A work of art
Nov 1, 1998 12:00 PM, R. David Read
The Getty Museum's Los Angeles campus, which, situated astride the striking ridges of Sepulveda Pass, was opened with enthusiastic acclaim in May 1998. Twenty years had passed since the J. Paul Getty Trust had first conceived the development of the museum complex and the final completion of the facility. Initial nurturing of the museum concept began with J. Paul Getty's [ref 1] interest in Greek and Roman statuary and Louis XIV furnishings. Getty, a renowned billionaire in the oil industry, started his collection of such items of antiquity in the early 1930s. In 1953, he built and expanded his residential property in Malibu Beach, CA, to accommodate his display of antiquarian art. In a rare philanthropic contribution to the arts, Getty established the J. Paul Getty Trust for the preservation of the existing art treasures and to expand on the thesis of art presentation. As Richard Meier, architect for the project, was to write in his book [ref 2], "Today, this liberal tradition is being eclipsed by a global opportunism that feels little responsibility for the well-being of society as a whole. The very notion of a national cultural identity and sense of social destiny is threatened. The Getty represents a generosity of spirit that, I fear, will be increasingly hard to find in the future."
The privately operated J. Paul Getty Trust was established in 1953 upon the initial funding for the Malibu Beach project. In 1982, the trustees determined that the original site had outgrown its ability to display the collection. With this in mind, they immediately set about making a greater contribution to the visual arts by creating an environment that would expand into additional artistic programs and unify the concepts on a single campus. Out of this vision, the Trust created five distinct programs. The J. Paul Getty Museum opened in December of 1997 and tastefully displays and interprets exhibits ranging from classical antiquities to contemporary photographic displays. The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities, housed within its own dedicated building on campus, is devoted to further research and active publication of materials relative to art and history. The Getty Conservation Institute is committed to the preservation of the world's cultural heritage. The Getty Information Institute works to provide information concerning arts and humanities through digital technologies; it also works closely with other museums in the cataloging and identification of artifacts for security purposes. The Getty Education Institute for the Arts seeks to improve the quality and status of arts education in America's educational sector.
The design concept To unify these diverse aims, the Getty trustees embarked on creating a campus site that would house these five elements and also provide an engaging location for the public to view and appreciate the collected artifacts. High in the hills above Sepulveda Pass overlooking Brentwood, Bel Air and Santa Monica, a site was secured that would have sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles and the surrounding mountains. Richard Meier was chosen as the architect, and a construction schedule of some 13 years was projected at an initial cost of $430,000,000. Concessions to the surrounding Brentwood Homeowner's Association, variations in the theme and direction of the Getty administrative elements, modifications in construction materials, inflation and compliance with building, fire marshal and seismic considerations were to drive the final construction costs to $1.7 billion [ref 3].
Anyone who has faced the shifting, vexatious attitudes of a building committee can empathize with Meier as he encountered confrontational and often conflicting opinions concerning the design of the buildings and the surrounding landscaping and transportation accessibility. Budget concerns and shifting design concepts necessitated reams of drawing revisions and the preparation of multiple scale model constructions. Meanwhile, the Brentwood residents had gain concessions that severely restricted building height while paradoxically constraining the construction forces from removing any excavation materials-excavated materials had to be redeployed on the site. The spotted owl and rattlesnake anti-abatement forces also gave verbal, press release and legal arguments.
Finally, after almost a decade of design, redesign and negotiations with the local residents and the various government bureaucracies, approval was reached to embark on the design phase of the construction on June 25, 1987. On that date, the Los Angeles planning commission approved the master plan. Months elapsed as the monumental construction documents were prepared; during this time Meier's Los Angeles office had more than 100 architects working on the project. Finally, in March of 1991, approval of the design specifications were approved by the Planning Commission, and construction could commence.
In November, the project was unveiled in a press conference conducted inside a large, white tent on the site. A host of press representatives were provided a glimpse of the proposed project with a multitude of drawings and an impressive 28foot (8.5 m) long wooden scale model depicting the complex's appearance in its finality.
A-V design The A-V presentation design and development was one of the areas where Getty chose to use a combination of its in-house staff and independent consultants. Stepheny Dirden had served on staff in the A-V department at the Malibu Beach Villa facility for a number of years. Accordingly, Dirden was appointed to direct the design of the A-V systems required at the new complex. To address the concerns of noise control, acoustical and A-V design of the presentation spaces, the Getty trustees elected to engage the services of Paoletti Associates of San Francisco.
