This object turned up at the corner of Page Mill and El Camino this weekend. It’s in the empty lot which belongs to Stanford, but which is being turned into playing fields for soccer.
At first glance I thought they might be building a sundial, but it’s pointed roughly west, which wouldn’t make the most sense.
Update 2005-08-05 14:50:26 - Article in the Palo Alto Weekly - it’s a prototype of a sculpture being built by Fletcher Benton.
Benton, 74, starts with three simple design elements, such as a broken circle, a ball and a base plate. Then he plays with the small pieces like a kid playing with Legos — moving them around, adding new ones, taking ones away.
Benton is frequently trying to create a dynamic image, often placing the largest shape at a severe angle. But just as important to him is the “empty space” around the images.
