Saint Monica’s Tears for the Downtown Santa Monica Station by Walter Hood takes its inspiration from the city’s namesake, Saint Monica. “The weeping saint” was said to have shed tears every night over her son Augustine’s hedonistic lifestyle. Her watering eyes came to the mind of Father Juan Crespi upon first sight of the springs—whose water cascaded down the sandstone face of Santa Monica’s coastal cliffs. The springs are named Kuruvungna by the Tongva Indian tribe. Composed of sandstone and hand-formed glass, Saint Monica’s Tears visualizes this layered cultural and geological history in sculptural form. (Metro, Los Angeles)

Rendering and art © Walter Hood.