Based on the preliminary design provided by Paoletti, a list of some 20 potential qualified A-V systems integration firms was submitted to the trustees. Qualification documents were sent to all contenders, and the list was quickly cut to 10 and then to three. The three firms left on the short list were then invited to submit proposals and costing schedules for the completion of the A-V work. Of the three contenders, Acromedia Corporation of Los Angeles was selected to provide the services desired. Acromedia, in turn, subcontracted with Acromedia Systems to design, manage, engineer, fabricate and ultimately service all of the A-V systems at the Getty Center. Under these arrangements, Acromedia, Paoletti and the Getty's A-V staff formed a consortium whose aim was to provide systems that were in keeping with the trustees' expectations.
According to Bob Patrick, project manager for Acromedia Systems on the project, all negotiations were achieved in an open, cordial relationship. Acromedia virtually opened its books and cost-justified every element of the work, including the several adaptations and evolutions that evolved during the course of the project. Spokespersons for both Paoletti and Acromedia were quick to point out that their respective relations with Meier's office were conducted in a cooperative atmosphere.
Currently, Acromedia is working under similar arrangements on the renovation of the Malibu Beach Villa, the original Getty Museum. That facility is scheduled for completion in 2001 and will allow the display of works of art that cannot be properly displayed in the new complex.
The A-V elements A-V elements were called for in a considerable number of venues at the facility. These included the 450-seat auditorium, a smaller (175-seat) museum lecture hall, two additional auditoriums (one housed in the striking, circular Getty Research Center and the other in the Getty Conservation Building), two visitor orientation theaters, the executive boardroom, some 30 meeting and conference rooms and a host of other stand-alone A-V displays located throughout the public exhibit areas.
In addition, the campus was interconnectively wired to facilitate audio/video/data transfer from any conceivable point of origination to a central control location. From the central control point, data generated from outlying points can be relayed to other areas of the campus. Work is now underway to install a fiber-optic transmission (LAN), which will provide the bandwidth for transmission of video and high-speed data throughout the campus and will probably, in the future, connect the site with the Malibu Beach facility and the downtown Hollywood Broadcast hub. Using this intended WAN network, a television production team could conceivably set up source-generating equipment virtually anywhere on campus and transmit signals to a provided on-site production-area staging location, or transmit the signals to the Hollywood Broadcast hub location.
The auditorium Initially, the public Harold M. Williams auditorium was conceived to be a 650-seat theater that would be used primarily for lectures and A-V presentations. During the cost-crunching that occurred during the design process, the scale was revised whereby the auditorium was reduced to a 450-seat space. Also, the original Meier design called for a floor-to-ceiling window on the south side of the auditorium with a sunlight-diffusing scrim and controlled blackout shades. This natural light condition was deemed unnecessary by the trustees, and the southern exposure was consequently covered with sheetrock. Interestingly though, in a compromise move, the windows were retained, and the sheetrock was installed over the glass in the event some future administration elects to open the space to natural light [ref 4].
The auditorium is impressively quiet and comfortably air-conditioned. Particular attention was paid to resilient isolation between the exterior and interior layers of the auditorium enclosure for control of intruding noise and to minimize transmission of rain-impact noise and the sounds of wall/roof expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. Paoletti Associates principal and project consultant Red Wetherill commented that "positioning of plumbing systems below the auditorium necessitated the use of stringent noise-reduction procedures to decouple structure-borne noise from the auditorium."
By design, the auditorium space is dry and therefore suitable for speech clarity and audio playback. A left-right-center audio system with surround sound provides audio playback and audience involvement. An over-the-stage loudspeaker array, used for lecture and point-source-generated presentations, is concealed behind a perforated metal surface in a cantilevered, sound-reflecting canopy. Used in this aspect of the overall installation were a Symetrix compressor/limiter, a Shure Brothers antenna system, Lectrosonics wireless mics, a Yamaha M-2000 mixer, a White Instruments 4200A EQ and TOA amps.
The exceedingly well-equipped projection/control booth can provide front projection video using Digital Projection POWER 4dv technology. The onscreen image displayed on the Stewart 36' x 26' (11 m x 8 m) projection screen is remarkably vivid and rivals 35 mm film projection. Even though the auditorium walls are finished in a reflective white, an exceptional image is produced with the house lights at one quarter value. Significant attention was given to providing for future maintenance. Video projectors are mounted on motorized platforms that can be raised and lowered to facilitate maintenance and then be restored to their operating position.
A problem in the projection of 35 mm slides did occur. The film archivist of these materials, rightfully, maintains these materials in a controlled temperature and humidity environment. When these slides were subjected to the high-intensity, high-temperature conditions presented by argon lamp projectors, the film had a tendency to become warped and distorted. To offset this problem, the A-V department elected to employ standard 35 mm Kodak Ektographic projectors. Despite this step down in technology, the visual images deployed are still acceptable.
Audio, video and visual presentations are controlled by an AMX system. The system operator can pre-cue the presentations, and the ecturer can select materials from a lectern-mounted touchscreen control panel. Dirden also explained that the lectern touchscreen can be programmed to provide only those functions that a particular speaker might require.
Concealed stage pockets provide inputs and outputs for audio, video and data. The number and placement of the stage pockets allow placement of the lectern at virtually any on-stage position. Large, heavy-cast glass sound reflectors mounted in vertically pivoting steel frames are positioned at far left- and right-stage. These reflectors can be rotated to change the pattern of sound reflections to the audience. In conjunction with the concealed reflectors in the canopy, they enhance sonic clarity for the performers and audience. One distinguished musician commented to Mr. Wetherill that the auditorium ranks among the best chamber music spaces in southern California.
Translation and ADA considerations To accommodate visitors who might require translation services, a four-channel, infrared system was installed. The fourth channel of this system is used as an ADA-required hearing assistive transmission system. Infrared transducers are mounted in the ceiling and have thus far proved adequate in maintaining radiation throughout the space. The translation booths are positioned at the upper rear of the auditorium, and despite a rather severely raked seating space, the translation booths have limited sightlines to the stage. To offset this problem, a CCTV system with Panasonic cameras is used to transmit video images of on-stage activity to the translation booths, and an audio feed is provided. This same CCTV system is also used for visual cues to the green rooms located backstage. As might be expected in a performance venue of this type, a production intercom ties the various technical personnel together and furnishes a two-way audio path to the dressing rooms.
As initially intended, the auditorium would primarily be a space for the presentation of lectures and orientation materials for visitors. As is so often the case, since its opening the space has been used to host ballet, interpretive dance, string quartets and symphonic music productions. All in all, the auditorium space has achieved the performance for which it was initially intended. Further refinements will extend the use of the hall for additional accommodations.
The lecture halls As noted earlier, three other auditoriums serve the campus. Housed in the museum building proper is a smaller (175-seat) lecture hall that replicates many of the aspects of the larger Harold M. Williams auditorium. Similarly equipped on a smaller scale, this venue provides all of the attributes and acoustical considerations associated with the larger auditorium. The other two lecture halls provide meeting accommodations for the staff of the Getty Research Center and the Getty Conservation Institute. These two smaller facilities are adequately equipped for A-V presentations-albeit not to the degree employed in the main auditorium or museum lecture hall.
Orientation theaters Immediately upon entering the rotunda of the main public museum area, visitors are invited to attend an introductory presentation that shows what the museum houses and how a visitor might wish to pursue his exploration of this vast depository of art. Within these two small theaters, the audience is provided with a 10-minute, closed-loop, rear-screen video projection presentation that highlights the offerings of the museum. Ultra-sharp DVD projection and exceptional audio playback makes this an impressive introduction to the visitors' first impression of the facility.
Also, located in the exhibit space rotunda are concessions offering audio-tape tour narratives. These narratives are keyed to the particular exhibit that the visitor might be viewing. That is, these tour tapes are not limited to any set tour route. Hence, the visitor may wander freely and still take advantage of audio narratives relative to a specific aspect.
Demonstration and meeting rooms More than 30 individual conference and seminar rooms are included in the complex. These range from the wood-paneled boardroom on whose walls hang priceless works of art to training spaces for school-age children interested in the arts. All such spaces are equipped to varying degree, with audio, video, data presentation and source-generating equipment. Typical classrooms are equipped with a concealed, ceiling-mounted video projector, audio speech reinforcement and playback equipment and data connections for computer research. An AMX touchscreen allows selection and control of the classroom's A-V equipment.
Exhibit A-V support In certain areas of the public exhibit spaces, videowall presentations enhance the public's understanding of the items on display. For example, in the Hall of Hadrian where statuary such as the renowned Landsdowne Hercules from the Roman Era is arrayed, an artistic virtual reality graphic is depicted on a videowall. This graphic shows the grandeur that once was the Villa of Hadrian. Buried for centuries beneath the ashes of Pompeii and now only ruins, the video recreates in definitive detail what was in Roman times one of the outstanding architectural wonders.
