art:inFOCUS lecture: Public Art, Urban Infrastructure and Metaphorical Space: The Case of ‘Floating World’ Professor Anthony Raynsford and Robin Lasser present.

LOS GATOS, CA – The Museums of Los Gatos introduces its second event in the 2011/2012 art:inFOCUS lecture series, The Search for Beauty: Public Art.

A confluence of manmade and natural impacts to the Guadalupe River inspired artists Robin Lasser and Marguerite Perret in their installation Floating World: A Tent City Campground for Displaced Human and Bird Song, commissioned by the City of San José Public Art Program and the 2010 ZER01 Biennial. The interactive work incorporated sculpture, sound and light in the pedestrian walkways under the SR 87 overpass and suggested enclaves of sanctuary for displaced humans and animals in a highly transitional passage.

The Floating World project will serve as a point of departure for Robin Lasser and Anthony Raynsford to discuss the role of public art in an urban context. Lasser’s focus lies particularly in the articulation of ecological and environmental issues in large-scale, often interactive installations and/or performances. Raynsford, a historian of urban design with strong interests in public art, will expand on the issues that arise where areas of intense urban concentration and the aesthetics of wild ecologies intersect. 

Robin Lasser is a Professor of Art and Coordinator of the Photography Program at San José State University. Lasser is the project lead for Seven Days-Sister City-Artist Exchange. Lasser produces photographs, video, sound, site-specific installations and public art, which explore environmental, health, culture and social issues, especially as they pertain to women. Lasser often works in collaboration with other artists, students, public agencies, and international coalitions to produce art and promote public dialogue.

Anthony Raynsford is assistant professor of Art History at San José State University. An architectural and urban design historian, whose interdisciplinary interests bridge cultural history and aesthetic theory, Professor Raynsford is particularly interested in researching the ways in which cities have been visually imagined and represented by artists, architects and urban planners. His teaching seeks to develop a critical understanding of the interlocking social and aesthetic issues faced by architects and urban designers, both currently and historically.