For the Stuart Collection at UC San Diego, William Wegman created his first major outdoor permanent sculpture: he installed a scenic - or nonscenic - overlook at one edge of the campus, near the location of the university's theater and dance complex. The site commands a view not of the Pacific Ocean, but of La Jolla's suburban sprawl. Wegman's overlook makes a simple cartoon-like connection between Southern California's still-picturesque natural scenery and its booming economic growth/development which places an ever-increasing strain on the region's environment.

Wegman's La Jolla Vista View uses the language of fantasy and humor to convey a serious message. By defamiliarizing the ordinary world of suburban life - through its transformation into an exotic or scenic overlook - Wegman encourages the university community to view its surroundings with fresh and newly critical eyes. (#37811)