2 min
Overview
Outdoor sculptures in a national park? It is not the first thing you think of at a former military post, but here at the Presidio, a 1491-acre national park in San Francisco, are four intriguing sculptures: Earth Wall, Spire, Wood Line, and Tree Fall. Made out of natural materials found in the Presidio, the sculptures are Andy Goldsworthy’s reflections on the Presidio’s history and its transition into a public park. Art aside, the counter-clockwise loop travels through a beautiful historic forest, buildings, and trails, with views of the San Francisco Bay. Andy Goldsworthy is a British site-specific artist who creates sculptures out of natural material like tree branches, leaves, and clay. Through his art, Goldsworthy makes thought-provoking connections between humans and nature. He believes we all leave a footprint in the natural world, and he thinks about how we are tied to a landscape. As an artist, he travels the world making artwork designed for people to think about a place, its history, and their interaction with it. Like nature, his pieces shift and generally deteriorate with time. At the Presidio, Goldsworthy was fascinated with the Presidio’s historic forest and how the landscape changed as it grew from a modest Spanish adobe fort or “presidio” to a west coast command center for the United States military. From the late 1880’s to 1910, the U.S. Army planted 100,000 Monterey pine, Monterey cypress, and eucalyptus trees to serve as a windbreak, to define the boundary of the Presidio, and to promote the power of government. Many trees are nearing the end of their lifespan and some have died from being planted too close together. So in 2003, the Presidio began a reforestation plan to replant small plots of trees at a time. As of 2014, they have planted over 3,500 trees. All four of Goldsworthy’s sculptures feature tree branches sourced from the Presidio, and each evokes feelings about the Presidio’s humble origins and the present. Are you still with me, or have I lost you in all my art fawning? Even if yo
Trail Stats
4.4 km
121 m
98 m
18 m
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