Urban Rooms, San Jose
Artist: Estudio Teddy Cruz + Forman
Year: 2017
Commissioned By: The City of San Jos茅鈥檚 Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA)
鈥淯rban Room鈥檚鈥� structure consists of elevated 鈥渞ooms鈥� formed out of brightly colored vinyl-coated chain-link fences decorated with colored diamonds. The chain link structures sit on steel edifices, creating additional 鈥渞ooms鈥� below, shaded by the chain link latticework and black fabric canopies stretched between the sections. The result is an inviting open space adjacent to a stage used to host events and community gatherings. The shaded area and event stage transform the park into a platform for block parties, community gatherings, and organized events in San Jos茅鈥檚 arty SoFA District. Between events, there are picnic tables situated in the shaded areas, providing an informal neighborhood gathering space. Viewed from the street, the large, elevated 鈥渞ooms鈥� provide a colorful addition to the narrow strip of a park, reminiscent of colorful playground equipment.
鈥淯rban Rooms鈥� is a public art piece about land use and communal space adaptation in the cultural production site of downtown San Jos茅. By choosing chain link fence as a building material, the design team invites dialogue about community and spatial division. Fences are designed to separate and divide, but by lifting the fences overhead to provide shade, their function is renegotiated.
鈥淯rban Rooms鈥� encourages resistance of the individual in favor of a communal space. Transforming the elements that would segment people, land, and communities to features that bridge division to form community. Decentering the concept of individual space results in an experience where the viewer becomes a participant in critique of land tenure and use. Mimicking Indigenous villages, the structures demonstrate the interdependence between the individual and community. How neither can be whole without the other.
After walking through the space, stroll over to the corner where you鈥檒l find the next public artwork, a bas relief sculpture.
(Description by Lindsley Britton, Art174, Fall 2021, SJSU)
Year: 2017
Commissioned By: The City of San Jos茅鈥檚 Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA)
鈥淯rban Room鈥檚鈥� structure consists of elevated 鈥渞ooms鈥� formed out of brightly colored vinyl-coated chain-link fences decorated with colored diamonds. The chain link structures sit on steel edifices, creating additional 鈥渞ooms鈥� below, shaded by the chain link latticework and black fabric canopies stretched between the sections. The result is an inviting open space adjacent to a stage used to host events and community gatherings. The shaded area and event stage transform the park into a platform for block parties, community gatherings, and organized events in San Jos茅鈥檚 arty SoFA District. Between events, there are picnic tables situated in the shaded areas, providing an informal neighborhood gathering space. Viewed from the street, the large, elevated 鈥渞ooms鈥� provide a colorful addition to the narrow strip of a park, reminiscent of colorful playground equipment.
鈥淯rban Rooms鈥� is a public art piece about land use and communal space adaptation in the cultural production site of downtown San Jos茅. By choosing chain link fence as a building material, the design team invites dialogue about community and spatial division. Fences are designed to separate and divide, but by lifting the fences overhead to provide shade, their function is renegotiated.
鈥淯rban Rooms鈥� encourages resistance of the individual in favor of a communal space. Transforming the elements that would segment people, land, and communities to features that bridge division to form community. Decentering the concept of individual space results in an experience where the viewer becomes a participant in critique of land tenure and use. Mimicking Indigenous villages, the structures demonstrate the interdependence between the individual and community. How neither can be whole without the other.
After walking through the space, stroll over to the corner where you鈥檒l find the next public artwork, a bas relief sculpture.
(Description by Lindsley Britton, Art174, Fall 2021, SJSU)
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Jose. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 51爆料网 App
Urban Rooms on Map
Sight Name: Urban Rooms
Sight Location: San Jose, USA (See walking tours in San Jose)
Sight Type: Statue/Public Art
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: San Jose, USA (See walking tours in San Jose)
Sight Type: Statue/Public Art
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in San Jose, California
Create Your Own Walk in San Jose
Creating your own self-guided walk in San Jose is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
San Jose Downtown Walking Tour
San Jose is California's third-largest city and the second-largest city in Northern California. From 1849 to 1851, San Jose served as the state's first capital, which is still a local source of pride. The city has formally incorporated in 1850 and has been a center of innovation from the late 19th century, starting with agriculture and food processing.
During World War II, several... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
During World War II, several... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
San Jose Public Art Walking Tour
This walking tour, 鈥淧ublic Art as Resistance in San Jos茅,鈥� highlights the history of resistance and public art in downtown San Jos茅 and begins on the urban university campus, San Jos茅 State University. Starting from the first two works of art on campus, you鈥檒l find that these 12 works of public art are among many in this area. However, this particular walking tour considers how San... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles