Westfield Arts: Chris Doyle

Culver City Currency employs the symbol of the coin as a classic means of portraiture. The word "currency" suggests circulation and exchange -- two phenomena characteristic of a shopping center. For Westfield, Doyle has blended and animated images of Culver City's residents, workers, and landmarks by creating portraits on lenticular coins suspended from a mobile.

Since ancient times, coins have celebrated cultural heroes and architectural icons. With this inspiration, Doyle's Culver City Currency gives monumental presence to portraits of ordinary people living and working in Culver City.

The artwork operates at two scales. When viewed from the entry points to the atrium, the visitor sees the entire mobile. When seen from the balcony around the space, the visitor is able to examine the individual portraits in greater detail. The piece offers an invitation to relate to other shoppers within one's line of sight, even oneself, as part of the City's collective picture.