Andy Goldsworthy Walking Tour in the Presidio

baacginfo
18 minutes ago
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On a drizzly Saturday morning in October, BAACG members, family, and friends embarked on a self-guided walking tour of the Andy Goldsworthy installations at the Presidio. Created between 2008 and 2014, these four Land art sculptures (Earth Wall, Tree Fall, Wood Line, and Spire), were constructed from branches, logs, and clay sourced from the very same eucalyptus and cypress groves that they now soar above and sprawl through. Thankfully, the rain mostly stopped by the time the tour started!

The walking tour began at the Presidio Officer's Club, where a staff member kindly provided an introduction, and the tour viewed the first installation: Earth Wall, a sculpture of found eucalyptus branches and clay which was buried in and then partly excavated from the courtyard wall.

The group then walked the short distance across Pershing Square to the historic Powder Magazine. This building originally stored gunpowder and munitions, but now houses Tree Fall, a monumental tree branch suspended from the domed ceiling and caked in cracked clay. Everyone took turns peering into through the barred door into the room, which is only dimly lit by natural light.

The tour proceeded down Lover's Lane to Wood Line, a sculpture constructed of logs which zig-zags over 1,200 feet through a eucalyptus grove. After a brief pause for photos, the tour continued on to Spire, a 100 foot tall cypress sculpture. Spire was partially charred by an act of suspected arson in 2020, but still towers about the surrounding trees. (In a testament to fire's both destructive and regenerative capabilities, Goldsworthy collected ash from Spire and incorporated it into multiple artworks in his 2022 Firehouse exhibition at Haines Gallery, including Spire Table and two charcoal drawings on paper*). Like many of Goldsworthy's installations, Spire will one day be absorbed by the surrounding environment, when the young cypresses planted at its base reach their mature height.**

The tour concluded back at the Main Parade Lawn, where everyone enjoyed delicious lunches from the nearby food trucks.

Thank you to everyone who braved the weather to join us on this tour! These installations are a beautiful homage to the history of the Presidio, both the natural and man-made.