Kettner & Ash: A Monolithic Digital Art Installation Celebra

StandardVision was engaged by clients Cushman & Wakefield and DivcoWest to create a monolithic digital art installation for the newly-renovated Kettner & Ash office development in the heart of San Diego’s historic Little Italy district. Along with a design-build solution of the 5 story high LED video wall, StandardVision produced custom artwork that captures the spirit of the development while paying homage to its iconic location.



With the goal of integrating the installation to the building’s uniquely vertical atrium wall, StandardVision’s design & engineering team collaborated with architect Gensler San Diego and general contractor Burger Construction, project manager Cushman & Wakefield, designers DivcoWest, and design consultant 2D3D Solutions to transform the narrow facade into a modern, larger-than-life LED lobby display amenity.



In order to achieve the unique monolithic shape desired by the client, StandardVision’s power-efficient LED matrix tile solutions were closely coordinated with building electrical, and mounted onto existing structural members to minimize new infrastructure costs, while matching the revamped architectural design.



StandardVision implemented it’s proprietary, state-of-the-art content management system SVRunner to easily monitor and update the artwork. The software also facilitates dynamic transitions between creatives, generating unexpected juxtapositions through a permutation algorithm. The result evokes seemingly endless variations and unique viewing experiences with each visit.



The custom artwork was envisioned as a series of interwoven vignettes that celebrate Italian nostalgia, culture, and San Diego’s historic Little Italy area where Kettner & Ash is located. To facilitate this vision, StandardVision created a hybrid approach to the content that marries photo collage with animation and real-time transitions. The outcome is a unique permanent installation that generates unexpected, surreal juxtapositions in a seemingly endless amount of sequential orders using a permutation algorithm—giving the piece virtually no beginning or end. This technique also allows the artwork to be updated with additional creatives which increase its visual diversity over time, resulting in a colossal interior art installation that becomes a new modern monument within the historic district and gives life to the exterior view as well.