Andy Goldsworthy Spire in the Presidio (quadruple ascending/descending sprocket Holga)

Andy Goldsworthy Spire in the Presidio (quadruple ascending/descending sprocket Holga) -- by Joe Reifer

In 2006, artist Andy Goldsworthy visited the Presidio and was inspired by the history and character of the forest. He saw an opportunity to create a sculpture with the felled mature trees. Constructed in October 2008, The Spire tells the story of the forest, celebrates its history and natural rhythms, and welcomes the next generation of trees. It is a poetic reference to the forest’s past; as new young trees grow up to meet the sculpture, it will eventually disappear into the forest.

Please visit the Presidio website for more information about this beautiful installation by the artist featured in the amazing documentary Rivers & Tides. The Spire is near the Arguello Gate to the Presidio -- West of the Inspiration Point Overlook and just North of the Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse [Google Map]. The San Francisco Chronicle featured a short interview with Goldsworthy about the sculpture last Fall.

The image above is comprised of 4 exposures of The Spire using 35mm film loaded into a Holga, a medium format toy camera. The Spire was photographed from bottom-to-top / left-to-right on the same piece of film, only partially winding between exposures in order to overlap the four images into one panoramic multiple exposure.