprehending, or encouraging a positive experience of art. Many sculpture parks today are pristine lawns with pieces plopped in the appropriated parcels of grass, leaving little to be pondered when considering the pieces’ origins. Rather than presenting art that’s suitable to be outdoors in a way that takes advantage of being in the outdoors, these lawns are only an open-air iteration of protective white-walled galleries.

16

The beauty of sculpture made for outdoor display is that these pieces don’t need much protection. Using a lawn and a “Do Not Walk on Grass” sign instead of a guard rope and museum security guards provides the same sense of inaccessibility and alienation as the museums mentioned above.

WakeRichard Serra2004

Olympic Sculpture ParkSeattle, Washington

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destination vs. daily

To make matters worse, museums and many sculptures parks are not exactly central locations that people like to gather in habitually. They are often destinations; places to spend a day in because you already paid to do so. But instead of becoming informed and leaving knowledgeable, many become confused and leave disinterested.

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Why should people want to make a specific trip to visit one of these institutions only to feel inadequate and dumb because they don't know the background of the artist or the political turmoil of his hometown in 19th century Russia. Much of art is embedded with a story-- personal, political, historical-- a story that is difficult to sense, much less comprehend, only by reading a small plaque set off to the side. While a large part of the appeal of art is visually-based, the mind is not always wholly satisfied by purely aesthetic charm. And to those who focus only on surface qualities, it means entirely overlooking any work that isn't aesthetically pleasing. Viewers should be able to experience not only a piece of art in its physical capacity, but in its historical capacity as well. In order to do the latter, museums must be able to present a sense of historical capacity, which is a difficult task to manage, especially for older works of art.

the many limitations

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How does interaction between an art object and its physical situation cause us to reflect not only on the object but also on the situation?

“

Sculpture Since 1945Andrew Causeyon art in the 1970s

21

Contemporary art, particularly in the public realm, is an area in which these certain boundaries might be more easily overcome. Public art, by nature, is art of the people, art to be experienced every day. And although there is a limited variety of media that may fall into the realm of public art (for physical display reasons) there is still the possibility to intrigue and invite the public into the idea of art, and this will lead to a willingness to experience art further. Public art in the everyday can whet the creative appetite and as a result encourage a more critical pursuance in a more traditional setting.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

22

Work by artist Vhils. Using white paint on old billboard ads with peeling paper, Vhils creates an image and a message of consumer critic.

23

traditional museumDESTINATION

traditional sculpture park DAILY

appreciationcomprehension

?

use public art to intrigue

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USE PUBLIC ART TO INTRIGUE

WILLINGNESS TOexperience/interact/engage

with art

appreciationcomprehension

25

WHAT’S BEEN DONE

There are several major movements concerning art in the public realm that have made an impact on the way art is viewed today. Focusing primarily on those occuring in the latter half of the last century will inform us as to what many major artists were thinking about public art, how their works were conceived and received, and how these works fit into the contexts of their time. The 1960s-70s saw Art in Public Places; the 70s and 80s saw Art as Public Spaces; and the late 80s and 90s saw Art in the Public Interest. Each of these movements had its own benefits and challenges, but where they left off is where I hope to pick up again.

26

WHAT: Some government organizations mandated that public art align with the design and production of public amenities. This meant a blend of architecture & art design to form a cohesive environmental design.

WHAT: Public art became socio-political commentary, sometimes greatly influenced & even contributed to by the local community in which it would actually belong.

PROBLEM: Artists lost their voice in challenging social & cultural norms. Public art could also get lost in becoming too utilitarian.

PROBLEM: Not all artists had community involvement & this often resulted in anger & protestation. Even those who did have community involvement were protested for varying reasons.

WHAT: Typically extra large modernist sculptures that, similarly to the sculpture parks mentioned above, were plopped into mostly unfitting public situations.

PROBLEM: Community was not always willing to accept the artist’s contribution, as it was singularly theirs, and not one of or really for the people.

Art in Public Places

Art as Public Spaces

Art in the Public Interest

27

The concept of public art has been perceived in many ways just within the past few decades. In the 1960s and 70s an "Art in Public Places" standpoint was widely implemented by public artists. These were typically extra large modernist sculptures that, similarly to the sculpture parks mentioned above, were plopped into mostly unfitting public situations. These works were basically large scale versions of what you would find in a gallery, dropped into your daily life without any thought to how or why.

art in public places

The artists that created and sited these works were operating under the notion that the backdrop of the city (especially architecture), or any surrounding for that matter, was a mere distraction to the art, and that it should only be compared to the backdrop of the sky above. The problem with this notion is that the community was not always willing to accept the artist's pieces, as they were only the artist's-- no mind given to what or who the community really was or what might be appropriate for them.

