Big Apple

Big Apple transforms a familiar, iconic form into an open, shared space, part sculpture and part gathering place. At first glance, the work reads as a bold, oversized apple set within the landscape. As visitors approach, it reveals itself as something more intimate, a place to sit, pause, and spend time together.

Installed within Balboa Park, the sculpture aligns naturally with the rhythms of the park, where picnics, birthday celebrations, and casual gatherings unfold across the lawn. Its scale ensures there is always room inside, while the inward-facing seating gently encourages connection. Different groups can share the space at once, creating moments where interactions happen organically, whether between families, friends, or strangers.

The work functions as a piece of social infrastructure. Without directing how it should be used, it creates the conditions for people to gather, linger, and engage with one another. Children can move through it, families can settle in for a meal, and individuals can find a moment of rest while still feeling part of a larger shared environment.

By reimagining a universally recognizable form as a communal setting, Synnott invites visitors to step inside the sculpture and make it their own. Big Apple becomes a backdrop for everyday moments, a place where small celebrations, conversations, and connections take shape, reinforcing the role of public art as something to be experienced together rather than simply observed.