It seems apropos to start with this first image of Montalvo's historic Belvedere because it is one of the first photographs I took during my initial site visit for this project in January 2014. This photograph represents a similar view to the one I experienced when I first encountered the Belvedere Temple in April/May 2012. At that time, I was enjoying my first residency at Montalvo Arts Center. I was returning from a hike, one that started on the trails near the top of the Lucas Artists Residency complex. Having followed some trails to the top, I was descending back down when suddenly I stopped in my tracks, dumbfounded by what I saw. The view was so unexpected, especially as I was deep in thought elsewhere.
At this moment, I had an immersive sense of being lost in a forest. My sense of familiarity with this experience and terrain had allowed my mind to wander (having grown up near a small, wooded area in southern Wisconsin, I formed an intimate relationship with nature, amidst the large deciduous trees, ones whose essential structures were also best seen during these same winter months, although in the case of the Belvedere without all the snow).
Confronted with this neoclassical outdoor structure, I was bemused and amused to find it juxtaposed a parking lot adjacent to Montalvo's Carriage House Theatre. As I stood at this threshold where nature and culture co-mingle, I marveled the multivarious layers of history embedded in this site, and the surprising and stunning visual relationships--the strong verticality of the trees and the outdoor pavilion columns, and the multiple views that directed the gaze back into the forest, out toward the valley, and back at Montalvo itself.
So, when I was asked to produce an new outdoor work at Montalvo, there was no question in my mind which site I would choose. The only thing left to do was to figure out what exactly to do, to share my proposal, and then to start planing and wondering what it might look like.
TEXT BY JUSTIN LOWMAN
Stay tuned for more from Justin as we count down the days until Perceptual (Part Two). And if you're planning on attending the event, please RSVP on our Facebook page!
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