Sculptures at Google Headquarters
Google Ocean launched in February of 2009. Google purchased some incredible sculptures of oceanographers, marine photographers and famous divers to commemorate the successful launch of the new Google Ocean. The art is in one of the main courtyards and I wanted to be sure that this area was public space before I told everyone to go visit the art. Last week I received word that it is, indeed, a public area and that Mountain View residents are welcome to stop by and look at these incredible sculptures. The courtyard is located at 1600 Amphitheatre Way, Mountain View. You can ride your bike there by taking the Stevens Creek Trail towards the bay. The trail is very close to this group of Google buildings and you’ll only be on streets for a short distance.
The sculptures were carved by “Viktor” (similar to other artists who go by one name only). The sculptures are all of individuals who have received the famous Legends of The Sea Award. The massive stone carvings were unveiled in August of 2009. Some of the people represented are Stan Waterman—underwater film photographer, Jean Michel Cousteau—son of Jacques Cousteau and ocean environmentalist and educator and Dr. Sylvia Earle—National Geographic Explorer. Here’s a short video of Dr. Earle talking about Google Ocean: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/01/google-earth-oceans-project. There are also carvings of Ron and Valerie Taylor, shark experts and film makers and Zale Parry, an underwater photographer and actress. These carvings are exquisite and I couldn’t help myself; I had to touch each of them. You’ll see what I mean when you go visit them. They’re very smooth and touchable.
After researching the art and the artist, I knew that I needed to become more familiar with Google Ocean, the whole reason for the art. If you haven’t already take the time to play with it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You can watch the changing temperatures of the seas, look at weather patterns, view thousands of shipwrecks, watch vessels and icebergs, and see the bottom of Lake Tahoe and The Great Lakes, as well as all the oceans. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering the ocean floor just off Half Moon Bay and down to the Monterey area. It was very relaxing…
Thanks Google, for the beautiful sculptures that you brought to Mountain View and for mapping the Earth.
I just got off the phone with Zale Parry and she asked me if I’d seen these beautiful works of art…I will say this, that the sheer talent required to create such incredible works in a stone medium is something to behold, Victor may take his place with the finest artists in the world..thank you Viktor and Google for allowing the rest of the world a chance to see these wonderful pieces of history.
And thanks to the Legends of the sea for helping pave the way beneath the waves.
Viktor’s work should be in public and private collections all over the world. His talent is immense and the ability to work in granite is so rare. I hope his sculpture located in the Google Headquarters will give him greater visibility.
That kind of talent comes too rarely. Any organization or individual seeking a superb piece of sculpture should send an RFP to Viktor.
After I posted this story, I was contacted by the artist, Viktor.
Here are links to his websites:
http://www.vuam.net/ and http://www.viktorstoneart.com/
Thanks for the appreciation.
Viktor.
Sylvia Earle, we are both sisters inducted in the Women Divers Hall of Fame. She’s a beautiful friend, a great speaker and she’s done so much to bring awareness to the Ocean Environment. One of the first woman, next to Lotte Hass, to take us underwater. Thanks Sylvia and Google.
Hans&Lotte Hass, both former clients. My job as I saw it was to keep his name in the American History books and I did so by making films with National Geographic, John McKenney, Modern Marvels for History Channel and more. I co-chaired a film festival at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara back in 1998; it was a huge success and helped raise money for the Historical Diving Society. I didn’t know Hass before then, but it was fun while it lasted, we went to Dusseldorf to award them with the NOGI Awards and I brought a special piece of film from Jean-Michel which Congratulations for the first man to win two awards in one year; Birthday Greetings it was his 80th and for being the man for whose fins we followed in. That there acknowledge that Hass for the man before Cousteau. While Cousteau was our father; Hass was our grandfather. He invented cameras; he tried making the first re-breather, o, almost to his death, and o, it was a joy to agent his historical footage. And as Marc Blessington, Chief Diver on Calypso used to say to me, More as it happens,
Julz
Again, Kudos, Viktor!
I have been a huge fan of Viktor and his art since we met at Beneath The Sea with Wyland several years ago. Google’s HQ is the perfect place for these sculptures and Viktor, kudos for making them… you did this from your heart with your own money and had these beautiful pieces sculpted from one brick of granite with that spectular diamond saw and then those amazing hand and muscles of yours.
Google brings each of us to so many places from our computers. I can see the Mariana Trench from Google Earth or a new house I may be considering. I am watching Panama right now as I have friends moving there from Italy, but it is because Google brings me there.
Google, you have made this world an amazing places for generations to come; if I’d only had Google when I was in college, I’d probably kept going because the handy references, but of course, I was diving around the world then. Papua New Guinea, Solomons, The Japanese Fleet in Truk Lagoon, Yap, Palau, o, so many places. I ended up staying and diving in PNG until I’d dove the entire coastline a couple times.
GOOGLE, THANKS! VIKTOR, THANKS EVEN MORE… YOU DID IT, YOU MADE THESE MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE WHO WILL LIVE FOREVER IN GRANITE. wHO hOO~