Orange Hills Roll in Berkeley

Thom Faulders, BAMscape, 2010. Photo: Mary Kate Murphy.

Many people who work in the arts grew up going to museums either with their parents or on grade school outings. I, however, was already attending community college before stepping foot inside of one: the Berkeley Art Museum. That one visit honestly changed my life and led me to my work today.

I went to the museum earlier this week, not to see anything in particular, but just to be in the space. A funny thing happened while I was there. After walking through a few so-so exhibitions, I sauntered down to the central atrium to get a closer look at BAMscape by Thom Faulders. I was soon told by a gentleman (who I later discovered was the artist) that I wasn't supposed to be in the area unless I was part of the photo shoot that was, unbeknownst to me, in progress. As I turned to leave, a woman said, "You can stay if you want to be part of it. We need attractive people." I'm a sucker for compliments, so there I am posing in the foreground of the picture above.

Thom Faulders, BAMscape, 2010. Photo: N.J. Caruth.

BAMscape is constructed from curved, painted wood over a core of foam. Museum visitors are invited to lounge (sans shoes) on the orange rolling hills and take advantage of free wifi; electrical outlets have been built into this comfy structure. Faulders, founder of the Bay Area design firm Faulders Studio, conceives of the commissioned installation as "a new social nerve center to the museum experience.” BAMscape opens to the public today.