FOR-SITE FOUNDATION

In 2008 the FOR-SITE Foundation, in partnership with the Presidio Trust, commissioned the Spire, a site-specific installation by artist Andy Goldsworthy. The Spire is made from the trunks of thirty-seven cypress trees felled as part of the Presidio’s reforestation effort. From its fifteen-foot diameter, it rises over ninety feet into the air. The height of the Presidio spire and its placement presented its own set of unique administrative and engineering challenges. Architects, structural engineers, and preservationists were all brought into the process. To ensure stability, the keystone tree was lifted by a 350-ton crane, anchored into a metal sleeve within a 12-foot deep hole, and surrounded by poured concrete. New trees, some of them already planted near the spire, will eventually grow up around the sculpture. At some future point in time, the Spire itself will succumb to decay. During its life span, the sculpture will be a monumental reminder of the history of this forest and by extension the history of the Presidio. The Spire is located on the Bay Area Ridge Trail near the Arguello Gate, west of Inspiration Point Overlook and north of the Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse.

Trailer for Spire, 2008
An 18-minute video about the making of the Spire.
Available for purchase by contacting the Foundation's administrative office.

A temporary exhibition, Goldsworthy at the Presidio, afforded visitors further insights into Andy Goldsworthy’s art and the making of the Presidio’s spire. Preparatory drawings, color photographs, and an 11-foot model of the Presidio spire provided an informative context for this sculpture. Text and installation photographs, and a short program of film and video clips, provided background on Goldsworthy, site-based art, and the Presidio Trust’s reforestation efforts.The exhibition was on view from November 2008 through July 2009 at Building 49 in the Presidio.

About the Artist
Andy Goldsworthy was born in 1956 and spent his childhood in Yorkshire, England. His work has been made in the open air and in places as diverse as the Yorkshire Dales, the North Pole, and the Australian Outback. Goldsworthy is known to many through the 2001 film Rivers and Tides. His works in the Bay Area include Stone River at Stanford University, made from earthquake rubble, and Drawn Stone at the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which also recalls San Francisco’s earthquakes and their effects. Goldsworthy draws his inspiration from a specific place and creates art from the materials found close at hand, such as twigs, leaves, stones, snow and ice, reeds, and thorns. The works made from these natural materials interact in different ways with their environments. The Presidio’s man-made forest is an evocative backdrop for the artist who strives “to make connections between what we call nature and what we call man-made.”

Press
Kenneth Baker, “Spiraling Toward the Heavens in the Presidio,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 25, 2008
Jori Finkel, “Work Stands Out Before It Blends In,” New York Times, October 30, 2008
Lisa Krieger, “Sculpture Salutes Cycles of Forest,” San Jose Mercury News, January 7, 2009
Elisabeth Laurence, “Artist Goldsworthy's Spire Graces Presidio,” San Francisco Examiner, January 29, 2009
Kelly Wilkinson, "A Newly Enchanted Forest," KQED.org, May 25, 2009

Photos

The first site-based art exhibition conceived for a national park, Presidio Habitats was presented in partnership with the Presidio Trust.

An international group of artists, architects, and design specialists were invited to submit habitat proposals for certain animal residents of the Presidio. From the 25 submissions received, eleven were selected as commission projects to be fabricated and installed in the Presidio landscape. The projects were situated in the Fort Scott District of the park with dramatic views of the Golden Gate. An indoor exhibition provided background and context for the project, and presented all 25 of the submissions received.

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In 2010 the FOR-SITE Foundation, in partnership with the Presidio Trust, commissioned Wood Line, the second site-specific installation by Andy Goldsworthy in the park. Wood Line is made from the branches of eucalyptus trees felled as part of the Presidio's ongoing reforestation program. The eucalyptus branches form a sinuous curve that follows the grade of a slope through a standing eucalyptus grove. Work was initiated in November 2010, and the commission was completed in August 2011.

Wood Line, located within the eucalyptus forest between Presidio Boulevard and Lovers' Lane, is conceived as a celebration of the Presidio’s historic forest. The artist has described the movement of the piece through the landscape as "drawing the place." As with many of Goldsworthy's site-specific works, the materials will decompose and return to the earth over time.

Installation of the work required a delicate touch, sited as it is directly underneath a section of the Presidio's federally-designated historic forest. In order not to disturb the trunks or root systems of these venerable, towering eucalyptus trees, the logs were transported and placed using the utmost care.

Press
Chloe Veltman, “Presidio Project Entwines Nature Into Artworks,” New York Times, November 11, 2010
Christine Ryan, “Northern California weekend,” Sunset, March 2011
Sam Whiting, “Goldsworthy Plots the Curves of His Linking Logs,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 30, 2011
Cindy Beckman, “Andy Goldsworthy Winds His Way Through the Presidio,” Marina Times, September 2011

Photos

Artists respond to the Golden Gate Bridge at 75

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, International Orange--named for the unique paint color of the span--offers fresh perspectives on an enduring landmark. This exhibition at Fort Point presents new work by contemporary artists responding to the bridge as icon, historic structure, and conceptual inspiration.

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