Point of Infinity
The sculpture, titled “Point of Infinity: Surface of Revolution with Constant Negative Curvature”, is located on top of Yerba Buena Island, and was installed May 2023. This artwork marks Sugimoto’s first large scale public sculpture to be installed in the United States and the first of many public commissions that will be presented as part of the Treasure Island Arts Program.
Overview
“The concept of infinity is a human invention. The point of infinity is a paradox, but should it exist in the natural world, it must be in a faraway place beyond the edge of the universe, or maybe it is no more than an illusion born inside the human brain. Nonetheless, ever since its birth, the human race has persisted in seeing this illusion. We call it art.” explained artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. “The form of the sculpture is created from two converging hyperbolic curves that get closer and closer but never meet. In the material world, it is physically impossible to make a point that reaches all the way to infinity. What I can do, however, is suggest infinity by making an approximate point that can exist in the material world as a mathematically modeled structure with a 21-millimeter-wide tip.”
Starting at a width of 23 feet at the base, the sculpture rises to a height 69 feet (21 meters) and tapers to a diameter of 7/8 inch (21 millimeters). Eight glass fiber reinforced concrete panels compose the base of the sculpture to a height of 18 ½ feet, and then seamlessly transition to mirror-polished marine grade 316 stainless steel that rises another 50 ½ feet.
The sculpture acts as a monumental sundial, evoking the Tower of the Sun sculpture from the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. A stone marker will be placed in the plaza to mark the precise location of the noon shadow on the spring and autumnal equinoxes. While referencing the grandeur and innovation of the 1939 World’s Fair, Sugimoto’s sculpture is an elegant and contemplative reflection on the concept of time and humanity.
Point of Infinity is situated in one of two new hilltop parks totaling 5.4- acres designed by MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant recipient Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio Inc. The park is located on the westernmost peak of Yerba Buena Island with sweeping, 360-degree views of the San Francisco skyline, San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, Clipper Cove Beach, Golden Gate Bridge, and greater Bay Area. The public park serves as a centerpiece of the community as well as a cultural and ecological arboretum, revealing layers of history, and sits upon the foundations of a decommissioned water tank that has been transformed into a scenic overlook. The sculpture is located on top of the former water tank and will be a beacon for people around the Bay Area and visible from many vantage points including the Bay Bridge and San Francisco.
The artist was selected from a public competition in 2017 that received submissions from 495 artists from around the world. Infinity Point Park was established as one of the first major artwork opportunities in the Treasure Island Arts Master Plan that was developed in June 2017 and guides the implementation of a projected $50 million in public art funds generated by Treasure Island private development over the next 20 years.