There are several fascinating, safe parks in and around downtown Los Angeles. Yes, I said “fascinating”. For some reason, the parks in downtown L.A. tend to focus on making you think! This spring, I will guide you through a few of them.
Did you know you burn less calories when you watch t.v. than when you sleep? Think what television is doing to your brain if that is what it’s doing to your body. Yikes.
My brain is bored, but I have a solution!
Of course, the first park I would like you to visit is in front of my favorite downtown spot, the Central Library. Maguire Gardens is located at 5th and Flower and it will instantly transport you to an area in your imagination where you can think about life in an optimistic light. Yes, I said “optimistic”!
The web (and library gift shop) runneth over with information about each of the various stimulating works.
The message conveyed by all of the pieces centers around the principle that knowledge is a right and not a luxury. We have the freedom and the opportunity to educate ourselves, and we owe it not only to ourselves but to our society to take advantage of this gift that is not bestowed upon many in our world.
The Grotto Fountain nods to this message by quoting the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
It also displays this thought provokingly timely quote:
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
Who do you think spoke it? P Diddy? Bill Gates? Simon Cowell? Nosir. It was said by former slave and abolitionist author/statesman Frederick Douglas.
“Spine” is the art program created by Jud Fine. It includes the entryway, the steps and the pools.
“Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are all classified together due to the commonality of the spine. Structurally, the spine also refers to the anatomy of the book. A book is identified by the name running down its spine. The spine separates the front from the back, and at the same time hinges them together. It is the central nervous system of the book.”
–Jud Fine
The risers of the steps progressively detail the history of written communication with the blank bottom and top steps representing the “unfathomable past” and the “unknowable future.” In between, we are treated to a variety of scripts, fonts, and pools.
These gardens are cleverly composed of integral principals contained in liberty and information. It’s exciting to stroll around and feel your mind race with the energy of ideas.
“The Public Library as a principle is our most important democratic institution. It answers the demand for education for one and all, providing an accessible knowledge base for social and cultural progression.”
–Jud Fine
Central Library
630 West 5th Street, L.A., CA 90071 (map)
Library Hours:
Mon - Thu: 10am - 8pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: 1pm - 5pm
Images from: Aqueduct Magazine Cubed, lapl.org, Ronald Feldman Gallery
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Steven // Mar 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm
great article Big Al!
2 Emberly Modine // Mar 26, 2008 at 1:58 pm
yes yes. very awesome. my brain officially burned 46 calories while reading this.
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