Mirage

Since the late 1800’s San Francisco’s Old Mint  has stood for stability and wealth. It once held one-third of the nation’s gold, from nuggets mined in the Sierra Mountains to bullion to minted coins distributed across the country. In reference to this history, Mirage is a dynamic and immersive artwork animated by topographic swarms of golden light and shadow. On a typical day amber layers of illumination will ebb and flow through glass diffusers, always changing and never the same. Celebrating rain and fog, moisture sensors will shift the LEDs hue to a cooler color palette of blues and whites. While the cloud-like artwork is inspired by San Francisco’s past, present and future, it is open to multiple interpretations.

Date: 2014
Location: Mint Plaza, San Francisco, CA
Design: Jason Kelly Johnson & Nataly Gattegno
Team: Natalie Abbott, Joel Frank, Brian McKinney, Carlos Sabogal, Emily Saunders
Award: Finalist Mint Plaza Artwork Competition