The October 2013 issue of Vanity Fair has an interesting article about the influence of socialite/tech entrepreneur Trevor Traina in bringing tech heavyweights into the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Many years ago I had the good fortune to install my “Goliath” sculpture (part of my M.F.A. work at U.C. Berkeley) in this neighborhood. The reception was mixed, as not everyone there felt he was a welcome addition. None the less I’m pleased that the piece is still relevant to the discussion on class and taste that continues to rage on the hill.
Below is an excerpt (you can read the whole thing here) of the article where the sculpture is mentioned:
Some bad blood followed Ellison (thats Larry Ellison of Oracle) to the Gold Coast when Nicola Miner- daughter of the Oracle co-founder Robert Miner, with whom Ellison had clashed- bought across the street from him and erected on the terrace a nine-foot robot sculpture which you can’t help but notice is male, due to the steel gas-pump nozzle and hose he has for a penis. It’s aimed directly at Ellison’s house. “There was a lot of talk about this being a thumbing of the nose at Larry,” recalls Traina. But Miner replies that the robot “has nothing whatsoever to do with my father’s (or my) relationship with Larry Ellison,” which she describes as “largely harmonious…. We just thought it would make a fun contrast to our serious neighborhood…though I do know some neighbors disagree.”
An image of the sculpture did not actually appear in the article, I just couldn’t resist photoshopping him next to Kate Upton. The second image is a helpful map that illustrates the sort of company that Goliath now keeps.