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  • Ai Weiwei, <em>Western Screech Owl Habitats</em>, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
  • Jensen Architects, <em>Patience</em>, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
  • becker-winged-wisdom
  • Nathan Lynch, <em>Where Is the Hare?</em>, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
  • Surface Design, Inc., <em>A Habitat of Flight</em>, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
Past

Presidio Habitats

May 16, 2010 – May 15, 2011 at Presidio of San Francisco

Presidio Habitats was the first site-based art exhibition conceived for a national park. An international group of artists, architects, and design specialists were invited to submit habitat proposals for specific animal residents of the Presidio. From the 25 submissions received, 11 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 in a pavilion designed by Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects provided background and context for the project, and presented all 25 of the submissions received.

The projects on view in the landscape were diverse in approach, material, and purpose. They ranged from a set of elegant blue-and-white glazed porcelain vessels conceived as habitats for the western screech owl by renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, to a conceptual reintroduction of the extirpated desert hare to the Presidio through Nathan Lynch’s reimagining of Aesop’s hare and tortoise race.

Visitors on self-guided walks were invited to experience the habitat installations as well as explore the Presidio’s diverse landscapes — historic forests, a community garden and nursery, stunning vistas overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate, stately historic neighborhoods, and a hidden creek.

In addition to the artist commissions listed below, proposals were presented by Jeffrey Berkus Architects, CMG Landscape Architecture, Topher Delaney, Design Ecology, Amy Franceschini with ALITE Designs, Anya Gallaccio, Fritz Haeg, Walter Hood, Michelle Kaufmann, Rigo 23, John Roloff, SIMPARCH with Deborah Stratman, Mark Thompson, and Bruce Tomb and David Tomb.

More

Featured Works

  • Western Screech Owl Habitats (installation view)
    Ai WeiweiWestern Screech Owl Habitats
  • Philippe Becker Design, Winged Wisdom, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Philippe Becker DesignWinged Wisdom
  • Sculpture Habitat for the Gray Fox (installation view)
    CEBRASculpture Habitat for the Gray Fox
  • Habitat for Anna’s Hummingbird (installation view)
    Chadwick StudioHabitat for Anna's Hummingbird
  • Winged Defense (installation view)
    Mark Dion with Nitin JayaswalWinged Defense
  • Animal Estates Snag Tower
    Fritz HaegAnimal Estates Snag Tower
  • Patience (installation view)
    Jensen ArchitectsPatience
  • Pollen Balls Project (installation view)
    Amy LambertPollen Balls Project
  • Where Is the Hare? (installation view)
    Nathan LynchWhere Is the Hare?
  • Exhibition Pavilion
    Ogrydziak/Prillinger ArchitectsExhibition Pavilion
  • A Habitat of Flight (installation view)
    Surface Design Inc.A Habitat of Flight
  • Owl Dome (installation view)
    Taalman Koch ArchitectureOwl Dome

Related Media

  • Ai Weiwei, Western Screech Owl Habitats, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Philippe Becker Design, Winged Wisdom, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    CEBRA, Sculpture Habitat for the Gray Fox, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Chadwick Studio, Habitat for Anna’s Hummingbird, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Mark Dion with Nitin Jayaswal, Winged Defense, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Fritz Haeg, Animal Estates Snag Tower, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Jensen Architects, Patience, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Amy Lambert, Pollen Balls Project, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Nathan Lynch, Where Is the Hare?, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects, Exhibition Pavilion, 2010; photo: Monique Deschaines
    Surface Design, Inc., A Habitat of Flight, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Taalman Koch Architecture, Owl Dome, 2010 (installation view); photo: Monique Deschaines
    Installation Views
  • In the Press
Presidio Habitats was organized by the FOR-SITE Foundation in partnership with the Presidio Trust.

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    • Sanctuary
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    • Presidio Habitats
      • Ai Weiwei
      • Philippe Becker Design
      • CEBRA
      • Chadwick Studio
      • Mark Dion with Nitin Jayaswal
      • Fritz Haeg
      • Jensen Architects
      • Amy Lambert
      • Nathan Lynch
      • Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects
      • Surface Design Inc.
      • Taalman Koch Architecture
    • The Marvelous Museum: A Mark Dion Project
    • Pae White: In Between the Outside-In
    • Chris Drury: Mushrooms | Clouds
    • Shi Guorui: Reproduction and Refashioning
    • Richard Long: The Path Is the Place Is the Line
    • New Work by Cornelia Parker
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Field Notes

  • Allison Stone talks Art in the Presidio

  • Art in the Parks and “Home Land Security”: A Partner’s Perspective

  • Q&A with “Home Land Security” Curator Cheryl Haines

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Sanctuary Salon (February 23, 2018)

Sanctuary Salon (February 23, 2018)

Echoing Sanctuary's ethos of plurality, the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose practices span creative disciplines, including ...

