‘Reflexion’ artwork to move from Scripps Park to Kellogg Park, angering Shores leader over lack of input
As an art exhibit being shown in La Jolla’s Scripps Park nears the end of its stay there, the city of San Diego is preparing to move it in coming weeks to Kellogg Park in The Shores.
But that doesn’t sit well with the leader of the La Jolla Shores Association, who is upset that the city didn’t consult the group about putting the artwork in Kellogg Park.
The installation, called “Reflexion,” consists of three mirrored columns with rotatable segments. Each of the triangular segments contains a flat, convex and concave mirror. The work is being displayed as part of the city’s Park Social project, which brings art installations to city parks.
A group of artists commissioned by the city of San Diego will display an installation in Scripps Park in La Jolla for two weeks in June.
The last day “Reflexion” will be on view in Scripps Park is Sunday, June 26. After that, the piece will move to La Jolla Shores and be on display July 9-24.
Before it was installed in Scripps Park earlier this month, the city gave a presentation in March to the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board. However, the La Jolla Shores Association was not given a similar presentation.
LJSA President Janie Emerson said she is “furious” and considers the installation to be inappropriate for Kellogg Park given the volume of people who go there during the summer.
“Scripps Park is completely different from Kellogg Park,” Emerson said. “In Kellogg Park, there are people playing Frisbee and touch football, and families come with huge barbecues. It’s inappropriate to have this here during the summer.”
City spokesman Jerry McCormick said “city protocols for La Jolla Cove-adjacent activations direct staff to the La Jolla Parks & Beaches advisory board, which provided input on the initiative.”
He said city protocol directs that “large-scale permitted events” be presented to the La Jolla Shores Association but “Park Social is not designed to drive large numbers of participants to the site but rather to enhance the experience of the existing park ... by inviting [beach-goers] to stop and interact with the installation.”
Had the city sought LJSA’s opinion, Emerson said, she might have suggested Laureate Park for the installation, which gets a lot of foot traffic from people walking to the beach, or having the installation on view in the fall.
“I’m beyond frustrated,” Emerson said. “We are the official board for this area and we were not contacted about this. ... I’m willing to listen, but if you know anything about Kellogg Park, you know this makes no sense whatsoever.”
Lara Bullock, civic art project manager for the city’s Commission for Arts and Culture, said “Reflexion” was developed by a San Diego-based collective of artists called Art Builds, which creates large-format temporary installations that “make people stop, smile and engage.”
With “Reflexion’s” mirrored columns, “you can dynamically change your view based on how you’re rotating these segments,” said Gordon Hoople of Art Builds. “You can line them all up and get a perfectly flat reflection or do something very, very different.”
Learn more about the project at sandiego.gov/park-social/projects and click on “Reflexion.” ◆
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