Client: Mercy Housing

Overview

Archetypes symbolizes the richness of the Hacienda Heights community.

Archetypes Steel, Paint, Steel, Paint 200’ x 6’ 2023
Commissioned by Mercy Housing for Hacienda Heights, Richmond, CA.

Archetypes expresses the richness of the Hacienda Heights community through universal symbols called archetypes, drawing the viewer into the artwork and stimulating the imagination,
These forms create an aesthetic connection to the architecture of the building and to the community at large.
Archetypes are symbols that we all share and that connect us all to each other. They are universal, primal symbols and images that derive from the collective unconscious.

Goals

The goal of Archetypes was to utilize the ‘canvas’ of the exterior fencing to integrate symbols that everyone can related to, both on the subconscious and conscious levels. There are seven symbols among the nineteen panels that are displayed in different configurations as they are repeated.

Process

Collaborating with the developer, architect, landscape architect and public art consultant was an enjoyable and problem-free process. The project was very well-received by the client and the residents of Hacienda Heights (a lot of complements during installation :)

Additional Information

The definition of Archetypes, from Wikapedia: Jungian archetypes are a concept from psychology that refers to a universal, inherited idea, pattern of thought, or image that is present in the collective unconscious of all human beings. The psychic counterpart of instinct, archetypes are thought to be the basis of many of the common themes and symbols that appear in stories, myths, and dreams across different cultures and societies. Some examples of archetypes include those of the mother, the child, the trickster, and the flood, among others. The concept of the collective unconscious was first proposed by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.