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