28

29

The next few decades saw the development of "Art as Public Spaces." Those involved in the art world emphasized a desire to create a "direct formal link between material configuration of the artwork and the existing physical conditions of the site" (Kwon 65). This was a far cry from the previous decades' site-autonomous approach to design. Artists and bureaucrats began to realize that modern abstract sculpture was inaccessible to the general public, and so the National Endowment for the Arts and the General Services Administration mandated that public art align with the design and production of public amenities. This meant a blend of architecture and art design to form a cohesive environmental design.

art as public spaces

While this seems like a solution to the autonomous and inaccessible figures that dominated earlier public art, these new provisions also hindered the creative aspirations of artists hoping to challenge public norms; art was forced into a kind of complacency meant to please the public rather than instigate new thought. It also meant that too much of a focus on creating art in conjunction with public amenities could result in too utilitarian of objects-- people might not even notice a piece was meant to be art, regardless of its ability to be used as an object. The evaluation of art came to be measured by its functional value instead of aesthetic appeal. Ideally, public art created in conjunction with public amenities would be measured by both.

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Artists in the mid to late 80s began to revolt against the trends (and repercussions) made obligatory by the NEA and GSA. Richard Serra's Tilted Arc placed purposely to divide Chicago's Federal Plaza was meant to make a physical manifestation of the social rift already observed on a daily basis. While still a large modern sculpture seemingly similar to those works following the "Art in Public Places" model, Serra's piece was actually "art as socio-political commentary"; intended to draw attention to those questionably upheld ideologies of contemporary society. Sadly, Tilted Arc was received very badly by the public and was consequently torn down less than 5 years after its installment. Had the piece's audience been involved in its design or creation Serra's Arc might have fallen into the third category of public art: Art in the Public Interest. Gaining popularity in 1989, the same year Tilted Arc was taken down, Art in the Public Interest finally began to take into account not just physical surroundings, but cultural ones as well. Also labeled "New Genre Public Art," this entailed "intensive engagement with people of the site, involving direct communication and interaction... with the possibility

art in the public interest

of community participation, and even collaboration in the making of the art work" (Kwon 82). Direct involvement with the artwork by those who would experience it every day would result in a deeper sense of identity and ownership between artist and audience; no longer an artist's singular agenda implanted in another's community without its prior input or validation (approval?). However, even public art created in this process has run into difficulties. Artist John Ahearn was raised in and frequently displayed his sculptures in the Bronx of New York. Locally known and loved for his castings of other members of his tight-knit community, Ahearn's works were still protested when displayed in a slightly wealthier area only four blocks from where he typically worked. His sculptures were accused of promoting what some called delinquents in front of the neighboring police department, when really they were just the neighbors less than a mile away. Ahearn's art was deeply embedded with the personalities and literal physicalities of his community, where they were highly valued works. But displaying them just outside the imaginary boundaries of that community resulted in objections and complaints.

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Who is to approve a public work of art?

Who is to say it’s appropriate for a certain time or place?

What constitutes a community?Zip code? Ethnicity? A general “feeling”?

WHAT’S NEXT?

This last example of public art efforts brings up several important questions when considering the creation of art in the public realm:

34

These questions are complex ones that may never be answered satisfactorily. There is no easy solution to decide what is appropriate to be put in the spaces that are equally owned by everyone. We can, however, begin to let the general public address these issues in the most honest way possible:

by creating a setting in which local artists can create with as much or as little public input as desired, and readily display their art for the public to see.

We can attempt to use public art to intrigue as many as possible and to encourage a greater interest in all art forms. To accomplish this I will attempt to inspire the public to be open-minded by designing a setting that will foster the relationship of local artists, their art, and their immediate audience, through observation, participation, and collaboration, within one specific region on the cusp of two communities.

35

Public art in the everyday can whet the creative appetite and as a result encourage a more critical pursuance of the arts in a more traditional setting.

PROPOSAL

PROPOSAL

HOW?

40

can landscape and architecture be utilized to bring together artists, art-lovers, and the art-indifferent?

can it unite communities and encourage an open mind by all?

HOW

HOW

41

PROPOSAL

A museum is meant to “acquire, conserve, research, communicate, and exhibit” (Barrie).

I propose an environmentally designed museum: interior, exterior, and landscape architecture working in unison to promote education of the history of a specific place in union with its contemporary culture, through a public participation-oriented outdoor space. Because the history of a place is extremely important in determining the understanding of how we’ve reached today, I will not begin from scratch, but provide a series of additions to existing museum settings that have the potential-- in community willingness as well as available square footage --to be accepted, utilized, and invested in.

