A Geometric landscape- Show #1 Pasadena

Visitors and the scale of the piece...

moving fragmentation and an unidentified Girl

moving fragmentation- Show #2 Los Angeles

Public park temporary art installation

After studying and surveying the landscape and understanding the history of the Arroyo Seco, it is clear to the Artist, Benjamin Page, where the direction of his art installation would be heading. This investigation leads to the transformation of its shape from organic (rolling hills, deeply carved river valleys) to geometrical forms, and the overall quality of the art pieces representing the landscape with sculptural qualities. The reduction of organic form and simplifying process allows viewers to see the clarity, but also leaves the major elements exposed (the relationship between hills and the river).

The artist’s intention is not to make a scale model of the existing conditions of any particular section of the Arroyo Seco, but to represent the general characteristic of the entire Arroyo’s ecological environment. The final result is to allow the art itself to be part of the puzzle of the natural landscape.

Each box (2’-3” by 3’-0” with various heights between 6 to 12 inches) contains a light layer of dirt, planted with live grass. It also contains some on-site elements such as fallen leaves. A different path would be designed for each box and paved with small river pebbles. There are 12 boxes, bringing the total combined dimensions to 9 feet by 9 feet of display space, additionally requiring 4 feet of clearance around all edges for movement of the pieces.

The pieces may be viewed individually or as a whole, but either way, are just fragments of the landscape.  The perspective differs according to the viewer's elevation, just as the natural topography would. The grass symbolizes the vegetation on the rolling terrain, and the river pebbles, which are borrowed from the Arroyo, depict the river itself. Edges where an elevated box suddenly drops down to a neighboring lower unit represents the deeply cut valley.

This undulating surface is also a mobile landscape, which not only depicts the current conditions, but also possibilities of how the landscape might change over time. The art itself provides opportunity for participants to interact with the landscape and use the element of puzzle pieces in the art to create their own perfect environments from what they see, or what they want to see.

The purpose and goal of this art is to intrigue participants’ imagination and understand the balance, versatility and beauty of our Arroyo Seco environment.  Through the representation of nature and its relationship with geometry and architecture, the idea of material reality and immaterial experience is strong and evident in this sculpture installation.