Park & Market

Where Art meets Science

The scenario; a 40 story tower teams up with the science powerhouse UCSD to turn a city block into a transformative civic space. To unify city living and academia, a large public plaza activates through community programming geared toward visiting professors and downtown residents alike. Retail spaces and the widest pedestrian promenade in downtown San Diego open a door to the city, while a main artery of the trolley system engages the entire region from Tijuana to UCSD’s La Jolla campus.

The interplay of art & science became the vehicle to inspire excitement around the injection of a revered university into the urban landscape. An intriguing moment occurs when art and science approach one another– boundaries obscure and they begin to be indiscernible. A dragonfly wing under a microscope becomes an arresting composition. An oscillating sculpture of hanging stones mimics the murmuration of starlings.

Murals and functional art (fences/gates/jumbotron) activated the plaza, while sculptural installations and backlit art pieces inside showcased a collision of UCSD-lab microphotography and early botanical color plates from the 1700s. Upon opening the project was awarded an Orchid for public art by the San Diego Architectural Foundation.

Art direction, design, artist coordination: Sean Kelley | Creative direction: Ron Miriello