Stuart Collection (Video)

Nam June Paik's "Something Pacific" at UC San Diego relates specifically to its site, which includes outdoors, where the work features several ruined televisions embedded in the landscape. In striking contrast to this video graveyard, the lobby of the UCSD Media Center houses Paik's lively interactive bank of TV monitors. Viewers are able to manipulate sequences of Paik's own tapes and broadcast TV. "Something Pacific's" outdoor and indoor sections use the video medium to contrast two very different experiences of time -- one involving extended contemplation and the other instantaneous reaction. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37808]

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) is best known for her oversized figures that embrace contradictory qualities such as good and evil, modern and primitive, sacred and profane, play and terror. De Saint Phalle's "Sun God" was the first work commissioned by the Stuart Collection and was her first outdoor commission in America. Sun God has become a landmark on the UC San Diego campus, with the annual springtime Sun God Festival as the largest event sponsored by the UCSD Associated Students. The grassy area beneath it is a popular site for rendezvous and celebrations, and there have been countless spontaneous responses which embrace the Sun God as a campus character. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37804]

For the Stuart Collection at the UC San Diego, Adams created a musical composition with and within the signature landscape of the campus: the eucalyptus grove. There are no pre-recorded elements, everything that occurs in "The Wind Garden" is driven by the wind and the light conditions on the site, in real time. This work never repeats itself. Hidden in the trees are 32 small loudspeakers and 32 accelerometers that measure the movements of the trees in the wind. As the velocity of the wind changes so does the amplitude of the sound. The musical foundation of The Wind Garden is two “choirs” of virtual voices – a “day choir” tuned to the natural harmonic series, and a “night choir” tuned to the sub-harmonic series. The rising and falling of these choirs traces the contours of the sun’s movement above, below and around the horizon over the course of the year. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37824]

Richard Fleischner's "La Jolla Project" is located on the Revelle College lawn at UC San Diego. Seventy-one blocks of pink and gray granite are arranged in configurations that refer to architectural vocabulary: posts, lintels, columns, arches, windows, doorways, and thresholds. These elements transform an ordinary, nearly flat lawn into a space with allusions ranging from an ancient ruin to a contemporary construction site. What is most important for Fleischner is to interpret and essentialize a place by using minimal means to delineate natural lines and boundaries, while establishing an interplay of horizontal and vertical elements. La Jolla Project generates a complex set of spatial and historical relationships that invigorate and give meaning to the formerly undefined area it occupies. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37806]

Alexis Smith originally created the mural "Same Old Paradise" in 1986 for temporary display at the Brooklyn Museum, after which it was stored for over 30 years. Now the massive mural - 62 feet long and 22 feet tall - has been permanently installed at the North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood as part of UC San Diego's Stuart Collection. "Same Old Paradise" also served as the inspiration for Smith's "Snake Path," one of the collections most iconic works. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 36631]

Known for his playful and ironic photo portraits of Weimaraners with names like Fay Wray and Man Ray, William Wegman is an accomplished artist in a variety of media. He joins Stuart Collection's Mary Beebe and Mathieu Gregoire to discuss the genesis and installation of his piece for the Collection, "La Jolla Vista View." Wegman also shares his thoughts about creative inspirations, methods, and processes. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 36136]

UC San Diego Library's Nina Mamikunian joins Stuart Collection's Mary Beebe and Mathieu Gregoire for an exploration of "UNDA" (Latin for "wave"), the late Ian Hamilton Finlay's 1987 contribution to the Collection. Topics discussed include Finlay's artistic influences and creative methods for the piece in the context of his long career. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 36055]

Visual artist, songwriter, musician, and raconteur extraordinaire Terry Allen joins Stuart Collection's Mary Beebe and Mathieu Gregoire for a wide-ranging exploration of the history and methods of creating "Trees," his installation for the Collection. Other topics for conversation include comments about Allen's public artworks that followed that initial commission and his latest album, "Just Like Moby-Dick." Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 36054]

Anthony Graham from Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego joins Stuart Collection's Mary Beebe and Mathieu Gregoire to discuss the work of Los Angeles-based artist Alexis Smith. Smith's collaboration with the Collection began in 1992 with her iconic Snake Path, and continues with her monumental mural Same Old Paradise, slated for installation on-campus in 2021. The trio of panelists offer insights into Smith's themes and creative strategies. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 36001]

Renowned composer John Luther Adams discusses “The Wind Garden,” his soundscape installation for the Stuart Collection at UC San Diego, with the Collection’s Mathieu Gregoire. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 30732]