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building type: a sculptural park

• indoor and outdoor galleries

• permanent and changing exhibition spaces

• architecture that serves as art when standing alone, and just as effective while displaying visual art exhibitions

• adaptive re-use or addition to existing building

43

INSPIRATION

artists for humanityboston, massachussetts 1991arrowstreet architects

The building that houses Artists for Humanity is almost as wonderful as the organization itself. The Epicenter is LEED Platinum, and it makes use of photo-voltaics, rainwater collection, passive heating and cooling, and numerous instances of product reuse.AFH is an organization that helps young artists learn responsibilty by helping run the program and even selling their art for profit. The (mostly) teens participate in

paid apprenticeships to professional artists to learn marketing of their art and design services.

a. Economical reuse of scrap windshields as railing details.

b. Use of garage doors to bring large amounts of sunlight in to warm the concrete floors in the winter months. Also opens whole studio space to the outdoors.

a46

b

influential IDEAS

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MoMA PS1long island city, new york 1971alanna heiss, founderfrederick fisher, architect (1997 renovation)

MoMA’s PS1 exists on an old school ground which is now an exhibition space, largly for contemporary, experimental art. PS1 also offers some classroom sized interior galleries, some of which hold long-term exhibits. The spaces here are most interesting when filled with contemporary art that is made specifically to change those spaces. Some of these art forms include artist retrospectives, stie-specific

installations, and music or performance programs.

a. Empty outdoor space, not in use.

b. An architectural installation entitled “Pole Dance” occupying and transforming the outdoor space.

c. An architecture student’s proposal for the large entry courtyard to PS1, submitted through the Young Architects Program, 2008.

ba48

c

influential IDEAS

49

museum insel hombroichneuss-holzheim, germany 1996karl-heinrich müller, founder

The Insel Hombroich Foundation is a private, non-profit organization in which “art, culture, scholarship, and nature are on an equal footing.” The founder donated his entire library and art collection and these serve to enlighten visitors in a wonderfully different environment than a typical museum. A series of built structures on the site were designed by a variety of architects and house different pieces of

the collection. In this extremely designed setting, within a a very natural backdrop, art and architecture mesh and nearly become one another (especially with its labeless display of art works). Visitors, then, aren’t necessarily drawn to the art moreso than the architecture. Instead they are drawn to appreciate every detail, because all of it has been made to be special and interesting.

50

Upper right:High Gallery

Upper left:Screw

Lower right:Tadeusz Pavilion

Lower left:Room House

All architecture shown by Eriwin Heerich

influential IDEAS

51

museo di castelvecchio, il giardino dei passi perdutiverona, italy carlo scarpa, restoration 1973peter eisenman, garden installation 2003

The historic renovation of the Museo di Castelvecchio is a precedent for several reasons. Scarpa’s use of contemporary architectural intervention to draw attention to the historical relevance of the Castelvecchio is done with clean precision. He doesn’t overpower the old, but makes it even more powerful with his minimal additions. Eisenman’s Garden of Lost Footsteps is also a precedent because of it’s further intervention into the situation. So many levels of history and use and audience makes visiting Castelvecchio a culturally rich experience.

a. Scarpa’s re-use of a medieval castle in Verona, Italy. Architectural intervention, but minimally invasive.

b. Eisenman’s interpretation/intervention in the garden of Castelvecchio. Very obviously displaces the traditional landscape, and calls attention to this avant-garde juxtaposition.

c. The new garden ground plane folds up around a designated path, and, for a short time, draws the visitor’s attention to the outdoor introduction rather than the interior museum.

d. The installation extends inside some of the gallery spaces so viewers don’t easily forget the experience they’ve just had.

a52

d

b

c

influential IDEAS

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maryhill overlookgoldendale, washington 1998allied works architects

The Maryhill Overlook is a massive, single piece that very much looks like sculpture in itself. The floor, wall, and ceiling planes fold into one another. It’s human scale makes something like this the perfect precedent for the types of forms that might occupy a sculptural park, giving plenty of spaces for both people and art alike to occupy.

a. Entire concrete piece projects into the land, without overpowering or distracting from it

b. Slots and openings orients people to view the land in a very specific way

c. Regular, human-scaled structure provides easy spaces for people and/or art to occupy

ba54

c

influential FORM

55

oslo opera houseoslo, norway 2007snohetta

The opera house forms a threshold between land and sea. This threshold is especially beautiful because it is so occupiable. It opens up to the water to allow everyone to see it’s magnificence. This work was meant to transform this area of Oslo, making it one of public gathering, openness, and togetherness. The “carpet,” has gentle but massive slopes, continuous material, and just enough variation to keep things interesting close up. Material connections are a very important part of this project.

a. The site plan of the opera house is simple, but makes meaningful formal gestures.

b. “The Carpet” has a grand sense of “horizontal monumentality.” It’s surfaces are varied enough to intrigue visitors to walk all over it, but the form isn’t so complex that it isn’t occupiable by everyone.

a56

b

influential FORM

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maritime youth centercopenhagen, denmarkPLOT architects, 2004

The program of the Maritime Youth Center is not of particular interest to me. What is more intriguing is the way the children use the building’s landscape. The front deck area turns into stairs which turn into roof plane, all of which are occupiable, making the one building on site much more usable.

a. Stairs fall into the lines of the built landscape. They give the option to climb the landscape by normal means, or to climb the curves themselves.

b. Children will find a fun use in anything, particularly this built terrain that very much mimics rolling hills.

c. The constructed hills open to the ocean, and give great views of the water, all while folding into an occupiable roof above the single building.

ba58

influential FORM

c 59

tilla durieux parkberlin, germanyDS landscape architects 2003

The only actual landscape precedent included, these forms are very influential in trying to design a modern, urban park. The forms pictured here feel much more appropriate than some man-made organically shaped park. To exist amid imposing buildings and the bustle of city life, a public space’s form must hold its own.

