San Francisco’s famous skyline just got a new addition. The 69-foot-tall tapering needle of Point of infinity: surface of revolution with constant negative curvature by Japanese architect and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto sits atop an ancient water reservoir on nearby Yerba Buena Island, and will be visible to all eyes in the surrounding bay area.
The gigantic stainless steel sculpture cost $2 million and was installed last month as part of the new Infinity Point park at the top of the island, which will officially open to the public later this year. This is Sugimoto’s first major work in the United States, where he has lived and worked since 1970. He was selected from more than 495 other applicants who responded to an open call in 2017.
From the monument’s 23-foot base, it appears to the human eye as if it rises forever, piercing the sky above. “The concept of infinity is a human invention,” Sugimoto said of this playful illusion. “It’s a paradox. Nevertheless, we pursue it. It is the symbol of humanity’s pursuit of knowledge and innovation.
Addressing the architectural expertise of the artist, this effect was achieved through a complex mathematical formula. “A hyperbolic curve that suggests both infinity and eternity: two converging curved lines, getting closer and closer but never meeting,” Sugimoto explained in a press release.
The artist has made a name for himself through a widely varied practice spanning decades that encompasses sculpture, photography, garden design, calligraphy, theater production and architecture. His works are in the collections of the SFMoMA, the Met, MoMA New York, the Guggenheim and the Hirshhorn Museum.
Its latest structure echoes the Transamerica Pyramid on the other side of the Gold Gate Bridge and is also reminiscent of the Tower of the Sun, a large stone sundial that featured memorably in the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. This is fitting, as its unveiling marks the first step in establishing the annex island and former naval base as a new cultural destination.
infinity point inaugurates a series of new public artworks commissioned by the Treasure Island Arts Program in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission. This 20-year initiative is part of the larger redevelopment of Treasure Island and is funded by a special requirement that 1% of construction costs be redirected to public art. Total funds raised for this purpose are expected to reach $50 million.
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