JOHN LUEBTOW. VENTAS VITAE.
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John Luebtow
(American, b. 1944) -
Ventas Vitae
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2008
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Glass, granite, light, sound
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132 in.
(335.28 cm)69 in.
(175.26 cm)58 in.
(147.32 cm) -
Located next to the building at 1880 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067
first public work installed in Century City.
Go to 1880 Century Park East, where you’ll find a shimmering blue-green sculpture that seems to float like an iceberg between the driveway and the building lobby. The sculpture is made of glass, black granite, metal plates, and water. Take a seat on the bench nearby and spend time looking, listening, and considering the space that the sculpture occupies. Titled Ventas Vitae (Winds of Life), the sculpture responds to the site: the ever-changing light, the city sounds, and the forest of tall, modernist buildings surrounding it. Ventas Vitae is the first public work installed in Century City.
In 2008, Held Properties, the owner of 1880 Central Park East, commissioned Los Angeles artist John Luebtow to design a monumental sculpture as the centerpiece of the building’s redesign. Ventas Vitae was dedicated to the memory of Harold A. Held, founding member of Held Properties and lifelong advocate for the arts in Los Angeles.
Ventas Vitae is ever-changing in ways that stimulate the senses of all who pass by. City sounds mingle with the sound of rushing water while reflections move across the granite, water, and glass as light changes throughout the day. Materials seem to be in communion with each other–the water as liquid glass and the glass as solid water. But to truly experience the magic of Ventas Vitae, visit it at night. The darkness isolates the sculpture’s blue-green glow at a more tranquil time when the traffic has lessened, and all you hear is the soft sound of rushing water.
Ventas Vitae is ever-changing in ways that stimulate the senses of all who pass by.
SPARK A CONVERSATION.
Most glass used in windows and in art is flat, but this glass is bent. In order to make such large pieces of glass bend and stand upright, the artist ordered a special glass from England called Pilkington glass. Watch below to learn more about the process used to create Ventas Vitae.
We noted the sculpture appears like an iceberg.
Does the shape of this sculpture remind you of anything else?
Look carefully at the blue-green glass: how thick is it?
How has the artist made the glass look as though it’s moving?