This project was conceived by the artist Lee Mingwei as a tribute to his grandfather in response to the invitation to create a site specific environmental work at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California. When searching out a site in the mountain surrounding the grounds, Mingwei found a location reminiscent of the mountain place in Taiwan that his grandfather would hike to in order to meditate on the distant view of the landscape.
This proposal is to create a viewing platform that visitors would also hike to in order to appreciate the landscape and meditate. The design is abstracted to fundamental elements. A simple platform oriented to the ideal view with seating meets a mountain path. The platform contains a single tree representing the ideal landscape. The structure is supported discretely with simple wood pilings blending with the surrounding forest.
In addition to the proposed structure a table is designed for communal eating that will be used by the Montalvo artists in residence. This table also contains a single planting reflecting the Grandfather's Incline proposal.
