Tim Hawkinson: Bear - Stuart Collection at UC San Diego

A bear constructed of boulders. Eight granite stones, together they make a bear 23.5 feet high with a total weight of 180 tons. Bear pushes the bounds of credibility. Questions arise. Where did they find these rocks? How did they get them here? Are they real? How are they held together? On one hand, the sculpture is massive, permanent, thoroughly engineered. At the same time, it has a form (a toy bear) that one knows to be soft and cozy - a form that one associates with childhood, play, and security. The bear can be seen framed through the trees lining the paths that lead to the courtyard. As you get closer, you see the mass, the monumentality and the stone surfaces. It becomes immense, especially in the context of the scale of a toy. The rounded, ancient, and weathered natural granite contrasts with the high-tech, anodized, and highly manufactured surfaces of the surrounding buildings. Series: "Stuart Collection at UC San Diego" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37821]