Proposed art project moves forward

After being put through the wringer Monday by a cautious Arts Commission, a proposed pair of sculptures submitted for the city’s largest art competition to date will be presented to the City Council for approval March 6.

The commissioners also recommended that the artists make some changes, as elements of the original design had been modified after the design was selected as a finalist on Feb. 12. Many commissioners were disappointed by these modifications, which they felt strayed from the design’s original intent.

The design, which was submitted by the artist team of John Barber and Louis Longi, was the only one selected as a finalist in the competition, which carries a $90,000 honorarium.

It would fulfill the Art in Public Places requirement at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road, the site of the city’s planned maintenance yard and public parking facility.

The team’s design calls for two sculptural elements, dubbed “Usher In” and “Beacon.”

“Usher In” consists of two bronze figures holding a band of blue glass, which would be used as seating by those waiting for the trolley service.

“Beacon” is comprised of a larger-than-life bronze figure holding a glass beacon skyward. It is intended to attract visitors to the parking lot.

The artist team also recommended the addition of a long wall-like bench along the back perimeter of the visitor waiting area.

The commission voiced concerns about safety and vandalism issues, which the team discussed in great detail.

“My principal concern was, how could this be affected by the public?” Barber said of the design.

The team said they opted to modify the original plan presented to the commission when they faced physics and safety issues.

“We’ve really pushed the limits of what we can do,” Longi said.

The original “Usher In” design had no support under the glass bench, which was suspended in mid-air with no metal elements. The top was rough, for tactile interest.

The design the artist team showed the Arts Commission on Monday depicted a metal lip on the outside of the bench to prevent chipping; thin metal rods also supported the bottom of the bench.

The artist team assured the commission that no typical assemblage of people would break the bench by sitting on it.

“It would take a three-foot sledgehammer to break that pane of glass,” Barber said.

The rough side of the bench was also flipped to the bottom, to prevent water pooling on top.

Barber said that the new layout has its benefits. “It captures light if the crevices are on the bottom,” he said.

Barber also made changes to the original lozenge-shaped beacon of red-orange glass that had charmed several commissioners.

The beacon that was submitted to the commission Monday night had a long, tapered corkscrew tail, with a mottled white-and-orange exterior.

Most of the commissioners weren’t pleased with the changes.

“I absolutely fell in love with the original,” Commissioner Terry Smith said.

“I know this is your signature shape,” Commissioner Dora Wexell told Barber of the corkscrew, but she suggested a more organic profile, saying the beacon resembles an explosive device.

Wexell inquired as to whether the figure in the “Beacon” sculpture could be perceived as female; in 2005, the City Council voted to ban nudity from the public art sculpture in front of City Hall.

“She is female for the most part,” Longi replied. He said the anatomy of the two male “Usher In” figures was also not pronounced.

The commission also had reservations about the artists’ suggested use of powder-coated steel.