by Laura Berthold Monteros
Located at the heart of the city, Pasadena Presbyterian Church is a perfect site for an art installation. As part of the Pasadena Playhouse District public art initiative, sculptors Megan Mueller and Samuel Scharf unveiled “Between Violet and Green” on Friday, Aug. 26. The temporary installation is a display of 360 lights on the front lawn of the church at 585 E. Colorado St. at Madison Avenue. It will remain in place through October.
The idea, Scharf told me, is to reflect the California sunlight by caching the power during the day with solar cells and playing it back at night when the lights come on. The rectangular boxes with the lights atop were hand painted in shades of blue, and the color perspective changes as one walks past. The design uses the natural contours of the lawn to draw the eye from the massive bell tower through the rows of lights to the door of the church.
“People were coming up during the work and were very excited,” Scharf said. When the display is dismantled, he said, “The lights will be donated or used for another installation.” The photos show the installation just before and after dusk.
The Playhouse District, centered around the famous Pasadena Playhouse that gave many Hollywood stars their start, is filled with public art displays. Photos and locations can be found on their website, http://www.playhousedistrict.org/initiatives/public-art.