Metro Art Highlights: Andrew Leicester’s “Gold Line Bridge” (2012) Gold Line Bridge.
Cantankerous cars crawl and scamper about. Like ants in the afterbirth. Skittering underneath the belly of the hulking heft of Andrew Leicester’s 584-foot dual-track bridge that reaches across the color-me-crestfallen chaos of traffic guiding commuters into the San Gabriel Valley.
In collaboration with Rivka Night of AECOM, the artist was inspired by the history of the local indigenous people and pursued a pattern that honored the area’s notable and recognizable artifacts. The design features two 25-foot tall baskets standing sentinel on either side of the superstructure at attention with ungainly grace. And the curved serpentine-like underbelly contains grooves and hatch marks allusive to the tapestry of scales found on a western diamondback rattlesnake.
He tells us of his intentions in clear and unvarnished terms, "I drew my inspiration from two sources: the region’s cultural history and its architecture. The large baskets that adorn the bridge metaphorically represent the Native Americans of the region and the growth of agriculture as a primary catalyst to the San Gabriel Valley.” Also adding, “They also pay tribute to the iconic sculptural traditions of Route 66 with its oversized commercial architecture such as the windmill atop the Denny’s restaurant on Huntington Drive and the Maya restaurant on Foothill Boulevard north of the freeway."
The baskets reticulate and demonstrate dash.
Twisted taut.
Crafted with care.
And bottom ample to hold your odds and ends of awes and zens.
