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Portrait of the Artist with a Metal Plant • Aluminum Yucca (2003) Gordon Huether 2023 08-15
—mainly I threw myself in there for scale.
Here's what the scuptor has to say on his web page, about this sculpture:
"Aluminum Yucca was made from salvaged hollow aluminum fuel tanks from F-16 military aircraft. The hollow forms were sliced vertically to resemble the scooped shape of the Datil Yucca leaf, which is native to the area. At night, the sculpture is illuminated by a slow-moving, solar-powered color wheel that recreates the hues of the Albuquerque desert landscape.
The exaggerated scale celebrates the romance and nostalgia of western Road Culture in the 20th century – evident all along Route 66 in wigwam-shaped hotels, five-foot Mexican sombreros and giant cowboy boots."
Funded by Albuquerque's Public Art Urban Enhancement Division, the city considers this piece the "Route 66 Gateway to Albuquerque" from the East Mountains. They have posted an image of it themselves here, but you'd never know from it that this yucca is 22 feet high and 15 feet wide (6.7 x 4.6 meters).
Those are Manzano foothills across the freeway, south.
Location: rocky hillside, Tijeras Canyon NE, I-40 West/Route 66 just east of exit 167; Albuquerque, New Mexico 8:21pm
ps: the color wheel for the lights seems to no longer turn – it stayed green the whole time I was there....
A sculpture Detail is here.
Portrait of the Artist with a Metal Plant • Aluminum Yucca (2003) Gordon Huether 2023 08-15
—mainly I threw myself in there for scale.
Here's what the scuptor has to say on his web page, about this sculpture:
"Aluminum Yucca was made from salvaged hollow aluminum fuel tanks from F-16 military aircraft. The hollow forms were sliced vertically to resemble the scooped shape of the Datil Yucca leaf, which is native to the area. At night, the sculpture is illuminated by a slow-moving, solar-powered color wheel that recreates the hues of the Albuquerque desert landscape.
The exaggerated scale celebrates the romance and nostalgia of western Road Culture in the 20th century – evident all along Route 66 in wigwam-shaped hotels, five-foot Mexican sombreros and giant cowboy boots."
Funded by Albuquerque's Public Art Urban Enhancement Division, the city considers this piece the "Route 66 Gateway to Albuquerque" from the East Mountains. They have posted an image of it themselves here, but you'd never know from it that this yucca is 22 feet high and 15 feet wide (6.7 x 4.6 meters).
Those are Manzano foothills across the freeway, south.
Location: rocky hillside, Tijeras Canyon NE, I-40 West/Route 66 just east of exit 167; Albuquerque, New Mexico 8:21pm
ps: the color wheel for the lights seems to no longer turn – it stayed green the whole time I was there....
A sculpture Detail is here.