a. The park is divided into two folded lawns.

b. The two lawns are separated by a series of large scale see-saws which the public may enjoy at their leisure.

c. The lawns folded planes make it much more interesting than a flat, empty park. There is a difference in each space which personalizes the park for the public.

ba60

influential FORM

c 61

SITUATION

downtown los angeles

Los Angeles is home to a diverse population. Within the heart of the city is a small neighborhood deemed ‘Little Tokyo’. On the boundaries of L.A.’s arts district, Little Tokyo is becoming a central hub of food, culture, and a rich history. These conditions make it the perfect setting to bring awareness to the simple experience of a thriving city, the arts it has to offer, and the people who make it possible.

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Chinatown

Little Tokyo

Artist’s District

SCI-ARC

Fashion District

University of Southern California

L.A. River

Highway 110

Highway 101

Interstate 5

Interstate 10 65

THE DAILY EXPERIENCEIn the middle of dense, urban development, the site is surrounded by federal buildings on one side and traditional Japanese establishments on the others. On the walk to work, or next to the office during a lunch break, the site is central (geographically, if in no other way) to many people’s daily lives.

little tokyo

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Kyoto Grand Hotel

Weller Court

Little Tokyo Mall

Japanese Village Plaza

1st Street

Temple Street

N. Los A

ngeles

Street

Alameda Street

L.A

. Art

core

East

-Wes

t P

laye

rsV

isua

l Com

m.

SITE

Gef

fen

Mus

eum

of

Con

tem

pora

ry A

rt

Nat

iona

l Jap

anes

e M

useu

m

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Little Tokyo: DAILY In the middle of dense, urban development, the site is surrounded by federal buildings on one side and traditional Japanese establishments on the others. On the walk to work, or next to the office during a lunch break, the site is central (geographically, if in no other way) to many people’s daily lives.

SETTING

The setting, between Little Tokyo and the federal district of Los Angeles, California, should serve as an experiment in encouraging observation of and participation with locally produced art by the surrounding communities. While both communities are different architecturally, culturally, and in population (residential/growing tourism vs. federal employees/office workers), the project will strive to engage both, as well as outside visitors, by way of visual, contextual, and historical appeal. In addition to invoking a newfound

sense of art appreciation, the project will strive to connect the people visiting the site to each other by promoting the realization that art is not only for the destination, but for the daily. Art is meant for an open mind. Our minds should be opened every day. Being confronted with the opportunity to create [artists] and with the work itself created in situ [observers/participants] on a daily basis, in an accessible and intriguing way, should hopefully unite everyone with their most open minds.

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existing buildings

parking lots and structures

existing green space

site 69

1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930

large Japanese population in San Francisco, CA

Sanjuro Mizuno opensSanta Fe Hotel for railroad workers in Los Angeles, CA: L.A.’s first boarding house

San Fran earthquake. Movement of Japanese population to L.A., approx. 5,000.

Russian Molokans escaping religious persecution move to the same region of L.A.

Shiro Nakamura immigrates to America. After graduating from USC in 1910, will become the first licensed Japanese American pharmacist in CA. Opens L.A.’s smallest pharmacy: Nippon Pharmacy.

WWI: Mary Akita becomes the first Japanese Am. nurse; turns her house into a maternity hospital for Japanese women.Akita, Dr. Kikywo Tashiro, and 3 others found the first Japanese hospital in Boyle Heights.

1923UnionChurch is built.

1901

1898

Immigration Act stemsflow of Asian immigrants

1924

Beg. of WWII: population of Little Tokyo reaches 30,000 Japanese & Japanese Americans

a history

1906 1925Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple opens to the public.

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Japanese and Japanese Americans return to Little Tokyo after WWII

13 buildings along San Pedro St. & Central Ave. are designated landmarks.Omoide no Shotokyo, Remembering Old Little Tokyo sidewalk art project is completed.

Repeal of immigrant bans. Little Tokyo’s borders expand to the south:Third St.

Little Tokyo’s Far East Cafe, formerly a hardware store in the Depression Era, is featured in Hollywood films: Farewell, My Lovely & Blue Thunder

Community redevlopment: many Japanese Americans leave Little Tokyo for suburbs

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

1940Japanese farmed 26,000 acres in L.A. county: harvested 90% of the U.S.’s “truck crops”: asparagus, lima beans, carrots, cauliflower, etc.

Dec. 7, Japanese attack Pearl Harbor

1941

1995 Feb. 19, Executive Order 9066 is signed: Japanese Americans are given 5 days to pack and sell their property before being sent to internment camps.

Union Church, also the local YMCA, becomes a processing center for Japanese Americans relocating to internment camps during WWII. People are allowed to store their belongings at the Nishi Temple.After the order is signed, African Americans move into the neighborhood, which for a short time comes to be known as “Bronzeville.”

1942

1952

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The histories of place are what create experience from setting. Without reference to a past there is no indication for how to understand the here, now, and future.

