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Attending a grand unveiling right now isn't a great idea (social distance, everyone), so public art reveals are going virtual in the time of COVID-19. That includes the new site-specific piece, "SPECTRUM," on Netflix's Hollywood campus, which makes its debut today. The piece, a mosaic made up of 39,000 stainless steel sequins, reflects light in a way that resembles -- appropriately enough -- a woman's face on a giant video screen.
Los Angeles-based artist/photographer Maggie West works in bright, glowing images. "SPECTRUM" is meant to explore gender expression, with the young woman intentionally depicted as androgynous. West has often worked to bring attention to causes she believes in. Her previous work includes a series on the gender spectrum and portraits inspired by body positivity and modern womanhood.
"I think of 'Spectrum' as a new, revisioned take on a classic Hollywood portrait," West said in a statement. "This is my first public art piece that will be a permanent part of the landscape, and as someone who lived in Hollywood for over 10 years, it really means a lot to be doing a piece which is going to be here for years and years to come."
You can watch the virtual reveal online here at 10 a.m., with the program repeating on a loop until 4 p.m. The live reveal includes video interviews, live chats, behind-the-scenes footage, and aerial cinematography of the installation itself.
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It's part of a collaboration with the company that owns the real estate where Netflix's headquarters, along with the rest of the accompanying "On Vine" campus, is based. (Netflix also has space at Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood.)
"Now more than ever, we need avenues that inspire," Kilroy Realty CEO John Kilroy said in a press release. "In a post-pandemic world, the role of public art will be even more important."
"SPECTRUM" is also meant to pay tribute to Hollywood's heritage, according to Kilroy. It's placed next to the Netflix entrance.
"'SPECTRUM' augments the design on so many different levels, and in this case the architecture and the art become one," project architect Joey Shimoda said in a press release.
The combination of the art and the building's entry creates what Shimoda called "a singular experience," taking visitors through "a six-story high passage into the building."
West's art has been seen in cultural institutions such as the California Academy of Sciences, as well as being used by brands and celebrities.
As the piece awaited its big reveal, it was covered with a message that encouraged people to "be curious." It will likely be viewed by many others once the curious can more freely move about the city once again.
