World's Biggest Wind Chime

Fashion Island is also home to the nation's biggest cut Christmas Tree.

Other unique and crazy California attractions include: World's Biggest Thermometer, 

When the wind blows in front of the Macy's store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, you may want to stand back from the biggest wind chime in the world. The sound resonates and 40 to 50 decibels, some say.

We were a bit nervous to stand downwind of the giant chime structure as the Santa Ana winds blew on a Southern California day. Fortunately, the winds weren't making their way to the chime and the sounds we heard were really quite pleasant--even a little subtle.

Fashion Island Wind chimes located as you drive up to the front of the mall from Pacific Coast Highway are located at the  southwest entrance to what has been several different department stores during the lifetime of the chimes. Made of  bronze, the installation takes up an entire panel wall of the building and are considered a sculpture created by mural artist Tom Van Sant. They aren't his only piece of artwork but are certainly one of the most enjoyable because they make sounds. The chimes were installed in September 1967, and set a Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest wind chime.

Bell-shaped domes cover all the wind chime pipes from view and reduce the overall volume. Though having over 50 domes and over 300 chimes, some challenges were overcome in creation of the art.  Engineering and architectural challenges have never gotten in the way of Tom Van Sant's imagination and creative process. He has excelled in the use of science to create art.

Tom Van Sant Biography

TOM VAN SANT, M.F.A.
1931 Born Los Angeles, California
1953 B. A. Stanford University
1953 to1955 United States Marine Corps, Korea and Japan
1957 M.F.A. Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County
1959 Faculty of Otis College of Art and Design (formerly Otis Art Institute)
1975 Founder, Tom Van Sant, Inc, Art and Design
1989 Founder, Eyes On Earth, a California non-profit education corporation
1990 Founder, The GeoSphereTM Project, a California corporation for the development of advanced global and environmental display systems
1991 M.A. Goddard College, Environmental Arts and Sciences


Fellow, MIT, Center for Advanced Visual Studies
Founding Director, Los Angeles Mural Conservancy
Board of Advisors, The International Museum of 20th Century Arts
Board of Advisors, Artists Equity Association
Instructor, Santa Monica College Community Division
Art Advisory Committee, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Van Sant is a sculptor, painter, and conceptual artist. In thirty five years of professional work he has executed over sixty major sculpture and mural commissions for public spaces around the world. These include the international airports of Honolulu, Taipei and Los Angeles, the civic centers of Los Angeles, Newport Beach and Inglewood, and corporate centers in Taiwan, Manila, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Honolulu and San Francisco. Van Sant has had fifteen one-man exhibits in the United States, Europe and Australia. His art is represented in public and private collections throughout the world.

Van Sants' professional skills and intellectual interests range to architectural design, city planning, art education and advanced technical invention. His large scale conceptual art projects of the 1980's led to the creation of The GeoSphere Project, an ambitions environmental display system designed to illustrate the issues of Earth resource management.