Tastefully interspersed amongst the galleries of art are similar A-V systems designed to help visitors orient themselves with the theme and the times of the corresponding exhibits. These, of course, are ongoing presentations that require constant updating to stay in tune with the changing nature of the artistic exhibits. Dirden and his staff of some 15 specialists and technicians constantly keep The Getty at the cutting edge of museum science.
A current exhibit is a digital workplace where visitors are provided the opportunity to access the extensive digital files of the Institute's research library via computer and to explore the Internet for related subjects. With some dozen workstations, the facility is a popular site for satisfying the curiosity- and intelligence-gathering faction of the museum's attendees.
Further developments At the time of our visit, the facility was in the process of completing and commissioning a Meier/Paoletti designed demountable outdoor orchestral shell in the museum courtyard for the staging of outdoor concerts. Since our visit, this work has been completed, and the first of a series of weekend concerts have been presented. These popular presentations range from small orchestras to vocal and instrumental solos. Red Wetherill of Paoletti, who was responsible for the acoustical design, attended a concert starring mezzo-soprano Kimball Wheeler in a spectacular program-Songs of Gods and Poets. Reviews of the program, indicate that it was well staged, well presented and thoroughly appreciated by the audience.
Visiting The Getty Center When I arrived for a 10 a.m. appointment, the center was already hosting a sizable crowd, even though the museum does not officially open until 11 a.m. Dirden explained that many visitors come early to enjoy the grounds and the central garden. The 134,000 ft[superscript]2 (12,449 m[superscript]2) garden was conceived to be a work of art, and the trustees commissioned Robert Irwin to execute the piece. Using native plants, seasonal plantings and a liberal amount of recycled water, the garden is a popular attraction for visitors.
The next time you are in Los Angeles, make sure you visit The Getty Center, and by the way, give yourselves ample time for your visit. You will certainly appreciate not only the art housed within, but also the level of technological integration.
1.Getty, J. Paul, As I see it, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1976.
2. Meier, Richard, Building the Getty, Alfed A. Knopf, New York, 1997.
3. To put these numbers into perspective, the A-V initial contract value was $3.5 million; this was escalated by an additional $1,000,000 before the project was to be completed.
4. Meier, ibid.
Steph Dirden, head of A-V services for the Getty Trust, started in 1983 as a technician in the original museum location. He moved to the Getty Center project as manager of A-V systems in 1993 and remains chief of A-V services for both facilities.
"It was fortunate in that I was with the Getty already, so in all cases I was able to make the necessary adjustments for the client, my employer." Dirden said. "The most important thing was the good working relationship among the different companies on the project. Without that professionalism, we would never have been able to do what we have done. Overall, we are happy with the systems integration."
Managing numerous sub-systems within the center, Dirden's department is involved with every aspect of the operation. It coordinates the portable announcement systems for public events and the sound systems for outdoor concerts, and it maintains the assisted listening systems in the auditorium and museum lecture hall. Dirden's department also oversees one of the most advanced digital broadcast networks ever built into a museum facility, allowing central control and connectivity to virtually every possible presentation location in the complex, which is made possible by miles of fiber-optic cable, and it even allows local feeds from network trucks to tie into the system.
"In the early stages of planning for the project, we assumed that fiber optics were out of our reach because of the great expense classically involved with the technology," explained Dirden. "What we discovered is that over the years of developing the Getty Center project, the technology changed as well. Comparatively, the cost today is more realistic because of advancements in cable technology and is really not much more expensive than conventional analog solutions, but it provides much flexibility and quality, whether transmitting audio, video or both."
Another of the biggest decisions involved the video projectors. The auditorium and lecture hall required a projector capable of 11 hours of daily continuous operation on a screen size as large as 36' x 26' (11 m x 8 m).
"In fact, our auditorium was designed with white walls, so it never gets totally dark," said Dirden.
Compatibility from all video and computer sources up to 1,024 x 768 resolution is critical because all formats from 1/2 inch tape up to DVD will be employed. After several demonstrations, Dirden decided to run with Digital Projection's POWER 4dv projector for lecture hall and auditorium applications.
"The beauty of the POWER 4dv is that its image is so bright and clear that it can be used even when there is considerable ambient light. Even the computer-generated graphics look crisp and clear. I am relieved to know that because of their straightforward design, these units will require minimal attention by our technicians, and the system will be able to meet the continuous daily use our museum requires. We have been in operation with these projectors for nearly a year now, and they have performed flawlessly. We could not be happier."
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