Is it a coincidence that the word bright rhymes with the word light. Who created all of these words anyway? (that's a rhetorical question)
Last time, which was my first time, I visited the Richard Riordan Central Library, 630 West 5th Street in Los Angeles, I noticed a fountain "Clear". At the time I didn't notice that "Clear" was actually one third of a fountain known as "Spine" created by Jud Fine in 1993.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to walk by these fountains, admire them and assume the one above is titled, "Bright" and the one immediately below is titled, "Lucid" and the fountain in the last photo in this blog post is titled, "Clear". What isn't easy to find is that the three fountains are known as "Spine" and who designed them.
Plus, if possible I am interested to find out of all the infinite possibilities of what might have been created and installed at this entrance to the library, what inspired the choices made. They must have known that these choices would have to be lived with and not changed for many years to come.
Don't be concerned that there will be a quiz and/or that you will remember any of this. I had already forgotten everything except that I admired the fountain since I posted about "Clear". That is one of the joys of the internet in my interesting point of view. I don't have to remember 'cuz I can always look it up.
Maybe it is interesting points of view like the above (no need to remember stuff 'cuz there is the internet) that keep me bright, lucid and clear. Hmmmm!
Anyway, I really enjoy this fountain. So thanks to Jud Fine and everyone involved with having it at the entrance to the Richard Riordan Central Library.
In my last two blog posts I wrote about a couple of the fountains in Maguire Gardens, which is located on the Flower Street side of the Richard Riordan Central Library in downtown Los Angeles (L.A.).
The fountain this blog post is about is located directly across the street in what is known as the City National Bank Plaza. So, technically if you wanted to see this fountain with your own two peepers; live, alive, breathing and all that while at Maguire Gardens, you'd just have to look across the street.
If you allow me to share (which how are you going to stop me...tee hee) from my Maguire Gardens' view, the sculpture portion of this fountain appeared to be some sort of abstract something. (This piece is actually two pieces, a dark gray granite 60-foot diameter fountain with the sculpture portion affixed to the fountain. In other words, the sculpture does not incorporate water into its design.) Upon closer inspection I noticed that the sculpture is a set of steps that lead to nowhere.
While viewing the sculpture, to have the awareness that it is steps was a sublime "aha" moment for me. The photos also make the sculpture appear to be multiple shades of orange. Yet, it is simply the play of light on the sculpture that makes it appear so. (The above photo was snapped with my back to Maguire Gardens while in the photo below my back is to the building front.)
So far, I appear to be not having as easy of a time finding out more about the fountains I am blogging about from internet searches. Not to be deterred, I eventually found what I was looking for. Thank you, Herbert Bayer, for creating this sculpture dedicated June 20, 1973.
What's in a name? "Stairway to Nowhere" was the original title of this piece. However, ARCO (the company that commissioned this piece) executives complained that the title did not properly reflect the company's goals. The piece was renamed to "Double Ascension".
The bright red-orange aluminum steps are 20-ft. high and 30-ft. in diameter.
One other thing you can't experience from my words or photos, the sound of the fountain. This fountain does not have the dainty little trickles of some fountains. NO! Some major water must be pumping through this fountain for its sound is loud and proud. Well, as loud and proud as a fountain can sound, I guess.
end of posting fine print: all photos are copyright 2012 Lori J. Bjork, lbjork9999@yahoo.com
As long as the first blog post was about a fountain at the Richard Riordan Central Library, I thought I would share about two other fountains known simply as Grotto Fountain, located in Maguire Park, which is found on the Flower Street side of said library.
The words on the above fountain aren't so much a motto as a quote. I just couldn't help myself by referring to them as such.
The quote: "Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand * It Never Did * It Never Will" (Frederick Douglass).
The Grotto Fountain was a creative collaboration by Lawrence Halprin and Jud Fine in 1993.
end of posting fine print: all photos are copyright 2012 Lori J. Bjork, lbjork9999@yahoo.com
I write three blogs which are all interrelated in the sense that they stem from my love of exploring the streets of the greater L.A. area, especially when transported their by the Metro line.
The first post I did for my blog, "Art 4 Art's Sake: L.A." was about a piece I really enjoyed while on a recent downtown L.A. adventure. In my quest to search for and acknowledge the artist of the piece, I found out the piece is a fountain.
So, I decided instead of reinventing the wheel (so to speak), I would simply direct you to the post I already wrote about this fountain. Enjoy!
end of posting fine print: all photos are copyright 2012 Lori J. Bjork, lbjork9999@yahoo.com
