San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Artist Mark Patterson (left) listens to student presentations at NewSchool - Photo by Kinsee Morlan
Last Wednesday, Mark Patterson, the artist who created the now-famous “Surfing Madonna” mosaic that was illegally installed under a train bridge in Encinitas and has since been removed, dropped in on the final presentations of a group of students enrolled in a summer class at NewSchool of Architecture and Design.
NewSchool instructors Raul Diaz and Andrew Duncan had asked the students to come up with designs for housing Patterson’s mosaic somewhere in Encinitas. Some of them focused on the religious aspect of the Madonna and designed tomb-like, reverential spaces while others zeroed in on the “Save the Ocean” message inscribed in the mosaic and came up with modern seaside galleries replete with things like actual salt water inside the building and bold, environmentally sensitive messaging.
“I worked from a point of inspiration,” Patterson said in a short introduction to the class before the bulk of the presentations began. “I found that anytime I was forcing the work, I almost always had to tear apart the mosaic and start over…. So I pass that flame to you all—if you could keep that flame of inspiration, ideas will flow and things you never thought were possible or you never thought you were able to do will start showing up in your work.”
After one young lady presented her model and design for a gallery with a vibrant red window—to symbolize the slaughter of ocean animals—and giant lettering on the surrounding landscape warning visitors of environmental atrocities, Patterson said he was impressed.
“The statement that you’re making on the hillside is very dramatic, and what’s nice is that people can’t miss it,” Patterson said. “It’s like the Hollywood sign.”
Meanwhile, Diaz offered his pointed critique.
“If you explain art too much,” he said, pointing at the giant, in-your-face lettering, “it ceases being art.”
After another young man’s presentation, Patterson asked for further details.
“What’s the distance between that front seat and the mosaic?” he asked. “The reason I bring it up is because the thing that surprised me the most when it was under the train bridge was how many people wanted to photograph it. And they would always end up standing in traffic to get the full image…. So that was one of the things that always became an issue is that there has to be room for people to stand back.”
Patterson said he appreciated the overall variety of creative solutions and designs the students came up with.
“It's especially fun when you can think of a solution when real-world budgets aren't an issue,” Patterson later wrote in a Facebook message to me.
In the real world, where budget is a consideration, Patterson says he'll continue with his plans to place the mosaic near Moonlight Beach. The land is under the jurisdiction of both the state and the city, which means the religious messaging could pose a problem, but he said he's confident it will go through, even if it takes months.
“Once approved, then it will be in place long-term,” Patterson said. “And for me, that's a good thing.”
Who arted?
Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980 officially kicks off Oct. 1 and 2, which means if ever there were a weekend to drive up to L.A., this would be it. Locally, a free shuttle will run back forth between MCASD’s Downtown and La Jolla galleries on Sunday, Oct. 2, and admission to both locations is also free.
Speaking of free stuff, October is National Arts and Humanities Month, which means it’s time for you to increase the culture in your life. In celebration, the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture present Fall for the Arts, a new event featuring performances, workshops, demos and more from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier (at the intersection of Broadway and Harbor Drive). Also this month, the San Diego Museum Council is offering free admission to several participating museums for children ages 12 and younger. The coupon can be downloaded at sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.
We’re in the midst of Banned Books Week. You can catch a Banned Books Exhibit at the Central Library in a window display viewable outside and another inside in the literature section and outside the children’s room. The exhibit shows off the top 100 challenged classic books in the U.S.
NewSchool instructors Raul Diaz and Andrew Duncan had asked the students to come up with designs for housing Patterson’s mosaic somewhere in Encinitas. Some of them focused on the religious aspect of the Madonna and designed tomb-like, reverential spaces while others zeroed in on the “Save the Ocean” message inscribed in the mosaic and came up with modern seaside galleries replete with things like actual salt water inside the building and bold, environmentally sensitive messaging.
“I worked from a point of inspiration,” Patterson said in a short introduction to the class before the bulk of the presentations began. “I found that anytime I was forcing the work, I almost always had to tear apart the mosaic and start over…. So I pass that flame to you all—if you could keep that flame of inspiration, ideas will flow and things you never thought were possible or you never thought you were able to do will start showing up in your work.”
After one young lady presented her model and design for a gallery with a vibrant red window—to symbolize the slaughter of ocean animals—and giant lettering on the surrounding landscape warning visitors of environmental atrocities, Patterson said he was impressed.
“The statement that you’re making on the hillside is very dramatic, and what’s nice is that people can’t miss it,” Patterson said. “It’s like the Hollywood sign.”
Meanwhile, Diaz offered his pointed critique.
“If you explain art too much,” he said, pointing at the giant, in-your-face lettering, “it ceases being art.”
After another young man’s presentation, Patterson asked for further details.
“What’s the distance between that front seat and the mosaic?” he asked. “The reason I bring it up is because the thing that surprised me the most when it was under the train bridge was how many people wanted to photograph it. And they would always end up standing in traffic to get the full image…. So that was one of the things that always became an issue is that there has to be room for people to stand back.”
Patterson said he appreciated the overall variety of creative solutions and designs the students came up with.
“It's especially fun when you can think of a solution when real-world budgets aren't an issue,” Patterson later wrote in a Facebook message to me.
In the real world, where budget is a consideration, Patterson says he'll continue with his plans to place the mosaic near Moonlight Beach. The land is under the jurisdiction of both the state and the city, which means the religious messaging could pose a problem, but he said he's confident it will go through, even if it takes months.
“Once approved, then it will be in place long-term,” Patterson said. “And for me, that's a good thing.”
Who arted?
Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980 officially kicks off Oct. 1 and 2, which means if ever there were a weekend to drive up to L.A., this would be it. Locally, a free shuttle will run back forth between MCASD’s Downtown and La Jolla galleries on Sunday, Oct. 2, and admission to both locations is also free.
Speaking of free stuff, October is National Arts and Humanities Month, which means it’s time for you to increase the culture in your life. In celebration, the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture present Fall for the Arts, a new event featuring performances, workshops, demos and more from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier (at the intersection of Broadway and Harbor Drive). Also this month, the San Diego Museum Council is offering free admission to several participating museums for children ages 12 and younger. The coupon can be downloaded at sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.
We’re in the midst of Banned Books Week. You can catch a Banned Books Exhibit at the Central Library in a window display viewable outside and another inside in the literature section and outside the children’s room. The exhibit shows off the top 100 challenged classic books in the U.S.
