Design
In Santa Monica, a Sculpture That Aims to Change the Weather
Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle's "Weather Field" installation is designed to create a "microclimate" in the air.
Lots of artists want to change thoughts and opinions. Few try to change the weather.
Yet that's the task that Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle is proposing for a new public park in Santa Monica. The Chicago-based artist, a recipient of the MacArthur "genius grant," has drafted plans for a tall sculpture called "Weather Field" to stand in Santa Monica Commons, one of two yet-constructed green spaces designed by James Corner Field Operations. That company also designed the High Line in lower Manhattan, another park that is heavy on not-your-average public art.