A Line in the Landscape
John Hill
11. September 2020
Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer
The Line is a "micro-budget" structure designed by Sacramento design practice REgroup that was installed in rural California late last year. The 75-foot-long white surface marks a place in the landscape that can be used for weddings, performances, and other events.
The Line is located in Lockeford, a small community of a few-thousand residents about a one-hour drive from Sacramento. (Thankfully it is not one of the areas in California hit by wildfires this month.) REgroup partners Gary and Julia Lewis call the temporary structure "a new type of rural event space for the area." The "generic quality" of The Line — a long horizontal surface capped by a matching, human-scaled vertical surface at one end — aligns it with Land Art, as this short visual tour attests.
The property The Line sits upon abuts some of the many acres of farmland in Lockeford. (Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer)
Just as crops make lines in the landscapes, or the way footprints do the same over time, The Line creates a path with a purpose. (Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer)
Most likely the main purpose of The Line was a wedding, a milestone in which procession is loaded with meaning. (Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer)
The Line appears slightly detached from the ground it sits upon. (Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer)
That effect is even more pronounced at dusk, when strip LED lights illuminate the underside of the surface. (Photo: Tim Griffith Photographer)
