Santa Monica AiR

Client: City of Santa Monica

Location: Santa Monica, CA

HERE was hired as the Artist in Residence by the City of Santa Monica, to beautify Palisades Park, along the bluff in downtown.  We brought our special touch to the project, integrating a creative outreach process to help the community define how and why the park should be beautified.  The outcome of our residency was a site-specific art installation along the historic fence, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The piece consists of bright chartreuse, metal letters attached to the existing fence. You can see through the letters to the Pacific Ocean and views west.  The phrase, “We Are A Drop. We Are The Ocean” is inspired by Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa and celebrates Santa Monica, its people, and the unique location of the site adjacent to the ocean.

In addition to the new art, HERE unveiled a set of colorful nesting street furniture that unpacks and inhabits the streetspace, providing people of all ages a place to sit and play.  We tested the furniture as a prototype for future public space installations.  

As seen on Uncover LA, LATF, LAist, SoCal City Kids, and heard on KCRW.