Nature and Architecture, Fused into Art
Artist: Sasinun Kladpetch
Video: Peter Elliott Eaton
“Most of the material is something people have seen throughout their lives, but they haven’t thought about it in this perspective.” — Sasinun Kladpetch
Entering the LINE San Francisco is like entering a portal. The warm grey left wall gently curves to meet the ceiling as if directing all the energy to the right, where a sculptural installation by Sasinun Kladpetch sprawls down the hallway, guiding visitors past a nook that houses the front desk and into the flowing spaces of the lobby, Tenderheart, and a Market Street-facing patio — or into the elevator bank, where digital screens call back to their analog forebears.
For the hallway installation, Sasinun visited the hotel site (previously a parking lot) during construction to collect found objects from demolition and development. Then off she went to Presidio Park, her favorite natural space in the city and home to the moss, lichen, and twigs that compel the multimedia artist. She describes foraging like a treasure hunt. Her collection complete, Sasinun fused the found items with resin and concrete to create more than 300 pieces, which she grouped and paired over and again, deliberately moving each until the arrangement was just right.
In a city with majestic parks and storied architecture, the sculpture continues on the themes of Sasinun’s work, which seeks to represent architecture and nature living together cohesively. It’s something Sasinun knows well from cohabitating with her love bird Mossy. Another collector of found objects, Mossy combines her own elements for a cozy nest, Sasinun says, “to create the best environment for herself.” She hopes her installation will create a similar feeling for patrons as they enter the LINE SF.
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Elements is a short documentary about the artist and her process for creating this epic work.