"Coyote"
An Installation for West Hollywood

The newly landscaped median and crosswalk at the Santa Monica Blvd. & Palm Avenue in West Hollywood functions as a divider and boundary line. It separates automobiles traveling in opposing directions, while providing a safe route for busy pedestrian movement across the boulevard. At this location, Michael Stutz will install "Coyote," a 14' long, 6' tall woven cardboard sculpture.

The coyote, a recognized, if illusive, part of the Southern California landscape, is a transgressor of boundaries. Coyotes flourish even as their "natural" environment disappears. Building a coyote with cardboard, a largely discarded by-product of consumer packaging, mirrors the coyote's role as an urban scavenger. The sculpture will be sealed with penetrating epoxy to withstand the elements and public interaction, and will have a rigid plywood armature connected to buried pilings to prevent theft.

Viewers will recognize an animal that is a close relative to the domesticated dogs so prominent in this stretch of West Hollywood. But the sculpture's oversize scale will impart an imposing, child-like perspective, effectively "turning the tables" as the great woven beast lords over cars and people.

Temporary Installation-
April through October, 2002