Homage to La Ballona Creek, (sculpture).

Homage to La Ballona Creek, (sculpture).

Blake-Elahi, Lucy, sculptor.

Homage to La Ballona Creek, (sculpture).

Homenaje Al Rio La Ballona, (sculpture).

1994. Dedicated Sept. 23, 1994.

Digital Reference:

Sundial: brass with green patina and steel; Base: ceramic, concrete, soil and plants.

Sundial: approx. H. 24 ft. x W. 6 ft.; Base: approx. 2 1/2 x 5 x 7 ft.

(On plaque on base, raised lettering:) HOMAGE TO LA BALLONA CREEK/HOMENAJE AL RIO LA BALLONA/About 75 years ago this flood control channel was a free-flowing river/from the San Bernardino mountains. Then there was rich plant and animal life/along its banks; now there are foot prints and tile patterns to commemorate/its passage. As a reminder of our connection to Nature, the daily movement of/the Sun is tracked on the sundial./THE EQUATORIAL SUNDIAL/The slant of the dial is the same angle as the Equator. The long tube, the/GNOMON (no-mon), casts a shadow on the dial as the sun moves. It is set at/an ANGLE of 34 DEGREES.the latitude of Culver City. It is facing TRUE/NORTH (Polaris, not magnetic north).

HOW TO READ THIS DIAL/The top side (north face) is set for Daylight Savings Time (D.S.T.) and is/read from MARCH 21 to SEPTEMBER 23. The underside (south face) is set for/Pacific Standard Time (P.S.T.), and is read from SEPTEMBER 24 to MARCH 20./READ FROM THE CENTER OF THE SHADOW/This dial shows LOCAL APPARENT TIME, therefore it will appear slow or/fast at different seasons. Variation will arise from the fact that the Earth/moves more swiftly in orbit closer to the sun than when farther away and/because the sun's apparent path is elliptical. The difference between your/watch and this dial is called THE EQUATION OF TIME./CONCRETE WORK/The Stamps used for the animal tracks were made by students in:/Culver City High School, Linwood E. Howe/and Echo Horizons Schools./PLEASE/DO NOT CLIMB/ON SUNDIAL/LUCY BLAKE-ELAHI-artist/September 1994 unsigned

A sundial consisting of a tall tilted rod with a donut shape suspended at the upper end. The donut shape is patinated green with white numbers and lines. The shadow cast from the rod shows the time of day. The sundial is sited in a hexagonal concrete base filled with a mound of soil and flowers. The word "TIME" in different languages is inlaid around the top edge of the base. Around the sides of the base is colored concrete stamped with molds of animal tracks. The concrete is encircled by a ring of landscaping and flowers. Surrounding this is an elaborate concrete walkway consisting of curving paths of blue concrete inlaid with yellow, blue and pink tile designs and islands of red concrete stamped with animal paw prints.

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Culver City

Administered by City of Culver City, Redevelopment Agency, 9696 Culver Boulevard # 308, Culver City, California 90232

Located Syd Kronenthal Park, 3459 McManus Avenue, end of Roberts off Washington Avenue, Culver City, California

The sundial was installed to commemorate the passage of La Ballona Creek, a flood control channel which once flowed from the San Bernadino mountains. Students from Culver City High School, Linwood E. Howe School, and Echo Horizons School made the stamps for the animal tracks. IAS files contain a dedication announcement.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California survey, 1995.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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