MURAL AND SCULPTURE COMMISSIONS

1956 RETAIL CLERKS UNION, Los Angeles, California. "Union Union": mural, oil on canvas. Open competition among graduate art students, Los Angeles and vicinity.
1957 OTIS-PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN, Los Angeles, California. "Fire, Earth and Water": mural, Italian glass mosaic, 300 square feet. Master's Thesis for MFA degree.
1958 MERCANTILE NATIONAL BANK, Dallas, Texas. "New World Conquest": mural, two walls, 400 square feet, Italian glass mosaic and intarsia, inlaid in black marble.
1958 TYLER BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, Tyler, Texas. "Muskie": bronze sculpture and fountain. Sheets and Underwood, architects.
1959 AMERICAN PIPE AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY,
Monterey Park, California. "Transportation of Water": natural rock
mosaic mural. Smith, Powell & Morgridge, architects.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS AWARD FOR ART AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.
1959 SAN MARINO CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, San Marino, California. "Tree of Life": mural, rock mosaic. Smith, Powell & Morgridge, architects.
1960 ELDORADO COUNTRY CLUB, Palm Desert, California. "The Eldorado Myth": murals, glass mosaic, rock mosaic and painting. William Cody, architect.
1961 CALIFORNIA CONGRESS OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS,
Los Angeles, California. "Children at Play": sculpture, brick carved
tow relief, two walls. Smith, Powell & Mordgridge, architects.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS AWARD FOR ART AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.
1961 BELL CITY LIBRARY, Bell, California. "Twenty Great Inventions": mural, natural stone. Marion J. Varner, architect.
1962 BUFFUMS DEPARTMENT STORE, Pomona, California. "Flying Pair": sculpture, mobile, epoxy resin and bronze.
1962 HARRAHS CLUB, Tahoe, California. "Colors of the Wind°: mural, enamel on copper.
1962 HOME SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, Compton, California. "Sources of Knowledge": mural, Italian glass mosaic inlaid in marble. Sheets and Underwood, architects.
1962 Fullerton City Hall, Fullerton, California. "Fullerton City Seal". Smith, Powell & Morgridge, architects.
1963 GIBRALTAR SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, Baldwin Hills, California. "Hold With An Open Hand": sculpture, bronze. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1963 SANTA CLARA CHURCH MAUSOLEUM, Ventura, California. "Crucifixion and Resurrection": two murals, Italian glass mosaic inlaid in travertine marble. Paul Lacono & Associates, architects.
1963 MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE, Pomona, California. "Great Moments in History": murals, acrylic on canvas, 1700 square feet on five walls, library. Austin, Field & Fry, architects. INVITATIONAL COMPETITION AWARD BY JURY.
1964 PRUDENTIAL FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, Salt Lake City, Utah. "The Gulls of Salt Lake City": sculpture screen, bronze 120 feet high. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1964 ROBERT E. GROSS MEMORIAL MONUMENT, President, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Forest Lawn, Glendale, California. "Flight Form": bronze sculpture, commissioned by Mrs. Robert E. Gross.
1965 PRUDENTIAL FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, Ogden, Utah. "Gulls": sculpture, bronze. Kurt Meyer and Associates, architects.
1965 HOWARD JOHNSON HOTEL, Anaheim, California. "Spanish Heritage": murals, oil on wood, silk screen process. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1967 ROBINSON'S DEPARTMENT STORE, Newport Beach, California. "The World's Largest Wind Chimes": sculptural screen, eight feet high. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1968 IRVINE FINANCIAL PLAZA, Newport Beach, California. "Indigenous Inhabitants": sculptured concrete panels, 1200 square feet on forty walls. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects. AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS AWARD OF MERIT.
1968 GENEVA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Santa Ana, California. "Tree of Life", "St. Martin's Cross", "The Last Supper": sculptured relief murals, plaster cement, three walls. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1968 CROCKER-CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK TOWER, Lobby, Los Angeles, California. "The California Migrations": mural, oil on canvas, 120 by 15 feet. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1969 ROBINSON'S DEPARTMENT STORE, San Diego, California. "Water Fall": sculptured wall, glazed ceramic, eighty feet high. William L. Pereira & Associates, architects.
1969 LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY, Huntington Park, California. "Flight": sculpture, aluminum, 10 feet by 2 feet. Williamson and Morris, architects.
1969 HOFFMAN MOTORS BUILDING, Marina del Rey, California. "Bird of Wisdom": sculptured concrete mural. William P. Ficker, Architect.
1970 ARIZONA FIRST NATIONAL BANK, Globe, Arizona. "Founder I", "Founder II": murals, glazed ceramic tile. two walls.
1971 ROSE HILLS MEMORIAL PARK, Whittier, California. "Celestial Way": sculptured sundial, bronze. Cornell, Bridges and Troller, landscape architects.
1971 DAVIES PACIFIC CENTER, Honolulu, Hawaii. "The Nineteenth Century, Industries of Hawaii, sculptured concrete murals, five walls, poured in place. Au, Cutting, Smith & Associates, architects.
1971 KONA SURF RESORT HOTEL, Kona, Hawaii. "Hawaiian Visions": sculptured concrete murals, seven walls. Lemmon, Freeth, Haines, Jones and Farrell, architects; Robert Zimmer, interiors.
1972 INGLEWOOD CIVIC CENTER, Inglewood, California. "The Written Word": sculptured concrete murals, library and theater. Charles Luckman Associates, architects.
1972 UNION BANK PLAZA, Newport Beach, California. "Family Group": fountain sculpture, electroformed nickel and bronze. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, architects.
1972 YACHT HARBOR TOWERS, Honolulu, Hawaii. "Sail Forms": free-sculpture group, terrazzo, twenty feet. Rummell and Boone, architects.
1972 LOS ANGELES COUNTY LIBRARY, Lakewood, California. "Body of Knowledge": sculptured mural, ceramic. Williamson & Morris, architect.
1972 CROCKER BANK HEADQUARTERS, Transamerica Pyramid Building, San Francisco, California. "Forms of Flight": sculpture collection, seven pieces, titanium and stainless steel. William L. Pereira Associates, architects.
1972 PACIFIC MUTUAL HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, Newport Beach, California. "The Family": mural column, glazed ceramic tile on steel, seventy feet. William L. Pereira Associates, architects.
1972 DAVIES PACIFIC CENTER, Honolulu, Hawaii. "Shells and Gods": mural, oil on canvas. Au, Cutting, Smith & Associates, architects.
1972 REPUBLIC OF CHINA CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, Taipei, Taiwan. "History of Flight": sculptured concrete murals, eighteen panels. Sara Chang, architect.
1973 HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Honolulu, Hawaii. "Luau": sculptured concrete mural, 80 feet by 13 feet. Ossipoff and Chang, architects.
1974 CITY OF LOS ANGELES CIVIC CENTER NORTH MALL, Los Angeles, California. Pedestrian bridge: sculptured concrete, designed and executed. Stanton & Stockwell, architectural planners.
1974 CITY OF LOS ANGELES CIVIC CENTER NORTH MALL, Los Angeles, California. "Hold the Bird With an Open Hand": fountain sculpture, fired ceramic on steel. Cornell, Bridges and Troller, landscape architects.
1974 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH, Long Beach, California. "Vietnam Ending": free standing sculpture, iron and bronze. INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM SELECTION.
1976 HAWAIIAN DREDGING AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, Honolulu, Hawaii. "Concrete Pour": sculptured concrete mural. Dillingham Corporation. Hogan and Chapman, architects.
1976 CENTURY PARK SHERATON HOTEL, Manila, Philippines. "Flight of Fancy": free hanging sculpture, fiberglass and fabric, 15 feet by 50 feet. Howard Hirsch and Associates, interior designers.

