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Documented artwork / cast-bronze public sculpture

LIFE!

Larry Kirkland

Credit as documented: Larry Kirkland

LIFE! is Larry Kirkland’s bronze wheel at Berryessa/North San José Station, developed for VTA’s BART extension. A small human figure pushes the wheel up a sloping granite base, turning ordinary belongings into an image of a life’s accumulation and effort. Kirkland collected objects over several months from the nearby San Jose Flea Market, second-hand shops and other places. Tools, utensils, toys, sporting equipment and musical instruments provide details intended to reward passengers’ repeated encounters.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

See the documented project and images

Verified artwork image for LIFE!
Verified artwork imageImage: vta.org ↗©Amy Trachtenberg 2020 (as credited at source)©Craig Collins 2019 (as credited at source)© Craig Collins 2019 (as credited at source)

At a glance

Year / version
2019 (artist project date)
Materials
cast bronze, granite base
Documented setting
unknown
Dimensions
15 ft high × 12 ft wide × 5 ft deep including granite base; wheel 10 ft diameter
Dimensions apply to
Overall assembled sculpture and base distinguished from wheel diameter.
Availability
Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

  1. 2019 artist project date; installation start not stated

    Berryessa/North San José Station, San José, California

    Installation source

Materials and construction

At Washington’s Walla Walla Foundry, the objects were arranged on a foam form, individually molded and cast, then assembled into the larger bronze. The artist distinguishes the wheel’s ten-foot diameter from the overall sculpture-and-base dimensions. His project XML dates LIFE! to 2019; VTA’s 2019 Craig Collins photograph credit is not treated as an installation-start date.

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