Photo Credit: Kilroy Realty
Los Angeles-based artist Maggie West has turned her glowing neon lens to a variety of noteworthy causes—from her series celebrating the wide range of the gender spectrum, to portraits that reflect themes of body positivity and modern womanhood. West’s photography and installation work amplifies a diverse set of voices and opinions and has captured the attention of cultural institutions (California Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian), celebrities (Lebron James, Sam Smith, Alexander Wang, Stephanie Beatriz and Alia Shawkat) and global brands (Google, Adidas).The latest brand to covet her inimitable style is Netflix, who is unveiling “Spectrum” today at its new Hollywood campus.
This piece is the central artwork in Kilroy Realty’s 355,000 square foot commercial and retail complex on Vine. Hollywood’s pioneers in sequin imagery, SparkleMasters, worked with West to fabricate the industry’s first all-metal, photographic sequin mosaic. The glittering work of hand-crafted kinetic art spans 65 x 17 feet, five-stories tall, and is made up of 39,000 powder coated stainless steel sequins. Each 3 x 3-inch square sequin is laser-cut, custom painted and then intricately hung to create a vibrant, eye-catching portrait. The result, from any distance vantage point, is mesmerizing, brought to life using only the power of wind and sun.
Photo Credit: Kilroy Realty
By its very definition, “spectrum” is ” a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without steps, across a continuum,” and as such, this particular piece imagines a world in which our color perception is uninhibited by physical limitations. The piece explores gender expression and depicts an androgynous portrait of a young woman through an imagined lens of unhindered perception. With the added touch of Tinseltown’s glitz and glam, “Spectrum” celebrates inclusivity in a vibrant and visual way. It invites those who choose to engage with it to lose themselves in the work of art, while challenging our imaginations and filling our world with color and escapism.
It’s the perfect foil to Netflix’s new creative urban campus, a development which artfully blends workplace, production, and luxury residential within a full 3.5-acre city block and which is targeting LEED Gold certification. The entertainment juggernaut is 100% leasing the workplace and production spaces, which will be nearing a completion in the last legs of the year. Jardine, the site’s luxury residential tower, is wrapping up construction and slated for pre-leasing in early 2021. The virtual art reveal also coincides with a charitable campaign to support homeless youth via My Friend’s Place, a Hollywood-based organization helping youth experiencing homelessness to move toward wellness, stability and self-sufficiency.
Photo Credit: Kilroy Realty
Below, we spoke to Maggie about her inspiration for the piece.
What inspired you to create this piece?
How did you factor Netflix into the equation?
I think of Spectrum as a new, revisioned take on a classic Hollywood portrait, and it seems very appropriate that this is the center art piece for the new Netflix campus. Netflix has been completely innovating the way in which we consume TV and movies for years now. I feel honored to be reimagining something as classic as a Hollywood portrait on their campus.
Who are your Hollywood inspirations?
This piece was not inspired by any one particular person or aspect of the entertainment industry, but rather draws upon the collective imagery of celebrity portraiture that is so prevalent in and around Hollywood architecture. Hollywood has a special place in my heart because I feel like my formative years growing as an artist in LA were spent in the heart of Hollywood. This is my first public art piece that will be a permeant part of the landscape, and as someone who lived in Hollywood for over 10 years, it really means a lot to be doing a piece which is going to be here for years and years to come.
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December 1, 2020With No Risk Comes No Reward; With No Failure, There Is No
