Jan 092012
Yerba Buena Center
San Francisco
Deep Gradient/Suspect Terrain(Seasons of the Sea ‘Adrift)
John Roloff
with NGA Industries and Wes-Co Industries
1993
*
The accompanying plaque says:
This glass ship is an art work that refers to the natural and geological history of California. Sediment gathered from the ocean floor four miles off the coast of San Francisco was placed inside in 1993. This sediment contains diverse mineral and organic matter extracted from the landscape by the rivers that flow to the sea through the Golden Gate. The greenhouse environment of the ship interacts subtly with these materials producing ongoing natural cycles of growth, decay and rebirth.
John Roloff is a visual artist who works conceptually with site, process and natural systems. He is known primarily for his outdoor kiln/furnace projects done from the late 1970’s to the early 1990’s as well as other large-scale environmental and gallery installations investigating geologic and natural phenomena. Based on a background in science, his work engages poetic and site-specific relationships between material, concept and performance in the domains of geology, ecology, architecture, ceramics, industry and mining, metabolic systems and history. He studied geology at UC Davis, Davis, CA with Professor Eldridge Moores and others during the formative days of plate tectonics in the mid-1960’s. Subsequently, he studied art with Bob Arneson and William T. Wiley also at UC Davis in the late 1960’s. He is currently Chair of the Sculpture/Ceramics Department at the San Francisco Art Institute.
You can find the a history of Yerba Buena Gardens at Untapped Cities.
Thanks for the background info. I’ve seen this a number of times, but you helped me really appreciate its beauty.
Very interesting. That it had dirt in it and had life, was not seen until you opened the photo larger.
Makes me wonder there must be someway inside for someone to care for whatever is growing in there…? Love the whole concept…
All of this made me think of climate change and those who live in another world and continue to deny the reality even as its impact is felt most everywhere.
Re denial, the phrase came to mind, “That ship has sailed.”
Then relative to this work of art, “That ship has sunk.” But not really. From your commentary it continues to attract and educate all of us regarding the environment that sustains us!
Nice piece and I am off to check out his site – an interesting combination of skills he has!