Century City is receiving a new art installation expected to illuminate Santa Monica Boulevard with two massive cylinders symbolizing the ideals of and ancient Persian emperor.
British designer, artist, architect, and writer Cecil Balmond, OBE, was selected as the winner of Freedom: A Shared Dream, an international art competition commissioned by Farhang Foundation to create a urban art/sculptural landmark in honor of the ideals of Cyrus the Great, who ruled the ancient Persian Empire 2,600 years ago and championed the principles of religious diversity and personal freedom for all.
Once built, Farhang Foundation will gift Freedom: A Shared Dream as a landmark to the City of Los Angeles on behalf of the Iranian-American community.
The next phase, which includes both the fabrication of the sculpture and its installation, will soon be underway.
Farhang Foundation is working closely with Balmond and the City of Los Angeles. The final sculpture will be unveiled at an official ceremony in 2017.
“The Cyrus Cylinder is Talismanic of a great vision for all peoples,” the sculptor said in a statement. “I hope my design is an artwork which projects the cylinder’s deep values, not only to LA but also to the world.”
Balmond is widely considered to be one of the most significant creators of his generation. An internationally renowned artist, architect and engineer, Balmond has been honored with many awards in his decorated career. Most recently in 2015, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to architecture. He has been exhibited internationally at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh), Graham Foundation (Chicago), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), Artists Space (New York) and Arc en Rêve (Bordeaux, France). He has also been a professor at prestigious academic institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and Yale.
“We have always felt that the popularity of this competition was directly related to the global appeal and affection for Cyrus the Great, whose rule was marked by tolerance and freedom,” said Shazad Ghanbari, Farhang Trustee and Competition Chair. “Mr. Balmond’s brilliant and elegant design will become a west-coast landmark to freedom, a dream that is shared by all who live in America. We are very pleased with the outcome of this competition and grateful to our esteemed jurors for their service.”
The competition, which began in May 2014, drew over 300 submissions, many from professional artists and architects. Of those, 150 applicants were invited to submit ideas, sketches, and a narrative of their proposed plan. In December 2014, Farhang announced that five finalists had been selected.
The panel of jurors for this competition included Kamran Diba (Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art – Founder and Architect); Shazad Ghanbari (Farhang Foundation Trustee and Competition Chair); Linda Komaroff (Los Angeles County Museum of Art); Scott Jay Schaefer (Vice President, International Fine Arts at Sothebys and former Senior Curator, J. Paul Getty Museum); and Bennett Simpson (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles).
