Presidio Habitats – Black Tailed Jack Rabbit

 Posted by on May 5, 2011
May 052011
 

I did this one backwards.  I started at the finish, and felt that the exhibit was tired and sad, but then I turned around and saw the view behind me.  I figured with the wind whipping around and the salt air, that would explain how tired this portion was.  Sadly, that wasn’t the case, the start was just as worn and tattered.  But sadness seems to be the point.  This habitat was for the Black-tailed jackrabbit, that has disappeared from the Presidio.  Apparently the artist, Nathan Lynch, thought a race with the tortoise would lure it back.

Presidio Habitats – Owl Dome

 Posted by on May 4, 2011
May 042011
 

This “Owl Dome” is another habitat for the western screech owl.  Hanging 16 feet in the air it merges tepee and geodesic dome. The design of the dome is similar to the type of nest that an owl might occupy within a tree trunk. A hole allows the owl to enter and nest within the dome, well protected from natural elements and predators. The hemp rope wrapped around the tripod support is designed to provide an easy grip for fledgling owls. Taalman Koch Architecture was responsible for this habitat.

The thing I found interesting about this particular habitat, was its accessibility.  Unlike the Red-Tail Hawks habitat this dome is just off of the street and has 4 picnic tables surrounding it.  Not sure how the owl feels about that, but maybe it makes finding food a tad easier.

The construction is unique, fairly simple design, I imagine if you had a large enough piece of property and were interested in attracting owls, this would be a lot more appealing on the eye than the typical square boxes you see around.

Presidio Habitats – Ai Weiwei

 Posted by on May 3, 2011
May 032011
 

Ai Weiwei first came into my consciousness when I read a Financial Times article about his Sunflower Seed exhibition at the Tate Modern. Please, Please, Please watch this amazing video of the exhibition, it explains the making of the seeds and the meaning of them as well.

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist, who is also active in architecture, curating, photography, film, and social and cultural criticism. You know his work, he collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. (otherwise known as the bird’s nest)  In addition to showing his art he has investigated government corruption and cover-ups. He was particularly focused at exposing an alleged corruption scandal in the construction of Sichuan schools that collapsed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. On April 3rd,  2011 police detained him at Beijing airport. This made the front page of most international newspapers.  He has since been “disappeared” by China’s state security forces. Every trace of Ai’s life and art have been erased from the Chinese internet.

That is why this particular habitat was so special to me. “Ai Weiwei transformed a classical Chinese vessel type into a living environment for the Western Screech-Owl. The form selected by the artist also refers to the tree cavities that the owl chooses as its home. The porcelain vessels were produced in China using the age-old techniques of China’s imperial kilns. Each vessel features a unique, hand-painted blue-and-white design adapted from a classical Chinese pattern. These elegant and purposefully ornamental habitats evoke a range of associations—the Presidio’s Pacific Rim orientation, San Francisco’s Chinese heritage, and the transmission and transformation of culture through trade.”

 

Update:  New York Times Article on June 21, 2012 regarding Ai Weiwei’s status

The Presidio – Ten Solitary Chairs

 Posted by on April 30, 2011
Apr 302011
 

The Presidio of San Francisco covers just under 3 square miles. Much of this is open space. The trust and an organization called FOR SITE began a project called Presidio Habitats as an opportunity for the public to see new, site-based art about place and to experience, the diverse landscapes and stunning vistas of the Presidio. The point of each exhibit was to have artists propose custom habitats for animal residents of the park.

This is called TEN SOLITARY CHAIRS, its animal of choice was the Heron. The chairs are located in and around the Fort Scott Parade Ground. Each chair has a specific focus and relationship to the site through the height of its seat, orientation, placement, and proximity to the other chairs. “An observer who sits in a chair experiences the phenomenon that informed its placement: an acute awareness of the topography and world under the grasses; the relationship of the sky to the light reflecting off the parade ground; and an unexpected view of the landscape. In this way, the chair and its occupant become part of the secret theater of the site, quietly borrowing the heron’s techniques of still hunting and still viewing.”
Jensen Architects was the creator of this project

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