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Little Tokyo is comprised of about only four city blocks near the downtown Los Angeles area. What used to be home to tens of thousands of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans at the start of World War II was home to only 1,000 people at the turn of the century: mostly Japanese American senior citizens. Around 2004 the neighborhood started attracting condominium developers, and soon young singles, artists, and professionals who could afford the $350,000-750,000 rent began making the move into the new hotspot of L.A. “Primarily a cultural and commercial district, Little Tokyo boasts restaurants, markets and shops that specialize in Japanese foods and products, but the neighborhood draws tourists and shoppers from all over.”

today

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JOBSblue collar to white collar

16% blue

83% white

88% nonfamilies

HOUSEHOLDfamily to nonfamily

12% families

CHILDRENfamiles with & w/o

3% w/o

97% w/children

total population 9267percent change since 1990 64%avg. household income $21,028median household income $6,904average household net worth $177,801median household net worth $28,209

EDUCATIONlevels

24%some college

20%some high school

8%graduate

degree

19% no high school

9% associate

degree

18%bachelors degree

demographics

3201 (34.54 %)female

POPULATIONmale to female

6066 (65.46 %)male

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site pictures

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PROGRAM

1. cafe/entry courtyard to Union Church2. galleries usable for nonpermanent installations or pieces by local or visiting artists -act as follies/pieces in themselves when not used for display space3. variety of leftover spaces used as semi-private nooks for individuals or smaller groups of people for reading, etc.4. stage for outdoor performances -adjacent seating 5. 25,000 sq. ft. visitors’ center a. indoor display space........12,000 sq. ft. -for local work created in conjuction with neighboring art facilities b. cafe........................................1600 sq. ft -adjacent picnic area c. restrooms...............................400 sq. ft. d. janitor closet.............................100 sq. ft.6. fountain/water feature for aesthetic pleasure and site rainwater catchment (and distribution for watering plants)7. create forms that allow and encourage all types of users: pedestrians, skateboarders, bicyclists (bike parking/paths)

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circulationTEMPLE STREET ENTRANCE

JUDGE JOHN AISO ST.

ENTRANCE

LA ARTCORE

ET. AL

GEFFEN MUSEUM OF

CONTEMORARY ART

JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM

1ST STREET

Major circulation through the site begins at the art institutions in the same vicinity: the Geffen MoCA, and the L.A. Artcore. Both support contemporary local artists and display their work. The other major entrance is all along Temple Street on the north side of the site. The entire block will be open to entry by the public here.

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TEMPLE STREET ENTRANCE

JUDGE JOHN AISO ST.

ENTRANCE

LA ARTCORE

ET. AL

GEFFEN MUSEUM OF

CONTEMORARY ART

JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM

1ST STREET

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program

PARKING

GARAGE

HIDDEN FROM

PARK VIEW MONUMENT

MAIN ENTRY

READING

ENTRY PATH

SCREENING WALL & STAGE

ART WALL

CONSTR

UCTED

KNOLL

S

PICNIC

RAMPS

& STAI

RS

WATER

FEATURE

NOOK

S

PAVILIONWATERFALL

CAFE

PAVILION

BRIDG

E

LAWN FORMS FOR

LARGE

SCULPTURE

AND PUBLIC USE SCULPTURAL RIBBON THROUGHOUT SITE

The main entry to the site and its features is next to the cafe that sits on the corner of Temple and Judge John Aiso. A ribbon of continuous material will lead visitors through the site, if they so choose to do so (represented in maroon). The rest of the site follows a grid of the streets, as seen here:

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PARKING

GARAGE

HIDDEN FROM

PARK VIEW MONUMENT

MAIN ENTRY

READING

ENTRY PATH

SCREENING WALL & STAGE

ART WALL

CONSTR

UCTED

KNOLL

S

PICNIC

RAMPS

& STAI

RS

WATER

FEATURE

NOOK

S

PAVILIONWATERFALL

CAFE

PAVILION

BRIDG

E

LAWN FORMS FOR

LARGE

SCULPTURE

AND PUBLIC USE SCULPTURAL RIBBON THROUGHOUT SITE

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GOALS

DESIGN GOALS

to explore the boundaries of control of the exhibition and presentation of art

to invoke public participation with, not just viewing of, art

to explore how these boundaries affect and change the display and consequently the comprehension of art by the viewer

to juxtapose an historical setting and purpose with new art and purpose in order to invoke a different understanding of both

to implore members of a community or those who encounter the project to embrace art in a holistic manner, with an open mind, to see art as part of life in both a useful and aesthetic way

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The site offers its own set of challenges: it isn’t rectilinear, there are existing elements to not only incorporate and highlight, and the immediate scenery is not meant to be see from the street, meaning there are details that will likely need to remain hidden from visitors to the park.

There are also issues of public accessibility and safety to be addressed as the project is meant to encourage and belong to the public in general.

