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Contemporary sculpture Isis by Mark di Suvero makes its new home at the Port of San Diego. |
October 6, 2004 • Named for both the Egyptian goddess and the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel, contemporary sculpture “Isis” by Mark di Suvero recently was loaned to the Port of San Diego's Public Art Committee, in a partnership with the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. The artwork is displayed on the traffic triangle at Harbor Drive and Laurel Street, one of San Diego's busiest intersections and a major approach to San Diego International Airport. Installation of Isis at the Port of San Diego began in July, and it will remain there for approximately one year.
The sculpture, made of industrial steel beams, stands 42 feet tall and 63 feet long. Isis features the bow of a ship that serves as its focal point, which is suspended by steel cables to allow it to gently sway with the wind. Commissioned to make the sculpture for the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel (ISIS) for its 50th anniversary, di Suvero completed Isis in 1978. Since then, it was exhibited at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the Manilow Sculpture Park in University Park, Ill.
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Riggers hoist up the ship hull during the installation of the sculpture. |
Prior to moving the sculpture to San Diego, Enrico Martignoni, owner of the sculpture and former rigger and crane operator, and Ted Garner, a Chicago-based sculptor, worked with Chicago Crane to cut Isis down to fit on two trucks and ship it across the country. According to Martignoni, the sculpture weighs about 40 tons, and the bow of the ship had to be cut into four pieces to fit on a truck. “The disassembly in Chicago took a week, transport across the country took another week, and the installation took three weeks, as the sculpture had to be re-welded, assembled, and painted,” Martignoni said.
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Isis after its installation at the Port of San Diego. |
Once Martignoni arrived in San Diego, he said he made contact with Mathieu Gregoire, an artist who does many large-scale outdoor sculpture installations at the University of California, San Diego's Stuart Collection. Celeste de la Victoria with the Port of San Diego and Lynda Forsha with the City of San Diego facilitated the installation process. Bob's Crane was hired to lift pieces of the sculpture in place, and Hawthorne Lift Systems rented the aerial work platforms for the job. Coordinated Wire Rope supplied the rigging materials. Difficulties of the job included obtaining permits to close the traffic triangle where 15 million people travel each year.
“The Port of San Diego is pleased to have this esteemed sculpture on loan,” said Peter Q. Davis, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The collaboration between the Port and City public art programs resulted in this outstanding opportunity to have one of Mr. di Suvero's sculptures gracing the waterfront.”
