Did you know that Urban Light almost didn’t become the iconic face of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art? The museum’s entrance was intended to feature a Jeff Koons sculpture. It was a life-sized steam locomotive dangling from a 160-foot crane. The project never materialized. This left an opportunity for another artist to create an Instagrammable piece. That’s when Chris Burden stepped in.
Welcome to Urban Light. It is a large-scale assemblage sculpture by Chris Burden. It stands at the Wilshire Boulevard entrance to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The installation was completed in 2008. It consists of 202 restored street lamps. They are from the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them once lit the streets of Southern California.
Burden began collecting street lamps in December 2000. He did not have a specific work in mind. He purchased his first two lamps at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. They cost 800 dollars each. The vendor had been restoring the lamps by salvaging parts. Burden purchased others from a contractor and collector. She was instrumental in the restoration process.
Urban Light is composed of 202 street lamps. They are arranged in a near grid. The lamps mostly came from the streets of Southern California. This includes Hollywood, Glendale, and Anaheim. Some lamps are from Portland, Oregon. There are 16 different streetlight models represented. The Broadway Rose is the largest and most ornate. Six lamps represent this model.
The sculpture’s glass globes come in three general shapes. They are round, acorn, and cone. The 309 LED bulbs are solar powered. They switch on from dusk until dawn. An astronomical timer governs them.
The Urban Light installation occurred amid changes to the LACMA campus. The sculpture dominates a forecourt. It is located between Wilshire Boulevard and LACMA’s entry pavilion. Burden viewed his sculpture as a formal entryway to the museum.
Since its 2008 installation, Urban Light has been widely photographed. It has been shared on social media. It has also appeared in films and commercials. The sculpture has its own hashtag #urbanlight. While not rented out for weddings, Urban Light has been the setting for many vows.
Urban Light wasn’t intended to be installed in Los Angeles. The idea was to bring a bit of LA’s culture to other locales. Costs of shipping became prohibitive. Other hindrances to installation arose. Burden installed the work at his own home. He threw a big party to celebrate the lamp lighting. Shortly thereafter, LACMA stepped in and acquired the piece.
Michael Govan believed Urban Light imparts a feeling of walking through an ancient temple. It is an honest-to-goodness Los Angeles temple. It is made of local materials. It is made in our time.