Marine Layer
-ON DISPLAY NOW-
Marine Layer, by Miki Iwasaki, is a corten steel sculpture that captures shifting atmosphere through form, light, and pattern. Its perforated surface filters the surrounding environment, allowing sky, water, and passing light to become part of the work.
At Metson Lake, where reflections and movement are constant, the sculpture changes with its conditions. What appears solid becomes porous, and what feels still begins to shift with light, wind, and the water’s surface. Iwasaki’s practice bridges architecture, art, and material exploration, transforming industrial materials into spatial, atmospheric experiences.
A part of Big Art Loop’s Golden Gate Park segment, Marine Layer invites viewers to slow down and notice the subtle transitions that shape the landscape, where perception is always in flux.
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About the Artist
Miki Iwasaki is an artist and designer raised in Southern California and currently living in San Diego. His curiosity in making and building things eventually led him to pursue a career in architecture, and attend California State Polytechnic University in Pomona California. Miki also studied for a year at the Kyushu Institute of Design in Fukuoka, Japan and received his Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His architectural experience includes work in New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego firms, and spans a variety of project types including residential, office, restaurant, retail, and gallery work. Throughout his academic and early professional years, Miki remained dedicated to his own art projects and furniture designs. Miki’s interests and skills constantly expand in the field of architecture, art and design as he pushes himself to explore new materials, methods and projects.
Behind the Scenes with Miki Iwasaki
What Else to See Nearby
Big Art Loop’s Golden Gate Park segment spans four miles from Ocean Beach to the Panhandle. Located at Metson Lake along Middle Drive, Marine Layer is situated on the Western side of this segment. Here’s what else to see if you’re exploring this section of Big Art Loop:
• Unsafe to Swim by Oleg Lobykin: Located roughly 1.25 miles west (about a 25 minute walk along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive), Unsafe to Swim is unmissable sitting at the Lincoln Entrance SW of Golden Gate Park. At first glance, the fin appears threatening. Up close, however, its surface reveals a different story. Embedded throughout the sculpture are recycled aluminum cans, transforming a common material associated with consumption and waste into something visually compelling and conceptually layered.
• Naga by Cjay Roughgarden, Stephanie Shipman, and Jacquelyn Scott: If you’d rather head east on this segment, the next sculpture you’ll encounter is Naga, located at Rainbow Falls, which is about .75 miles (about a 15 minute walk) from Marine Layer. The beloved mythical creature is 100-feet-long and 25-feet-tall and is adorned with over 5,000 hand-forged, iridescent scales.
Whatever segment of Big Art Loop you’re exploring, it’s easy to find art and plan your route with our Google map guide. For the best experience, we suggest opening our google map on your phone.