Traveling around in #SanJose and #NearbyToSanJose at 825 mph on our spinning planet.
That is pay phone, in a stone hall, at Stanford University. I wonder how often it is used these days. Photo taken by a flip phone of the kind that came along to make pay phones far harder to find starting several years ago.
This artwork is called “Triumph Pelt” and is hanging on the DMV in south San Jose. It was created by artist Dustin Shuler in 1986 (https://dustinshuler.com/pelts.html).
There are a lot of art pieces and artistic touches at the Santana Row shopping area. This mural is called Linked by Allison Kunath (https://www.allisonkunath.com/).
Mural by Hector Covarrubias (https://www.instagram.com/cova____/).
There is a walkway with numerous moons transitioning through phases overhead. Here are a couple of examples.
I did not find details on the sculptures or architectural touches though there are several to find and more than I have captured here.
This mural by Mike Tyau (https://www.instagram.com/miketyau/).
From the street of San Tomas Aquino Rd. I assumed I was looking at a simple, though attractive, vegetable sculpture. Then I got closer and saw there was more to it. Notice the roof of this library has a rain spout directed to the top of the sculpture. Then, looking closer I saw that the sculpture has curves that channel water and a drain near its base. It is a part of the rain water drain path! That is just neat. I found that the artist Elizabeth Conner (https://elizabethconner.com/section/348652-Public-Art.html) calls this work “Cabbage”.
From the top you can see how the water is channeled all around the grooves of the sculpture’s leaves as it flows down towards the drain.
Waterways work their away around it all and it has integrated lights to backlight the leaves at night.
I like looking at this and hope to be near it when it is raining some day.
I stopped because I thought someone had given these koalas a scarf or something. It looks like it may actually be balloons or something that got caught up in the sculpture. According to SanJose.com (https://www.sanjose.com/2011/06/01/branching_out/) these numerous koala sculptures you see in the trees on E. San Carlos Street were put up by the San Jose Downtown Association in 2011.
XO twelve foot tall sculpture with flying birds cut into it by Laura Kimpton (https://www.instagram.com/laurakimpton/) and Jeff Schomberg (https://www.jeffschombergarts.com/) is at the San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC).
Serpentine Pavilion on First Street by Bjarke Ingels.
“CAN DO!” sculpture by Seward Johnson (https://sewardjohnsonatelier.org/) in San Jose’s History Park.
Created by artist Ries Niemi (riesniemi.com), this sculpture in steel has indigenous plant references and says a message in three languages as you walk around the base.
Ohlone: Makin Mak Si Ni Ta Was
Spanish: Nosotros Vivemos Agui
English: We Live Here
You may have to look carefully when downtown to see these koala sculptures climbing in the trees. When you spot them, it is a pleasant surprise. The koalas are climbing in a series of trees on the street meridian of E San Carlos Street. Look for a bit and you may find more than you expected over several trees. Here is an example.
