LOCAL LANGUAGE IS THE 22nd annual hospitality design WINNER Art: Individual Piece
In collaboration with Looney & Associates + Carroll Adams + RIDA Development
Suspended 40 feet above the convention center walkway Breaching and Diving are life size humpback whales, composed of thousands of translucent acrylic rods. Designed as a visual landmark, the installation integrates large-scale aesthetics, seismic engineering, lighting, and long-term durability - demonstrating how contemporary art can operate seamlessly (above guests) within an active, high-traffic environment.
ART + DESIGN + ENGINEERING
The suspension system allows for subtle movement caused by normal air circulation within the space. As the transparent tubes shift slightly, light passes through and between them, creating continuous variation in reflection, transparency, and shadow. This interaction produces both actual and perceived motion, reinforcing the sense of the whales moving through water rather than occupying static space.
By combining modular fabrication with large-scale suspension, the installation captures movement, migration, and passage through space. The result is a contemporary interpretation of a regional natural event - one that integrates art, engineering, and architecture into a unified, site-specific work.
The concept of Breaching and Diving is directly tied to the property’s coastal context. Humpback whales migrate up to 5,000 miles between feeding grounds in Alaska and Mexico, traveling along the California coastline from December through May. The two sculptures represent brief but defining moments within this journey: breaching, as the whale rises from the water, and diving, as it descends below the surface.
Breaching and Diving is one expression of a system built for range. The same concept and fabrication approach can be shaped into other forms - figurative or abstract, intimate or monumental - designed around the specific context and narrative of a property. If you're envisioning something similar for your property, we'd love to talk.
We're proud to share this recognition with our partners, and grateful to the Hospitality Design Awards for celebrating work that pushes what art can do in the built environment.
