
Client: Private Client
Location: Big Sur, CA, United States
Completion date: 2009
Artwork budget: $235,000
Project Team
Architect
Gordon Huether
Carver & Schicketanz
Overview
This Big Sur property was home to Phillip Johnson and David Whitney for over a decade. In 2006, the property was donated to the Big Sur Land Trust by Mr. Whitney’s estate and sold with the stipulation that the proceeds benefit the Big Sur community. The piece measures 8’ H x 21’W x 3’9”D and is made of 4000 pounds of vertically laminated optiwhite glass on edge and recycled steel.
Goals
For this contemporary oceanfront property Huether designed a recycled cold-rolled steel sculpture that responds to the architectural forms of the residence but also incorporates references to its immediate natural surroundings: The Northern California Pacific Coast. It was important to Huether to create an abstract, refined and artistic piece that connects elements of architecture, the proprietor's personal taste, as well as the breathtaking surrounding landscape of the site with one another. The installation incorporates two tons of Starphire glass on edge backed by light sensitive dichroic glass and illuminated by LED lighting, residing in a reflecting pool.
Process
Gordon Huether collaborated with the architectural firm Carver & Schicketanz, specializing in sustainable design solutions in architecture and interiors.