Yosemite in Transition

Yosemite in Transition: Rethinking Infrastructure in the "Place of the Gaping Mouth"
By Jeff & Lynn Lewis

The Gates of Yosemite

Like Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Gates of Central Park, Yosemite is awash with orange. It is an intriguing juxtaposition of Circleness and Plasticness with Natureness.

Inspiration

The overhaul of the Yosemite Valley aims to reduce congestion and make the park a healthier ecosystem. Inspired by this foresight, tourists seek their own reductions through consumption. Diet Soda::Nature.

Crowes Too

In a tribute to Yosemite's most visible mammal, Deere & Co. prominently displays their installations throughout the valley.

Slow and Glow in the Cone Zone

Reinforcing the Orangeness and the Circleness of The Gates, the Parks Service has scattered four varieties of cones throughout the park.

The Circle of Life

The collision of man and nature is evident throughout Yosemite.

The Hidden Yosemite

Everywhere in Yosemite, one is reminded of the transitional nature of water. This is most evident in the The Ditches, where the bones of the water transfer and treatment system are on display.

Manufacturing Attraction

On the West Coast, a sign for a "Tunnel Tree" guarantees that tourists will be in the vicinity. In the Tuolumne Grove, the park presents a new take on the tunnel theme: mixing the Horizontal and the Vertical.

A Humble Variation on a Theme

I add Diagonality to the Vertical and Horizontal of Tunnel Tree.

Meticulously Placed

To show that they can work in organic, as well as synthetic media, the Park Service has deposited "living sculptures" throughout Yosemite.

The Pride of Modernity

In a nod to America's greatest invention, duct tape has been strategically placed throughout the park by the artists in residence.

Nice Views, Too

Notice how Yosemite jams an overwhelming number of beautiful objects into a single vista. This is a study in Unrestraint.

Jeff can be reached at jeff@babblog.com.