Client: City of Elk Grove

Overview

Cultivation is a wind driven kinetic sculpture that illuminates at night.
Completed in November 2021
Medium: Stainless Steel and LED Light
Dimensions: 18’h x 13’w x 13’d
Location: District 56 Nature Area, Elk Grove, CA
Budget: $136,000
Commissioned by City of Elk Grove

Description: CULTIVATION is situated at the entrance to the District 56 Nature Area as a symbol of growth and resilience, welcoming locals and visitors to this 28-acre nature preserve. It symbolizes and honors Elk Grove’s agricultural history which was the heart of Elk Grove’s early economic boom. The leaf-like forms represent seeds and pods moving above a sapling rootstock. This conveys the message of storing energy or crops, like a silo, to feed and nourish the aspirations of future generations. This sculpture represents people working together to support each other creating a strong and vibrant community.

In the evening CULTIVATION comes alive with gently changing lighting. White ground lights highlight the outer surfaces while a color changing light, situated within the base of the sculpture, bathes the upper moving surfaces as they move with the wind, creating a graceful dance of moving colors.

Goals

The goal of the project was to create a welcoming sculpture at the south entrance to the 28-acre nature preserve honoring the agricultural history from the area. The request was that the components of the sculpture could move with the wind. We designed this sculpture to be tall and visible from a distance as well as inviting residents and visitors to come close to it and even go inside the open base structure to experience the artwork from multiple perspectives. We chose an image of a pistachio tree rootstock which are planted throughout the park, paying homage to its strong history as the birthplace of the pistachio industry in the US.

Process

After initial our design was approved by the city, we spent time working with the structural engineer and the project manager to finalize the location of the sculpture, lighting and footing design. We worked closely and had numerous meetings with the project manager, the city staff and contractors about the power requirements, footing design and the schedule throughout the project. We successfully managed the pouring of the footing and the art installation on site.