by Patricia Frischer
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Laura Huerta |
Wendell Berry’s, the environmentalist, most famous quote might be, “To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.” But Mel Meagher, founder and creative director of the Unfold Project has chosen to focus on his words, “…that imagination thrives on contact, on tangible connections…to live from a place without destroying it…”. To that end she has formed a Unfold Project Guild of artists who have helped restore a Cardiff by the Sea house to use as a headquarters for this non-profit organization. The exhibition We Must Imagine It at the Institute for Contemporary Art San Diego North is displaying works by those guild artists, some of which are using actual upcycled materials from that dwelling.
The first thing that strikes you on entered the gallery on the hill at the ICA are the burnt and burnished recycled large-scale slabs of wood used at sculpture stands for many of the works. This gives a warmth and an elegant style to the display. Laura Huerta has set construction site rebar into three rammed earth and ceramic circular cores. On top of each is a beeswax candle equally as burnt and burnished. Set on the largest wood slab and against a backdrop of the view of trees on the lower property, this combination of constructed and natural is a perfect representation of the connections Unfold seeks to encourage.
The decorative glazed shapes on Ren von Hasseln impressive large vessel are clay remnants from her own workshop.
Nicholas Pourfard worked with Stephen Hartzog to use copper piping to make small barred windows in this unusually shaped wall cabinet. Pourfard used old growth recovered redwood in his chest of drawers as well as pewter and copper remnants to make up his metal lamp. While Hartzog has constructed a wall hanging woven of the repurposed copper.
Nik
Gelormino uses
salvaged eucalyptus and recycled brass along with other found object to create
this man in a box…a wind-up toy with all seeing eye? The fabric on Lauren
Verdugo’s black walnut chair comes from a San Diego mid-century modern furniture
restoration workshop, Hobbs Modern. Vince Skelly utilizes sustainably sourced
camphor from a company that rescues retired street trees. Aaron Glasson design
of geometric and curving shapes takes full advantage of the wood grain and has been hand crafted of Californian
walnut by Brillan De La Cerda with Jorge Prieto.
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Laura Huerta |
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Ren von Hasseln |
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Nicholas Pourfard with Stephen Hartzog |
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Nicholas Pourfard with Stephen Hartzog, open view |
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Nicholas Pourfard |
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Nicholas Pourfard - "Iranian earth embellishes the cabinets, bearing the thumbprint of my grandfather... the earth was sourced more than 15 year ago by my father..." |
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Stephen Hartzog |
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Nik Gelormino |
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Lauren Verdugo |
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Vince Skelly |
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Aaron Glasson with Brillan De La Cerda |
ICA San Diego North
On view until August 2, 2026
Sat only 11 to 4 but additional weekday visits are available by appointment. Contact hello@unfoldprojects.com
1550 El Camino Real, Encinitas 92024
Watch for a tour of the Cardiff by the Sea renovated headquarters later in the year.
Works are on sale with a portion benefiting ICA.
