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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.

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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.

Projects

  • Overview
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    • Sanctuary
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    • @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz
    • Art About Place: FOR-SITE Foundation at the Presidio
    • International Orange
    • 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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Cheryl Haines videochats with John Kiriakou

Cheryl Haines videochats with John Kiriakou

FOR-SITE Foundation Executive Director Cheryl Haines videochats with prisoner of conscience John Kiriakou during the @Large installation on Alcatraz by Ai ...

@Large: postcard for Reeyot Alemu

@Large: postcard for Reeyot Alemu

Ethopian journalist Reeyot Alemu became a prisoner of conscience when her government sentenced her to five years in prison. As part of Ai Weiwei's @Large ...

Ai Weiwei&#39;s inspiration for his @Large postcard campaign

Ai Weiwei's inspiration for his @Large postcard campaign

Excerpt from the documentary film AI WEIWEI: YOURS TRULY, which screens on Saturday, June 2 at the Mendocino Film Festival in California More information: ...

FOR-SITE Foundation

FOR-SITE Foundation

The FOR-SITE Foundation is dedicated to the idea that art can inspire fresh thinking and important dialogue about our natural and cultural environment. Through ...

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 ...

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  • FOR-SITE hosted a private screening of Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly for a handful of film patrons and their offspring last night. It’s thrilling to see the impact that this film is having on young people! @kanstatt @cheryllhaines @yourstrulydoc
  • From the @nytimes : Public protestors gather on the streets in Hong Kong to protest the proposed extradition law, which, due to their efforts, is now in suspension. ・・・ ⠀ #Repost @yourstrulydoc with @get_repost ⠀ Photo Credit Vincent Yu/Associated Press
  • @aiww shares the impact of his father’s imprisonment and the inspiration behind his postcard campaign for prisoners of conscience. ・・・ #Repost @yourstrulydoc with @get_repost
  • 🎉Mendocino Film Fest here we come! Tickets for the June 2nd screening of @yourstrulydoc at the stunning seaside town on the northern California coast are on sale now! 🌊📽 . . . . . . . . . #mendofilm #documentary #film #filmfestival #mendocino #art #humanrights #aiweiwei

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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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