In December 2014, Lucas Artists Fellow Justin Lowman was hard at work constructing a new installation for Montalvo’s grounds that incorporated our historic Belvedere. The new work, Untitled: Belvedere Temple, developed out of experiments Lowman conducted in his studio at the Lucas Artists Residency Program in 2012, and his installation Pixil Panes, on view as part of the 2014 Project Space Gallery exhibition Perceptual: Chris Fraser and Justin Lowman. In the lead up to the premiere of Untitled: Belvedere Temple at an Open Access event called Perceptual (Part Two), Justin posted on Montalvo’s blog each day to document the evolution of his artwork.
PART ONE: December 8, 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....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." Read More >> |
PART TWO: December 9, 2014
"Upon returning to Montalvo at the end of October 2014 with the intention of finally realizing my art project at the Belvedere Temple, my first step was to lay the foundation....Utilizing the footprint of the existing columns and the concrete expansion joints of the floor as guidelines and using the underside of the Belvedere Temple to determine the height restriction, I fabricated a wooden framework..." Read More >> |
PART THREE: December 10, 2014
"To highlight the passage of time I installed pink colored Plexiglas strips that project light and shadow on to the columns. Circulating all the way around the top of my structure, this band of color, with its companion wood slats, produce various patterns on and around the Belvedere Temple that shift throughout the day as the sun changes in position and intensity." Read More >> |
PART FOUR: December 11, 2014
"Today’s blog entry is about the contemporary and historic context for my project. This first image depicts a view north taken from the interior of the structure. You can see a yellow fluorescent light framing the view along the left side of the image and a redwood stud to the right. In the center, you will notice a space between another redwood stud and an evergreen tree in the middle ground." Read More >> |
PART FIVE: December 12, 2014
"There are many different perspectives from which to consider the work. I have included a handful here that I think are important. Some...depict the entire structure as viewed from the outside; they reveal the harmony between art and architecture and thereby the work's status as object. Other[s]... reveal various outlooks taken from inside the structure that direct the viewer's gaze to specific parts of the entire scene." Read More >> |