Watts Towers

I got to tour the Watts Towers this week in south central Los Angeles. Simon or “Sam” Rodia called the sculpture in his backyard Nuestro Pueblo, or “our town.” Spires of ferro-cement, tile, shells, found objects, broken glass mosaics. Crafted meticulously over the course of 33 years (1921—1954). I’m inspired and in awe of what one man can do. A drop in a the bucket adds up to something big in time and that’s what Simon intended to do – make something BIG. You can’t help but wonder about the man behind the art while wandering the space. It would take months to even observe all of the details etched into the intricate monument. A video called I Build Tower documents the story of Simon and his work ( preview on IMDB ). I like where he says “You gotta do someting, thata they never got ’em in the world”.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1400339/