After more than a decade of hiccups and hurdles, brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre have finally put on their hard hats, crawled into the elevator shaft at the new Central Library and started working on installing their public-art piece, “Corpus Callosum.”
The arts duo, known for their wild glass sculptures inspired by the bright colors and fantastical imagery ripped from their lives spent straddling San Diego and Ensenada, first pitched the piece to a public-art panel 11 years ago. Einar de la Torre told Voice of San Diego the library project stalled for so long, he and his brother had to strain their brains to remember exactly what they proposed:
This one got to a point where we quite literally forgot about it. We had to look again, like ‘Oh yeah, what did we want to do?’
You’re reading the Culture Report, our weekly compilation of the region’s arts and culture news.
Happening Here
- The $6 million worth of new public art inside and outside the Terminal 2 expansion at the San Diego International Airport will debut to the public when the “Green Build” project opens next Tuesday. The airport’s art program manager, Constance White, told KPBS she thinks the art “creates a calming distraction” in an otherwise busy environment. She also explained to U-T San Diego the collection’s powerful-yet-subtle impact:
The way the art has been integrated into the architecture, if you are in a big hurry, you may not notice it. And if you are more aware, you will. But either way, I think it makes a big difference.
The public can get a sneak peak of the art, the restaurants and the rest of the new Terminal 2 during free tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Road-closure signage and warnings are already out for the upcoming CicloSDias San Diego open-streets event Sunday. A long stretch of 30th Street and other roads from Logan Heights to City Heights will be closed down for the event, which kicks out cars for a day and invites people to join by biking or walking.
- Environmentally minded artists will take to the streets Saturday in North Park during the monthly Ray at Night art walk.
- Restaurateur Arsalun Tafazoli (the man behind Craft & Commerce, Neighborhood and Polite Provisions) said he’s bringing “stoner seafood” to Little Italy with his next project, Ironside Oyster. (Eater)
- Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair continues to whet art collectors’ appetites by slowly rolling out 2013’s lineup. Alongside announced spotlight artists and art labs, the recently released list of featured designers includes a who’s who of locals including Paul Basile, Curtis Micklish and Dominique Houriet.
- Balboa Park makes people happy, according to a new book about community-building public places. (U-T)
- The San Diego Museum of Art’s Summer Salon Series soirees are no more. But starting last week, a similar-sounding series set out to highlight the museum’s current exhibitions. The schedule includes performance art, music, workshops and film screenings. (CityBeat)
- You can’t bring up San Diego Junior Theatre’s alumni without name-dropping famous folks like Dennis Hopper, Raquel Welch and Annette Bening. (U-T)
- A church in Valencia Park is preaching the gospel in rhyme. The church’s pastor told KPBS that hip-hop is an important part of his community’s identity:
We play hip-hop music because we are a people that has been influenced by the hip-hop culture. When we’re in our cars, when we’re at home, even when we’re taking a shower, we play hip hop music. So it’s natural for us when we come to church and get together as a bunch of believers to play the genre of music that we naturally listen to.
Local Roots
- Photographer and videographer Charles Bergquist is the shy guy behind the colorful and layered music videos for recent songs by musicians Matthew Dear and Tycho. (CityBeat)
- A local brewer-turned-inventor has raised more than $55,000 of his $80,000 Kickstarter goal for his open-source, Wi-Fi-enabled temperature controller for homebrewers.
- It only took 15 different types of veneer for furniture designer Craig Thibodeau of CT Fine Furniture to take home the grand prize at the 2013 Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge competition in Las Vegas for his art deco table.
- Wait, where’s Kelly Bennett? And who’s this newbie anyway? I’m super excited and somewhat intimidated to be helping Voice of San Diego’s longtime staffer and journalistic powerhouse write the Culture Report while she sets off on her new adventure. You’ll see my byline regularly in this space, so please email me directly with any tips or advice. I freelance for other outlets around town, too. This week, I wrote about San Diego artist and furniture designer David Fobes’ recent transition away from Duct tape as a medium for Caldera Culture Review, a brand-new website covering arts and culture in our region and beyond.
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