Brendan Fernandes: Safely (2017)

Brendan Fernandes: Safely (2017)

As part of his commission for "Sanctuary," Brendan Fernandes presented a site-specific durational performance that explored themes of reverence and sacred ...

Panel Discussion: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form

Panel Discussion: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form

Panel Discussion "Above the Rug: Approaching the Rug as a Critical Form" February 11, 2018 Historically and traditionally, rugs are a medium for cultural ...

Sanctuary

Sanctuary



Sanctuary Salon (January 26, 2018)

Sanctuary Salon (January 26, 2018)

Echoing the ethos of plurality embodied within FOR-SITE's exhibition "Sanctuary," the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose ...

Sanctuary Salon (December 14, 2017)

Sanctuary Salon (December 14, 2017)

Echoing the ethos of plurality embodied within FOR-SITE's exhibition "Sanctuary," the "Sanctuary Salon" series weaves together the voices of artists whose ...

Twitter

  • It's a full house (er, Chapel) tonight for FOR-SITE's first #Sanctuary Salon https://t.co/ABOANPBfeV
  • Happening now: Free #silkscreening workshops with #SanctuaryPrintShop outside #Sanctuary @FortMasoninSF Chapel https://t.co/4BGs628mct

Instagram

  • This #TBT we’re showing you a glimpse of some of behind-the-scenes before and after shots of our 2016 exhibition "Home Land Security.” Working in partnership with @goldengatenps and @presidiosf, FOR-SITE was able to make these spaces ready for visitors (preparations that entailed, among many other things, asbestos and black widow spider remediation 🕷🕸!), and some incredible artwork. __ 1. Battery Boutelle / “Weapon” by Yin Xiuzhen 2. Fort Scott Chapel / Five works from the “Projectiles” series by @shahpour_pouyan 3. Nike Administration Building / "Home Land Security" visitor center #ArtAboutPlace #PublicArt
  • This “TBT we’re giving you a close up look at the rug that inspired “Sanctuary.” The backstory: artist Yashar Azar Emdadian’s “Home Land Security” work “Disintigration” featured a video of him standing on a family rug in the Paris Tuileries and shaving his body. The rug itself was to accompany the video, accept that it was a family heirloom and Yashar couldn’t send it here. The search began to find a way to make an exact replica of the rug. @alrugcom was discovered, the rug was replicated, the seed was planted for an entire exhibition of artist-designed rugs, and the rest, as they say, is history. __ More information about Yashar’s work, @alrugcom‘s rug-making process, and more can be found by following the link in our profile. #FORSITEstories #ArtAboutPlace #Sanctuary
  • @aiww’s “Trace” is now on view at @alphawoodexhibitions in Chicago. Since it was first exhibited on #Alcatraz, some of the featured prisoners of conscience have been released, but many more are still imprisoned. Case updates can be found on our website, but to learn how to take action, head to @amnestyusa.
  • In honor of @presidiosf's #BioBlitz Nature Challenge event this Saturday, we're using this #TBT to share "Habitat for Anna's Hummingbird" by Chadwick Studio, from our 2010-11 exhibition "Presidio Habitats." The work's circular structure was composed of staggered arcs that corresponded to a Cornell University ornithological diagram of the annual cycle of the Anna's Hummingbird: breeding, migrating, and molting. The flowering plants made it a natural feeder for Presidio's resident hummingbirds. __ If you're curious about other resident Presidio plants, animals, and insects, be sure to register for this weekend's Nature Challenge by visiting the Presidio's website. Participants will team up with professional naturalists to document field observations through the iNaturalist app (developed by @calacademy), or good old fashioned nature sketching and journaling. . . . . #ArtAboutPlace

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Field Notes

  • Allison Stone talks Art in the Presidio

  • Art in the Parks and “Home Land Security”: A Partner’s Perspective

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