Landscape Architect Articles

Fire & Water07-05-16 | Feature

Fire & Water
Sculpture by Sean So, waters studio, Culver City, Calif.

The "Fire & Water' sculpture at Casa Mira View apartment complex in San Diego is an engaging entrance centerpiece of two curving copper clad structural frames with a bronze patina finish. The taller frame is 25'; the smaller version is 15' tall. Each frame has a curved translucent stainless steel mesh screens that water falls down. The mesh is fine and not visible from a distance. The fire element comes out of a slot in the frame of the taller structure. Dual gas solenoid valves and a gas train assembly feed natural gas to a series of nozzles to ignite the flames on the edge of the taller frame. A 300-watt low-voltage ignition transformer is located in a subterranean vault.

As an art curator and consultant, Betsy Lane collaborated with Stuart Posnock and his partners of Garden Communities in bringing public art to their apartment complexes. Betsy Lane established Del Mar Sculpture Garden in 1998, following 18 years as a San Diego gallery owner. She has built numerous collections and curated over 50 exhibitions.

The particular art piece in this feature is part of a collection of 10 public art sculptures of artists with international reputations. This feature is at the Casa Mira View apartment complex in San Diego, located off I-15 in the Scripps Corridor, minutes from MCAS Miramar, University Towne Center Mall and downtown San Diego.

The art was a gift to the Casa Mira View community. It needed to be of significant size, a quality piece that the residents would always enjoy seeing as they arrived home each day from their busy schedules. It needed to be engaging and enduring.

Betsy Lane explains that she began meeting with the client in 2012. The initial phase was selecting possible locations for the sculptures and developing a budget.

Sean So of waters studio of Culver City was contacted and invited to the site. Sean submitted several designs, and the team selected a two structure "Fire and Water' piece, judging it welcoming in daylight and dramatic at night. The size and scale of the artwork was carefully selected and positioned for maximum effect, and as a welcoming beacon for the Casa Mira View residents.

The structural frames are set within a 12-foot diameter concrete pool on two semicircular bases, each with three underwater lights illuminating the curved meshing. A recessed concrete well holds the utility connections, and black polished river rock decorates the stained concrete basin.

The "Fire and Water' sculpture is a welcome gateway to the Casa Mira View Apartments complex. The art piece has two curving structural frames: one framework stands 25 feet tall; the other is 15 feet tall. These frames are copper cladded with a bronze patina finish. Both structures have curved translucent stainless steel screens that water falls down. The mesh is fine, and not visible from a distance. The fire element comes out of a slot in the frame of the taller structure. Natural gas is feed to a series of nozzles to ignite the flames.

The structural frames are set within a 12-foot diameter concrete pool on two semicircular bases, each with three underwater lights illuminating the curved meshing. A recessed concrete well holds the utility connections, and black polished river rock decorates the stained concrete basin.

Sean So's design team has over 20 years experience in the fields of art, architecture and engineering. The skilled fabricators of waters studio are proficient in metal and stone fabrication, including TIG welding, metal forming, water-jet cutting, metal finishing and stonemasonry. Sean has a degree in fine art and industrial design. He began his career closely studying and collaborating with the late artist Eric Orr (1965–1998) of Venice, Calif., who was considered by many a pioneering member of the California art movement known as Light and Space.

As seen in LASN magazine, July 2016.