San Francisco’s Presidio is a palimpsest of military operations that was converted into a mixed-use national park in the late twentieth century. It is notable for its scenic location, open space, and ecologically balanced approach to land management and restoration. Meadows, creeks, woods, and marshlands are interspersed with museums, schools, businesses, and playgrounds that offer tremendous views of the Golden Gate Bridge and support a diverse population of plants, animals, and people.

“Presidio Habitats” is a collaborative exhibition organized by the FOR-SITE Foundation in partnership with the Presidio Trust as a prompt for artists, architects, and designers to account for the habits and habitats of resident animals—or “clients” as they are referred to in project proposals. FOR-SITE commissioned eleven of the twenty-five proposals they received, as well as a special Exhibition Pavilion.

Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects designed the Exhibition Pavilion using three recycled steel shipping containers. The interior is elegantly retrofitted with hardwood floors, sitting blocks, skylights, and entry and exit ramps, all of which create a welcoming space for visitors. During the exhibition, it serves as a temporary gallery, inside of which all the proposals submitted to FOR-SITE, including those that did not make the final cut, are on view.

The eleven commissioned works are installed within walking distance from the Pavilion, dispersed along winding dirt trails and paved roads. Nearby is the Animal Estates Snag Tower (2010), by Fritz Haeg, which stands out as the most sophisticated habitat design. His animal estates were included in the 2008 Whitney Biennial and garnered much acclaim. The Snag Tower is modeled after a standing dead tree and utilizes every inch of space to accommodate not just one, but six animal clients.

On one side, four overlapping panels covered in black tar paper hang at acute angles, like shingles on a house. The sliver of space between each panel allows the Yuma Myotis bat to enter and roost, protected from predators and inclement weather. The actual roofline is more delicate, with a long cantilevered perch specially designed for the Black Phoebe. It activates an interesting dialogue with the nearby streetlamp, whose parallel geometries resonate as another potential perch for the birds. At the base of the tower, Haeg has placed a pile of stones on a raised pedestal and a pile of logs on the ground. These are reminiscent of Richard Long’s land sculptures, though scaled down for the Coast Garter Snake and California Slender Salamander. Finally, inside the tower, Haeg provides nesting cavities for the Pygmy Nuthatch and bumblebee. This multifaceted structure is a tour de force in habitat design and construction.

Of the ten other animal clients served in this exhibition, I anticipate the Western Screech-Owl, American Robin, Anna’s Hummingbird, and Mexican Free-tailed Bat will derive the greatest satisfaction. The respective habitat structures built by Taalman Koch Architecture, Philippe Becker Design, Chadwick Studio, and Mark Dion with Nitin Jayaswal are well executed, providing clever design solutions in response to each creature’s niche and needs.

The six remaining works commissioned by FOR-SITE for the Gray Fox, Great Blue Heron, Digger Bees, Red-tailed Hawk,

Fritz Haeg. Animal Estates Snag Tower, 2010; wood, tar paper, steel and concrete, 14 ft. high. Photo: Monique Deschaines / FOR-SITE Foundation.

Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects. Exhibition Pavilion, 2010; three shipping containers arranged at 120 degrees around a central atrium, flooring and outdoor deck: surplus Presidio cypress, 1,300 sq. ft. Courtesy of Tim Griffith/Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit, and once more for the Western Screech-Owl do not show the same level of innovation and imagination in serving their animal clients. The designs fall back on figure-ground relationships, showcasing conceptual art objects in the landscape and keeping with the established system of aesthetic value in a global market economy.

The bright yellow sitting chairs from Patience (Jensen Architects; 2010), the poetically inscribed balls of wax from Pollen Balls (Amy Lambert; 2010), and the flat-bar steel sculpture from A Habitat of Flight (Surface Design, Inc.; 2010) do serve to educate viewers about the Great Blue Heron, Digger Bees, and Red-tailed Hawk, respectively. However, I anticipate these works will perform better inside a gallery once the outdoor exhibition concludes in May 2011, appealing to collectors as artifacts of a slowly shifting cultural paradigm.

With the imminent global impact of habitat loss, pollution, resource depletion, and climate change, cultural leaders are urging us to equate a healthy economy with a healthy ecosystem, to shift our products and services such that they respond to whole systems as well as individual human needs. However, change is slow and the push and pull between commodity culture and the environment persists. The Western Screech-Owl Habitats (2010) that Ai Weiwei conceived for this exhibition is a wonderful example of this trend.

Ai Weiwei. Western Screech Owl Habitats, 2010; porcelain, 16.5 x 12 x 8.5 in. (each), tree 110 ft. Photo Courtesy of Monique Deschaines / FOR-SITE Foundation.

The geodesic dome made for the same owl by Taalman Koch Architecture, titled simply Owl Dome (2010), is nestled securely within aluminum poles that are carefully wrapped in hemp rope to provide grip for fledgling owls. In contrast, Weiwei’s porcelain vessels appear hastily strapped to a grove of cypress trees. It is a jarring juxtaposition that highlights the environmental incongruity of imports and exports. Inside the Exhibition Pavilion, Weiwei presents another porcelain vessel. Here it shines, signaling the pervasive dialectical relationship between global markets and local communities.

A conversation about place that generates prototypes for sustainable living is an excellent premise. Many of this exhibition’s executed works are innovative in design and function, and they demonstrate the potential for artists and architects to incorporate animal habitats as an extension of their practice. However, in some cases, the conventions of contemporary art and commodity culture endure in justifying the value of the art object. With increased support, I am sure this movement will continue to evolve and improve upon the dynamism of its designs.^[1]

"Presidio Habitats" is on view in The Presidio through May 15. 2011

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NOTES:

[1] In San Francisco there have been several notable precedents to “Presidio Habitats.” These include Windsock Currents (2005), by R.T. Livingston, at Crissy Field, organized in partnership with UN World Environment Day in cooperation with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; 172 feet of brush (2006), by Dee Hibbert-Jones, at Lands End, created in collaboration with the Audubon Society and the National Parks Service; and FOR-SITE’s earlier project Spire (2008), by Andy Goldsworthy, at the Presidio.