While some of these problems can be solved quite easily, others prove to be much more challenging in attempting to solve in an artistic manner, keeping in mind my design goals. Specifically the discrepancy between inviting people into the site to have a specific experience that will enhance their other daily experiences (hopefully by being referential to those daily experiences), while at the same time trying to hide some elements of that daily life in order to focus the visitor inward first, before refocusing them outward.

conflicts

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The Minimalists of the mid to late 20th century operated under the belief that artist-appropriated meaning in an artwork was no longer valid. Experience was key. Minimalists sought to bring light to kinesthetic, full body and mind experience harnessed by simple, typically familiar forms. In this way the relationship between the “specific object” and the viewer is all important. The viewer assigns his or her own meaning. And art is now one for the people.

Minimalism is a nice fit for structures throughout a public park if only for its innate simplicity. In order to appeal to the masses, I believe it makes more sense to start out simple, and let the mind’s eye finish out the picture.

ARTISTIC INFLUENCESMinimalist Theory

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HISTORIC INFLUENCESTraditional Japanese Garden

Traditional Japanese gardens have several key characteristics:

The lantern: always located where the garden needs most light. Typically lit with fire.

The bridge: to cross something, to transition, or to view something.

The lake: represents the ocean, and the ever present relationship between land and water.

The dry garden: larger stones represent islands and pebbles behave as the waves in the ocean.

By reinterpreting these features in a contemporary fashion, attention will be drawn to the history of the surrounding history and culture of Little Tokyo.

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DESIGN PROCESS

DESIGN PROCESS

EARLY IDEAS

Early site concepts included the pavilion and the cafe/admin building, both of which remain in the final design (although look quite different). Originally the cafe/admin building was planned to be quite larger, almost looming over the parking structure, with a ramp system of public exhibition space (see right page).

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Far left:Roof plan sketch of cafe/admin building

Left:Sketch perspective of early pavilion

Right:Preliminary section of cafe/admin building with ramp system

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CONCEPTUAL SECTION

FORM CONCEPTS

The duality of purpose is a driving factor in every piece that will be designed. Every piece, in order to be believable as available for public use as well as art in itself, must be usable, structural, and beautiful. Because the majority of the project is not specifically “building”, special attention needs to be paid to details: how and where things come together, the connection of places and objects, and perhaps even more important, the connection of the materials of those places and objects, to encourage continued use and interest.

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sculptural ribbon motif

To address some of the conflicts mentioned earlier, maintain a theme of the sculptural park, and unify the site as a whole I have adopted a motif of a sculptural ribbon. This ribbon will start at the more menial of street entrances, pique the user’s interest, then intrigue the viewer by being different enough from the surrounding setting to pull them into the rest of the park. This ribbon will morph and become elements that every park needs (seating, shading, etc) while playing with the relationship between it, park and user: beside, below, above, sitting on, standing on, stepping over, etc.

Likewise it plays with the relationship between the featured art, architecture, landscape, and users: to seclude or join, to guide and interact with, to be usable and beautiful. It will serve to bring visitors through the site, and provide glimpses into other possible paths. These are a lot of spatial and social program assignments for one piece, but if accomplished it will be the most important integrating element of the entire site. Material choices will greatly enhance the feasibility of this ribbon.

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La ArtcoreVis. Comm.E-W Players Geffen

Museum Of Contemporary Art

Japanese-AmericanNational Museum

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[sculptural] seating

Seating is a generous portion of the sculptural ribbon at the southern-most part of the site. This is for several reasons. Because the seating is incorporated into a wall of sorts, it can accomplish several tasks important to the site and the user: shade and partial shelter from the sun on hot days, hidden and placed views of the backsides of business and apartments that aren’t as aesthetically pleasing to look at, privacy for the people in those apartments and hotels from visitors to the park, and a multiplicity of spaces in which to be.

What I hold most important about these seating elements is the power of them to focus the user inward to the park. While there will be some elements directly focusing users out for specific reasons, this part of the park is to focus you to the rest. You can sit on the edge and scan the rest for a glimpse of what’s to come. Or you can sit idle and people watch. Or gather with your friends. Or sit and read a book. But before any of this, you can enjoy the simple joy of sitting on something that’s not like anything else.

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[sculptural] seating

Green Wall Schematic Section

Sculptural seating becomes green wall to bring landscape into the vertical axis and block views into neighboring apartments and hotels.

concrete form wall

aluminum frame

basin pvc board slitted MRM panel

pump sprinklers MRM panel

plant roots sit in slots then grow to cover entire panel

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[lawn] forms

BACkGROuNd FOR LARGE SCALE SCuLPTuRES

LOuNGE SPACE

Its given structure pulls from the surrounding lines of city blocks, which echo the setting visitors are likely already familiar with, perhaps instilling a sense of comfort with the familiarity. Public spaces should be comfortable, after all. And while organic hills and valleys are always pleasant to encounter, they would be quite out of place and without reference if plopped down in the middle of an LA city block. A man-made green should appear man-made, but without the negative connotation of “falseness”.

