San Diego Center for Children SEASIDE

San Diego Center for Children, founded in 1887, is the oldest accredited agency in San Diego County serving needy children and families struggling with severe psychiatric, developmental, neurological and emotional illnesses. Seaside is one of two suspended sculptural installations in the common areas of two dormitory facilities.  The installations are intended to provide visual interest in the form of design elements enhancing the open gabled ceiling areas, secondly, to address the theme of each room and it's unique character based on the existing tile mosaics in the rooms and thirdly, to promote creative dialogue about the installations regarding the stories they tell and human's connection to each. Seaside consists of a grouping of several types and sizes of fantasy and/or generic fish swimming in schools. These schools appear to be swimming in opposite directions towards each other, following a large squid near the center of the room. The curious squid seems to be investigating a worm dangling from a hook suspended over the sunken group activity area. This reveals human's connection with the undersea creatures and opens up the possibility of discussion as to the nature of that connection and metaphors of schools, following a leader, curiosity of the unknown and so forth.

© 2002