1701 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA

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Located in a health and human services facility that aids individuals in transition and within a community in change, this artwork is composed of scale model remnants of locally significant watercraft, reassembled and reimagined, whimsically coming to life in a process of ongoing metamorphosis. Appearing as a school of fish, these anthropomorphic compositions swirl above the entrance lobby, the main crossing point within the facility, while referencing specific archetypes of marine vessels that have inhabited the adjacent coast.

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The North Coastal Live Well Center is a county operated health and human services facility in Oceanside, California that offers a wide range of programs created for the betterment of life for both individuals and families. While addressing a spectrum of issues such as mental health, substance abuse, aging and veterans’ affairs, its common focus centers on the process of transition; aiding in the navigation from an adverse place, situation or mindset to another hopefully better and more sustainable one. Occupying a place betwixt and between, it programmatically draws parallels to the ongoing development of the surrounding area from seaside resort and marine base to evolving residential community. These related dynamics in turn find expression in an artwork composed of 3D printed shapes modeled from functional boat parts. Two hundred “fish-boats” have been assembled from these forms to produce unique combinations that visually resemble familiar marine life counterparts. Suspended individually above the three-story entry, they group together to form a composition that is illuminated from within its central core, allowing it to function formally as part of the building design in the same way as a chandelier.

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Photography: Lawrence Anderson Photography and William Short Photography

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