1977 HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY CLUB, Honolulu, Hawaii. The Club": free standing sculpture, bronze, four pieces and wall hanging relief, combined materials. Paul Kamada and Associates, interior designers.
1977 WAILEA BEACH HOTEL, Maui, Hawaii. Tapas": sculptured concrete murals, two walls. "Lava Falling to the Sea": woven wall mural. Hogan, Chapman, Cobeen, Weitz and Associates, architects.
1979 BANK OF NEWPORT BEACH, Newport Peach, California. "Authors of the Sea'": sculptured concrete murals, eight walls. Ficker and Ruffing, architects.
1982 WELLS FARGO BANK, Headquarters, Executive Lounge, Los Angeles, California. Sculpture group "Desert Dreams": paper mache, seven pieces; bronze, one piece. Vesti Corporation, art consultants.
1984 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Thomas Bradley Terminal, Los Angeles, California. "Silent Forms": fabric and fiberglass, thirty six pieces. Daniel Dwarski and William Pereira, architects.
1984 WILLIAM ALLEN RESIDENCE, Provo, Utah. "Birds of Prey": sculptured concrete murals, two walls, Lance Turner & Associates, architects.
1985 DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA, Hollywood, California. "King Vidor": sculpture, bronze. Portrait of King Vidor, founding president of DGA.
1986 PAUL BRINES RESIDENCE, Playa del Rey, California. "Sea Forms": sculptured concrete murals.
1988 GLENKIRK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Glendora, California. "Dove'": stained glass window, 25 feet by 25 feet. Steward Woodard & Associates, architects.
1988 GLENKIRK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Glendora, California. "The Sky Cross": sculptured wall, height fifty feet. Stewart Woodard & Associates, architects.
1991 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH, Newport Beach, California, "Flight Forms", sculptured concrete mural, 15 feet by 120 feet.