Rather than echo the same landscape form as the traditional sculpture parks I am trying to distance the art experience from, I instead wish to design landscape as sculptural in itself. That is, a sculptural park, rather than a park for sculpture. By preferring landforms to flat lawns the user gets a new outdoor public experience, unique from the typical. At the same time, the formal language of the landforms begins to allow for more interesting spaces for people as well as works of art to occupy. The placement of landforms can also unify the site and distinguish different layers of occupiable space, ie path for walking, grass for resting or group activity, etc.

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LOuNGE SPACE

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around the monument

The pavilion is meant to marry the concept green landscape and architecture. Together they form a structural landscape, one very clearly man-made. Rather than keep landscape and architecture in separate realms, or simply unite them by putting them next to one other, I see the sculptural potential in turning one into the other. By using the same formal ideas as earlier in the [lawn] forms, both come together to bring visitors a sense of awareness about their ground plane. Heightened awareness about where you walk has the potential to bring more awareness to the rest of your surroundings. Hopefully this awareness will guide the gaze not just down, but up and around visitors, making them ready to observe and absorb what art, architecture, and landscape surrounds them.

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pavilion

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cafe/admin building

The cafe/admin building has gone through many remodels throughout this year. Because it is the single building on the site, it’s organization and execution is very important. A massing model is shown to the right, with a schematic arrangement of program spaces. The cafe will remain on the corner of the parking structure, to ensure foot traffic through it and the entire site.

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a SCULPTURAL PARK

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SITE

As mentioned previously, the lines of the site follow the irregular grid of the streets surrounding the block. Because the buildings on the block must follow these lines as well, they fall quite comfortably into the layout of the park. The MoCA and the Go for Broke Memorial become centerpieces in the park, as forms visually and physically direct visitors to both these places.

Far left:Lake and bridge view from Alameda Street

Left:Lawn forms in front of Geffen MoCA

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RECuRRING FORM

The park incorporates the most important elements of any public park, but attempts to draw attention to shape by utilizing simple, inhabitable, flowing form. To illustrate how any piece of the everyday can truly be art, or artistically made, similar forms are recycled for use as different architectural elements: seating, shading, railing, and green wall. In a fashion similar to the driving force of artistic Minimalism, the forms are about creating an experience and conjuring awareness of that experience. The simplicity of conjured awareness is made enjoyable by using pleasantly familiar materials to create sculptural form.

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This particular recycled form is constructed of concrete: a precast segment mounted to a site-cast segment. In some places, as in here on the bridge, there will be portions of resting places or stepping/viewing ledges to take a break from the path. The angle of the precast portion is lowest at the typical guardrail height for pedestrians to run their hands along while they walk, and is highest where someone may lean in order to peer over the side or out to the rest of the park.

1.25”

110˚

12”

50” 42”

18”

12”

8’ lengths of pre and site-cast concrete sections

16”

18”

CONNECTION dETAILmetal slots cast in concrete. bolted connection.

precast concrete unitlocking shape mounts to site-cast concrete unit

cast-in-place concrete unit

non-shrink groutfolded perforated metal plate(satin-finished steel)

wedge anchor

precast concrete slab(hollow core)

extend steel dowels into grouted shear keys

precast concrete planks

grout voids of hollow core units at ends to tie into concrete support

high-density plastic bearing strip

site-cast concrete unit

steel reinforcing bar

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The sculptural park takes its goal to the earth. Planar sculpted land forms align paths directing to important features of the site: the cafe/admin building, the Geffen MOCA, the Go For Broke Monument. The land forms are more visually and physically intriguing than a flat lawn, and allow for a multiplicity of use: lounge areas, sites for large scale sculpture, picnic spaces. The formal vocabulary of planar land forms is continued in the entire material vocabulary of the park. Constructed land becomes built landscape and vice versa.

[LAWN] FORMS

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Mark di Suvero sculpture: industrial material recalls the existing awning in front of the MoCA, and swing element conjures the idea of a traditional children’s swingset.

Composite wood-substitute pathway continuous with the remainder of the site.

Composite wood-substitute folds to create a bench on the edge of the lawn form and dies into the earth.

orientation

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Judg

e Jo

hn A

iso S

treet

LA Artcore

East-West Players

Visual Communications Geffen Museum of Contemporary Art

Japanese-American National Museum

1st Street

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AROuNd THE MONuMENT

The site is home to the Go For Broke Monument (center square), a monument to Asian-American soldiers who fought during World War II. What was once in the center of a sea of parking is now a central feature of the park, whose own features strive to direct attention to the monument. An open pavilion and bridge over the water both serve to fold the ground plane and focus visitors toward the monument.

Around the monument are several modernized features of traditional Japanese gardens: the lake, and the dry garden. The lake features a bridge from which an alternative view of the monument is available. dry gardens following the street and park grid are adjacent to patches of bamboo around the monument.

Left:Pavilion with picnic area, Go for Broke Monument, and bridge over lake.

