This installation likens The San Elijo Lagoon to a large international airport, one that hosts the travel and business of over 300 species of birds on the pacific flyway. The Three Stations; Perch, Terminal and Tower, make a visual and conceptual connection between the Lagoon and the Lux Art Institute, situated a few miles to the east near the hills. Themes of travel, aviation and Navigation (both avian and human) are presented by Bird Hub. Preservation and conservation are also important themes. The preservation of nature or art begins in observation.

The tree stations form a triangle between Lux, the lagoon itself and the Lagoon Visitor Center.

Perch: located at Lux, the shape reminiscent of a crows nest or the prow of a boat, it looks west towards the lagoon, but the view is blocked by the ridge.

Terminal: located at the Lagoon Visitor Center, Arrival and Departure boards feature information about bird species arriving and leaving the lagoon, and the purpose of their travel. The boards are changed quarterly.

Tower: located on a nature trail in the lagoon, has two sets of stainless steel binoculars, one at 5’ and moveable can be used by humans almost like a periscope. The other at 10’ and fixed is for a “bird’s eye view.”

Bird Hub Valise, 2000

The Lux Art Institute commissions artists to conceive and build “Trunk” shows to introduce art production in a hands on way to students around the San Diego area. Based on Marcel Duchamp’s Portable Museum, the Valise Project enables students of many ages to engage in art on an intimate level in the classroom, with Lux’s docents guiding the discussion. The Bird Hub Valise refers to the Bird Hub Installation, and by extension the San Elijo Lagoon. The three-quarter scale steamer trunk unfurls, revealing contents which incite discussions of abstract issues (such as navigation, travel, nautical methods, immigration and tourism) or relay information directly (bird species in lagoon, bird behavior, local geography).