Digital DNA

The Palo Alto Public Arts Commission is primarily funded by the Palo Alto City Council and aims to beautify the city and support (often emerging) contemporary artists while contributing to the cultural life of the community. In 2000, the seven member Commission approved the modern artwork Digital DNA for the plaza on the corner of University Avenue and Emerson Street. ==Lytton Plaza==

Lytton Plaza was created by Lytton Savings on a vacant lot next to the former Savings and Loan. During the 1960s, the plaza was the site of free rock concerts, noise complaints, anti-war demonstrations, and confrontations with police. The plaza was eventually purchased by the City of Palo Alto. == Design ==

Digital DNA is a seven-foot-tall (by five feet across) egg-shaped sculpture made of welded steel and recycled computer silicon circuit boards applied to polystyrene bead foam with an epoxy fiberglass skin, and finished with UV resistant polyurethane clear automotive paint. Sewn into the surface are phrases relating to technology in many languages (Arabic, Russian, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, etc.). It goes deeper into branching, but above all into the origins of what comes to be the adventure of computers. Therefore, through phrases like: "Circuits of Power", "Ideological Circuits", "Warfare Circuits", "Borderless Circuits", "Sexual Circuits", "Colonizing Circuits", "Genetic Circuits, etc, trying to simplistically verify, even if it is a glimpse of consciousness, one of the main tools-objects of our contemporary world. The "egg" is meant to recognize Palo Alto as the birthplace of Silicon Valley. Linda Craighead, Palo Alto Arts Center Director, feels that the work represents "the power of technology to bring the world together." Varella said of the design, "I don't want to preach truths, just trigger ideas. Lovers of Digital DNA say: "Digital DNA is the Identity of Palo Alto." ==History and controversies==

Thrown out with trash Digital DNA was commissioned in 2000. In 2001, while moving from Palo Alto to San Francisco Varella used her shared garage to store unattached pieces of the artwork. Her neighbor mistook the unfinished work for junk, and threw it out. Varella lost six months of work. In late April 2005 Digital DNA was again ready to be displayed, however, the installation was slightly delayed due to weather and other factors. Dedication June 2005 The second iteration of Digital DNA debuted in Lytton Plaza in May, and was officially unveiled June 9–10, 2005 with a reception and dedication. Vote to remove In August 2017, the city staff issued a report recommending removal, because of the cost of maintenance. The staff was concerned about the continuing expense of maintaining a sculpture that does not hold up under outdoor weather conditions. The staff tried, but failed to find a suitable location within the city, for displaying the sculpture. In November 2017, the Arts Commission voted to remove the sculpture. In response, about 60 protesters gathered on December 7 at the sculpture. The artist wrapped the sculpture in a tarp labeled "CENSORED." Removal and relocation to Harvard In 2018, the sculpture was purchased by an anonymous art collector, who is also a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and a Harvard University graduate. The sculpture was removed from Lytton Plaza in June 2018. The art collectors wanted to have the sculpture repaired and restored. , the Harvard Business School displays the restored work outside the i-Lab on Western Avenue. ==Circuit adjectives==

The adjectives imbue the logic of the circuitry with the emotion and other political, social or behavioral adjectives. These phrases are written in a variety of languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Polish, Russian, German, Arabic, Indy, Philippine, Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew and binary representation. The color is noted to help identify the board. Duplicates are noted. A question mark denotes lines that have yet to be properly translated. Dividing the egg into four quadrants according to the clock (looking from above), and listing top-to-bottom, the adjectives are, at noon (near the DIGITAL DNA title board): cooperative, ideological, timeless, programmed, globalizing, genetic, timeless, warfare White unidentified script (akin to Korean) • ar: التحكم (control) دوائر (circuits) (As in perhaps :ar:هندسة التحكم control engineering) (on blue) • ar: التفريق (differentiation? dispersing?) :ar:دوائر (on olive green) • de: :de:wikt:kontrolliert (controlling) (spelled kontrolliert aide?) kreisläufe • circuits :fr:masturbateur • :he:מעגל (circuit/circle) ם ללא (without) :he:גבול (borders) • :he:גלובליזציה (globalization) :he:מעגל • ja: (逍 or 檤?) ? ? 化する (does it)の回路 • :ja:希望 (hope) の回路 (circuits) • tl: Mga circuit na sumasakop (covering (?)) At 3 o'clock: • isolating (repeat), globalizing (repeat), colonizing, borderless, artificial intelligence, mutating • ar: الكتم (stuffiness?) دوائر • de: serielle (serial, :de:seriell) kreisläufe • :es:circuitos interactivos • circuits d'illusion • fr:circuits sexuels • ja: 全世界 ? の回路 (worldwide) • :ja:ロボット (robot) の回路 • :ja:マスメディア (mass media) の回路 (circuit) • ru:кругообороты (circuit) ru: молчанн? At six o'clock: • transcorporeal, identifying, reproductive, simulating, idealizing, political, short circuits, circuits of the system, circuits of hope • unidentified cursive script? • ar: ا?يالية (huh) دوائر (on dark yellow fabric) • :he:מעגל (circuit/circle) he:מלחמה (war) • it:circuiti :it:aleatori (random) • :ja:力 (power, force) の回路 • :ja: 遺伝子 (gene) の回路 • :ja:ショート (short circuit) した (did) 回路 • :ja:希望 (hope) の回路 • :sv:programmering :sv:kretslopp (cycle) • идеологпческне (see :ru:идеологический, ideological, ru:Идеология) ru:кругообороты (cycle) • vi: đường dẫn (circuit, :vi:Mạch in) :vi:điện lực (electric power) At 9 o'clock: • hacking, transracial, nomad, globalizing (repeat), randomic, libertarian, isolating (repeat), biological, surveying • ar: الئكتلدل ? (huh?) دوائر (on medium green, nar. vert.) • ar: كنيسة (church?) دوائر (on light green, wide vert.) • ar: مافها كن (Mavha?) (on medium green, nar. horiz.) • الأمل (hope) دوائر (spelled without the (lām + ʼalif) ligature) • binary: these are ASCII values: 1000100 1001110 1000001 (DNA) • es:circuitos imaginários • it:circuiti it:anecoici (Anechoic chamber) • ja: 遣 ? イムチ (or そ)の回路 • :ja:錯覚 (illusion) ? にる の回路 • :ja:自爆 (self-destruct) する (does it) の回路 • 정치적인 (politics) :ko:회로 (circuit) • pt:circuitos pt:vazios (empty or null) • ru:кругообороты :ru:случай (chance) иостей ? • vi: đường dẫn (circuit, Mạch in) bao quát (globalizing, :vi:Toàn cầu hóa) There are several Arabic lines starting with: دوائر (services) ? Compare to ar:دوران (rotation) or ar:دائرة (circle), but spelled like دوائر (services?). The board colors are provided as a navigation aid. ==References==