UCSD Stuart Collection Alexis Smith ‘Snake Path’

This novel work by Alexis Smith stems from the philanthropic support of James Stuart DiSilva and the Stuart Collection of Art at UCSD, who have both led the creation of one of the world’s most remarkable collections of site-conditioned artwork.

Alexis Smith, an internationally-acclaimed multimedia artist, reached out to our team for technical assistance with implementing her ‘Snake Path’, a winding 560 foot long by 10 foot wide footpath in the form of a serpent moving through the landscape. Its individual scales are hexagonal pieces of colored slate with the head inlaid on the approach to the Geisel Main Campus Library. Our role was limited to construction detailing and collaborative suggestions, like giving the path a bulging profile – the rest is the result of the immensely creative Alexis Smith.