What story does a walkway tell? At UC San Diego, KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY answers this question. KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY isn’t just a walkway. It’s an 800-foot-long art piece created by Ann Hamilton. This walkway, made of 20,000 handcrafted pavers, greets you as you enter the campus from the trolley. Each paver has a single textured word, like braille beneath your feet. KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY is part of the Stuart Collection, a unique program that commissions site-specific public art for the campus.
The Stuart Collection isn’t about decorating the campus. It’s about encountering the unexpected, sparking curiosity. KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY does exactly that. You might not even realize it’s art at first. You might feel the texture under your feet. Then, your eye catches a word. Maybe another. And suddenly, you’re part of the story. Some words are raised like a rubber stamp. Others are engraved into the basalt stones.
The title, KAHNOP, is a Kumeyaay word meaning “to tell a story.” The walkway unfolds a narrative created by two Kumeyaay scholars, Dr. Alexandria Hunter and Eva Trujillo. This creation story winds through the path, a constant thread among the other words. But there are other stories here too. Over 1,300 quotes from around 300 sources connected to UC San Diego are embedded in the path. These quotes come from diverse fields. Visual arts, literary arts, music, neuroscience, neuro-philosophy, and medicine are all represented. This location is key. The walkway is the main entrance to the campus. It connects directly to the knowledge UCSD has produced over the years.
“Step by step, now becomes then.” These spine words run down the center of the path. They refer to the simple act of walking, of moving through the landscape. Each time someone walks on KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY, they create their own unique experience. The pace of their walk, the words that catch their eye, form a personal narrative. The walkway is like the university itself. Each student entering the “labyrinth” of higher education creates their own path.
KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY even has footnotes. Each line on the walkway is referenced on the Geisel Library website. If a word catches your attention, you can delve deeper into its source. This walkway invites you to discover the unexpected. It’s about how the art makes you feel, what it makes you think. It’s about encountering art in the everyday, whether you notice it or simply skateboard over it on your way to class. So, the next time you’re at UC San Diego, take a walk on KAHNOP • TO TELL A STORY. Let the walkway tell you its tale.