Artistic lawn lights in Laguna Beach
A new art installation is lighting up Laguna Beach City Hall after hours.
Two large egg-shaped lamps are suspended from 14-foot spider-like legs on the lawn. The multicolored LED lamps are covered with decorative patterns that cast ornate shadows.
Artist Taylor Dean Harrison calls his creation “Polymery,” a mixed-media artwork that uses multiple materials to create a singular effect. The see-through lamps are made of mirrored stainless steel, which enhances the lighting.
“When I designed those ... I just wanted the light to pass through and the outside to be shiny,” Harrison said. “What I found was that the inside, of course, because it’s stainless steel, was shiny, so I was getting all these new strange light bounces and bends, and I didn’t actually plan on that.”
Harrison, 35, who grew up a short drive down the coast in San Clemente, said he is excited about exhibiting his artwork so close to his hometown. This is the first time his work has been shown in Orange County.
“‘You’re kidding — Laguna Beach?’ ” Harrison said, recounting his reaction when told he would have the chance to exhibit his work in the seaside town known for celebrating art. “It puts a big smile on my face to kind of come home.”
Harrison graduated in 2006 from San Clemente High, where he starred in basketball as an All-CIF performer for the Tritons. He continued as a center at Cal, but injuries signaled an early end to his playing days.
His life took a new direction. He found himself working in an office, and he felt something was missing. Then an apprenticeship came along with the chance to work with a sculptor named Michael Christian.
“The art was always there,” Harrison said. “I just didn’t know exactly what. … I was at a concert — a David Byrne and St. Vincent concert — and I saw what they were doing onstage, and they were doing something that was more than just a concert . ... I was like, ‘I need to be doing that. I need to create.’ ”
Christian and Harrison are working on a collaborative project for the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival that will allow those interacting with it to walk through it, Harrison said.
“Polymery” was installed in mid-March and is scheduled to remain on the lawn at City Hall through June 18, according to Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Manager Sian Poeschl. The lights come on from 5-7 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to midnight each day.
“By creating immersive installations, I try to tap into the endless ‘possible universes’ that can be created with art,” Harrison noted in his artist statement. “I use this as a way to remind myself of the potentiality of my own life. I hope to make artwork that nudges viewers, and myself, to find that light amongst our mental and physical struggles. To me, a moment of awe can be a powerful salve.”