Artists Elenita Torres and Dean Sherriff won the assignment sponsored by the Goldhirsh Foundation to create a new shade structure in Grand Park. I had seen the photos of the ‘paper airplane’ design when the winner was announced including one photo from up above, which looked like a digital rendering. It looked so clever. And since April when the shade structure was installed I’ve been meaning to go see it.
Finally, on a scorching hot Sunday in September I went to Grand Park and was more than a little disappointed in the actual ‘paper airplane’ shade structure now installed in Olive Court next to the fountain where the children play.
Someplace between the digital rendering of the entry to the actuality as installed the planes seem to have shrunk. They are much smaller than they had appeared in the rendering where they filled the structure from side to side. In reality they cast much less shade than promised. Was there some sort of engineering or construction problem? Did the artists, who are newcomers to Southern California, have to make the planes smaller because of fear that Santa Ana winds would launch the whole structure into flight?
None of this was affecting the real use of this part of the Park. The families who had brought their children to cool off in the splash fountain beside Starbucks were, as usual, sitting under the umbrellas watching their little children have a great time.
While I wandered around trying to get a good photo of the airplanes I came across a poster announcing a Day of the Dead art and altar exhibition in the park from October 30 to November 6. Should be a great exhibition!