CONCEPTUAL ART PROJECTS
1974 JACOB'S LADDER"
1980 "REFLECTIONS FROM EARTH"
1981 "RYAN'S EYE”: the world's smallest man-made image
1986 "EYES ON EARTH FROM SPACE
1986 "SPORT AID EARTH"
1986 DESERT SUN - DESERT MOON":
1987 "DAY OF WORLD PRAYER"

INVENTIONS
1958 Use of natural colored stone mosaic pre-cast in epoxy resin for mural and certain wall application
1961 Electrodeposition of nickel, copper and bronze for lightweight, thin shell sculpture forming
1965 Development of polyurethane forms for concrete casting of sculpture relief in architectural application
1968 Development of forming procedures for exposed aggregate concrete casting
1974 Development and use of fiberglass and nylon fabric in airborne structures
1980 Development and use of solar reflectors for satellite sensor reception
1983 Use of scanning electromicrosopy for creation of sub micron imagery
1989 Design arid use of software for composting satellite mosaics
1995 Design of video projection systems for globe display technologies

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
1971 CITY OF INGLEWOOD, Art Master Plan for Inglewood Civic Center, Inglewood, Charles Luckman Associates, architects
1972 - 73 CITY OF LOS ANGELES, Art and Environmental Master Plan for the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles
1972 DAVIES PACIFIC CENTER, Honolulu, Hawaii. Art & Environmental Consultant, Au, Cutting & Smith, architects
I 975 - 76 FARAHZAD CENTER, Teheran, Iran. Art & Environment Plan, Archisystems, Inc., planners and architects
1986 - 88 WORLD TECHNOLOGY TRADE CENTER, Washington, D.C. Smith /Williams Group, architect
TEACHING
1960 - 66 OTIS ART INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY Instructor of drawing, painting and design
1967 - 68 OMEGA SEMINARS, Institute for Executive Research, Glendale, California. Instructor for personal growth seminars
1967 - 87 TOM AN SANT STUDIO, Los Angeles, California. Life drawing
1988 - 89 SANTA MONICA COLLEGE, Instructor of life drawing
AWARDS
1956 RETAIL CLERKS UNION, mural, oil on canvas. Juried open competition among graduate students of California.
1959 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECT'S, Art and Craftsmanship Award.
1963 MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE, library murals. Juried international invitational competition.
1965 OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA, U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. Awarded for artistic achievement.
1968 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH, International Sculpture Symposiums Commission, "Vietnam Revisited', steel and bronze.
1984 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Sculpture assemblage, fabric and fiberglass, thirty six pieces. Award of Merit.
GLOBAL DISPLAY SYSTEMS
1989 Eyes On Earth, a California non-profit corporation, was founded by Van Sant for environmental research arid education.
1989 The GeoSphere Project was created by Van Sant as the display and distribution arm of Eyes On Earth. The following are its products.
1990 The GeoSphere Image 
1990 National Geographic World Atlas. 
1991 The Global Visual Library
1991 The 1991 The GeoSphere Globe
1992 The Earth Situation Room