Title: Torrey Pines
Year: 2025
Medium: gold mirrored stainless steel panels, custom laser cut aluminum plates, stainless
rods and sleeves
Dimensions: 79.2’ x 10.3’ x 25.6’
Location: San Diego International Airport New T1 Ticketing Hall
Commission: San Diego International Airport
Fabricator: UAP
Photo: Daniel Cronin
This monumental hanging sculpture is inspired by the rarest pine species in the United States: the Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana), found almost exclusively along the San Diego coast. These resilient trees are shaped over time by relentless ocean winds, their sculptural branches bending away from Pacific storms. Historically, they’ve held significance for the region’s Indigenous people, including the Kumeyaay, who used the pine nuts for food, the long needles for weaving, and the sap as adhesive. Today, the Torrey Pine remains a powerful symbol of endurance and adaptation.
The artwork echoes the sculptural forces of nature with artist-made forms derived from Jiang’s experimental observations of the tree species. The final wind-swept canopies are formed from 927 gold-mirrored stainless-steel panels, suspended by 331 cables. Although stationary, the elegant, twisted shapes convey a sense of movement and energy. The shimmering gold surfaces reflect and refract light, evoking the delicate balance between nature and human imagination, resilience and transformation.
