Layout 3 - San Diego Metropolitan

A R TKorean-born artist Do Ho Suh is the creator of this latest additionto UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection of site-specific sculptures. Hecalls it “Fallen Star,” which stirs memories of his first arrival in theUnited States in 1991 when he recalls feeling “as if I was droppedfrom the sky.”Mary Beebe, director of the Stuart Collection, explains that “FallenStar” explores the feeling of displacement and the notion of “home”— not unlike the emotions felt by students who have come from afarto the university.The “Fallen Star” project took seven years to complete, from thetime Suh made is first sketch. It has since been opened for publicviewing a few hours a week. You can call (858) 534-2117 for an appointment.Accessories added to the house and garden are meant to give theimpression of human habitation. A plum tree, wisteria vine, tomatoesand other plants are growing. Birds and bees visit the garden regularly.Lights flicker on at night; a TV, too. And steam, simulatingsmoke, sometimes rises from the chimney.Inside, people report awe — and vertigo. There are some amazingviews of the campus, the Torrey Pines mesa all around. But thenthere’s the fact that, except for the chandelier hanging straight fromthe ceiling (thanks to gravity), there isn’t a single plumb line to thehouse. The floor of the artwork sits at a 5-degree angle from the flatroof of Jacobs Hall, while the house itself is built at a different 10-degreeangle.“Fallen Star” conforms to California earthquake building codesand was built to withstand 100 mph winds. Its foundation is 182 4S A N D I E G O M E T R O . C O M | J U LY 2 0 1 2 | 2 7 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y 1 9 8 5 - 2 0 1 2