In West Hollywood, Honoring Stories from the AIDS Crisis

Construction for a new art installation spotlighting the impact of HIV/AIDS in the United States is expected to begin in the next year.

As part of the masterplan of West Hollywood Park, the West Hollywood City Council recently approved the construction of a monument honoring people whose lives have been impacted by HIV/AIDS on the site shared by the LPA-designed West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center.

The monument will establish a globally significant memorial recognizing ongoing activism and paying tribute to the legacy of those we have lost, those who survived, and the organizations of change that were born in the wake of the AIDS crisis.

Designed by internationally renowned artist Daniel Tobin, the monument was developed through extensive input and discussion in the West Hollywood community.

LPA Design Director Rick D'Amato was part of the selection committee for the art installation.

“The city of West Hollywood has always been a place that celebrates and embraces individuality,” says D’Amato. “Everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard. It is these voices, through community involvement, that makes this project truly meaningful.”

Public art was considered an essential element in the master plan for the park and aquatic center, which opened in 2022. “Parallel Perpendicular,” an installation by light artist Phillip K. Smith III which features a series of interactive mirrored panels as a gateway into the park, was unveiled that same year.

At the entrance of Tobin’s monument, walls are engraved with personal stories, quotes, donors, and names for education and remembrance. Textual elements were determined through focus sessions with the WeHo community.

The monument features a series of integrated lighting, reminiscent of a candlelight vigil, with 13-foot bronze vertical “traces” etched with narrative text, described by the artist as symbolizing “visible mark[s] made or left by the passage of a person.” After dusk, they light up in random configurations and varying degrees of intensity.

In the spirit of activism, the monument includes a protest podium for public speakers and space for groups to organize, as well as a respite area for patrons.

An integrated team of designers and engineers worked with Tobin to solidify construction elements, lower the project’s budget, and make the monument tactile and durable. LPA lighting designers were involved in lighting the traces.

“This is a very special moment with which to be involved,” D’Amato says. “The monument will become such an integral part of not only the city of West Hollywood, but also the larger community effected by HIV/AIDS.

”The display is a joint effort between the City of West Hollywood and the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM), a group of community leaders, activists, and other individuals passionate about spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS.