“Is it a beanstalk? A tree branch? Or perhaps a fault line?”
Here we are before the towering Node Sculpture. It rises an impressive 102 feet. Node is the tallest freestanding sculpture in San Francisco.
The sculpture is a gleaming, stainless-steel form. It emerges from a 5 1/2-foot-thick base. This base resembles a tree trunk or an industrial vent. From there, it curves skyward. It twists in a unique way. It tapers until it’s just a quarter of an inch thick at its peak. Node functions as a way-finding landmark for the Yerba Buena-Moscone station.
Node was installed on April 23. New York artist Roxy Paine created Node. Paine also said that the name denotes the point of emergence. It is within a rhizomatic organism. Paine imagines happenings beneath the city. These happenings include vast tunnel networks, water and sewer lines, and electrical cables.
Node is part of an enormous bio-industrial rhizomatic organism. It is an elegant line connecting earth to sky. It connects people to underground systems. It also connects sculpture to the city.
The Arts Commission chose Paine from 154 applicants. The city signed an agreement with him in April 2013. It was to design, fabricate, and transport the sculpture. The cost was nearly $1.5 million.
Node weighs 8 tons. It rises from a 48-inch diameter at the base. It goes to just a half-inch at the tip.
Dorka Keehn is the former chair of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s visual arts committee. She selected Paine ten years ago. Keehn said that Node is a way-finder. It is an amazing feat of fabrication. She said it would be seen from everywhere.
The installation started at 1 a.m. It left a storage yard in Dogpatch. It came from a fabrication plant in four pieces. It was assembled two days before installation. In its full form, it was hoisted onto a flatbed truck. It was brought to its location in a slow procession. The procession took three hours from Dogpatch. It did not exceed 3 mph. Once onsite, it went up fast. Installation started around 5 a.m. By 9 a.m. it was bolted in place.
The sculpture’s prominence draws people to public transit. It functions as a visual artistic landmark. It marks the station from blocks away.
Standing here, you might wonder about lightning. If lightning strikes Node, it will act like a lightning rod. There is a system at its base. This system disperses the energy underground. The concrete foundation runs 2 feet below the pavement.
So, take a moment to appreciate Node. Its stainless steel form against the sky inspires wonder. It also attracts visitors to this part of San Francisco. Like a redwood tree, Node feels as though it will last generations.