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Picnic area leading to pavilion and bridge

Architectural landscape: planar language translates to built form in an occupiable roof landscape accessible from the level of the bridge

Go For Broke Monument dedicated to Asian-American veterans of WWII

Bridge over water, on same level as access to pavilion. orients viewer to monument from a different position

Bamboo patch with seating as the culmination/turning point of the bridge path.

pavilion

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The sculptural park features one building that houses a corner café, administrative space, public restrooms, and a flexible interior gallery space. The café draws people from Temple Street into the corner of the site and provides views to the rest of the park. The building itself behaves as a parasite, leaning against and lightly creeping over the existing parking structure on the corner of Temple and Judge John Aiso Streets. Constructed landscape and a large wall for public murals cover the rest of the parking structure, acknowledging it but obstructing its viewing from anywhere within the park.

CAFE/AdMINISTRATIVE BuILdING

perforated metal screen folds from roof cover to balcony shade on the south facade.

second floor conference room and flexible (gallery) space accessible but not open to café mezzanine.

garage doors allow most of the southeast facade to open and let the elements come into the interior space.

lightbulbs hanging from tall ceiling over individual tables

textured glass wall that leans away from the stairs so stair climbers might drag their fingertips along as they walk.

floor pattern/grid echos that of the site. materials continue outside of the café to encourage visitors to follow it outside to sit and/or continue out to the park.

warehouse style windows and garage doors for economic installation, and to fit with the styling of the MoCA

mural by Geoff McFettridge, graphic designer based in LA

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mural by Geoff McFettridge, graphic designer based in LA

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1 café kitchen2 fridge3 barista/order station4 café main entry5 café outdoor seating6 women’s restroom7 men’s restroom8 small arts library9 administrative offices10 reception/waiting area11 stairs to second floor12 conference room deck13 conference room14 open flexible space (possible gallery use)15 café mezzanine16 café balcony (standing tables)

The singular building within the park is the architectural culmination of sculptural form in the site. The entirety of the parking structure is masked behind a wall dedicated to an art “for the people,” a planar landscape that takes the lines of the site into a physical manifestation as a constructed hill falls away from the large mural wall. The café/admin building rounds the corner of the parking structure so passers-by may notice a glimpse of the formal vocabulary of the entire park.

spaces

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Tem

ple

St.

1

3

4

5

67

8

910

2

11

12

13 1415

16

FIRST FLOOR

SECONd FLOOR

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cafe/admin building

Left:Cafe/admin building against parking structure from Temple Street

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upper right:Beginning of sculptural landscape running the length of the parking structure, leading up to admin building

Far right:Admin building and circulation corridor to second level conference room and landscape against parking structure

Right:Cafe from Temple Street

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MATERIALS ANd FINISHES

The sculptural park has a material vocabulary of only a few materials. This is for simplicity as well as continuity and coherance throughout the site. Each material has its own feeling and use throughout the park. upon visiting, people will recognize that where a floor plane or a wall plane fold into seating level, they are allowed to sit and occupy forms that aren’t quite typical of city street benches. The same quality follows with the folded floor planes. Noticing that material continues past the horizontal is meant to encourage visitors to keep travelling along ramped areas (ex: over the pavilion). Much of the park will, of course, be folded grass lawns for the enjoyment and picnic-ing of locals and visitors.

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CONCRETE: striped finish from wood siding, becomes more polished for areas meant for sitting

CONCRETE: sidewalk texture on certain surfaces to encourage chalk art.

dECkING: fiber cement board or other composite wood substitute that is durable and will maintain the appearance of wood

TEXTuREd GLASS: accent walls for the cafe/admin building to draw special attention to larger architectural gestures 139

A CONTINuEd EFFORT

As the year ends the design for the sculptural park is wrapped up, but ideas will inevitably keep flowing forth. Because the goal is to make art a part of the everyday, the everyday will continue to inspire. I hope an idea like this is a valued one and art displays of this nature might come to be a more common way of exhibition here in our major metropolitan areas.

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Art is no longer simply a creation of the studio, but a product of interaction between the artists and the situations and the institutions with which he or she is engaged.

Sculpture Since 1945Andrew Causeyon art in the 1960s-90s

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SOURCES

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Cardenas, Valentina, and Gayle Pollard-Terry. “The Face of Little Tokyo Is Changing.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Sept. 2006. Web. 02 dec. 2011. <http://articles. latimes.com/2006/sep/03/realestate/re-guide3>.

Gaventa, Sarah. New Public Spaces. Mitchell Beazley, 2006. Print

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LaRosa, Salvatore, James S. Russell, Gary R. Hilderbrand, Peter G. Rowe, and Lawrence Wolfson. Foreword. Architecture to Landscape: Salvatore LaRosa and Ronald Bentley. New York: 2wice Arts Foundation, 2005. Print.

Rendell, Jane. “Walking.” Art and Architecture: A Place Between. London [u.a.: I. B. Tauris, 2008. Print.

Rasmussen, Cecilia. “Little Tokyo’s Roots Firm After Trials.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2001. Web. 3 dec. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jan/21/ local/me-15253>.

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PROGRESSIVE PERCEPTIONan exploration of natural boundaries in the display of history and art