I first learned about "Nuestro Pueblo" (translated to "Our Town") in one of my art history courses. It is now most commonly know as "The Watts Towers". What an interesting and inspiring project, you can see why I think so below.Handy man Simon Rodia never claimed to be an artist. When asked why he made the towers, he answered "I wanted to do something big and I did it." The installation consists of 17 major sculptures constructed of structural steel and covered with mortar, adorned with a diverse mosaic of broken glass, sea shells, generic pottery and tile, a rare piece of 19th-century, hand painted Canton ware and many pieces of 20th-century American ceramics - built without machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds or drawing board designs - besides his own ingenuity, Sam used simple tools, pipe fitter pliers and a window-washer's belt and buckle.
You can find the towers located in a triangle lot on 1761-1765 107th Street in Los Angeles, CA. I hope to make a visit myself very soon!
*Fun side note, the towers were included in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
via: www.wattstowers.us
They are in Los Angles???? Oh I would love to go see them - this is really something.
ReplyDeleteRoad trip! :)
DeleteOne of our family's favorite television shows is "Face Off" about finding the next great makeup artist on Syfy. Recently one of the episodes used this spot as the inspiration for the artists to create make up to match Tim Burton characters. Wonderful episode. The guy who won chose to create make up inspired by the profession of a cellist.
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