LONG BEACH, CA.- Have you ever been on the oil drilling islands off the coast of Long Beach? The University Art Museum at CSULB is planning an event that includes a tour of one of these islands, in conjunction with the exhibition Fantasy Islands: Landscaping Long Beach's Oil Platforms, on view at the University Art Museum, CSULB from August 29 – October 15, 2006. This unique exhibition explores the design and landscaping of four oil-drilling platforms built between 1965 and 1968 in the outer harbor of Long Beach, California. Showcasing historic original drawings and period photographs of landscape architect Joseph Linesch (1924-1996) who envisioned the transformation of Long Beach into the “Riviera of the West.” The exhibition also includes contemporary color images by Los Angeles photographer Soo Kim.

In the 1960s, a consortium of oil companies––Texaco, Humble, Union, Mobil and Shell (T.H.U.M.S.) –– set about to create man-made drilling platforms to retrieve the oil from of one of the nation’s largest oil fields, the East Wilmington Reserve, extended over 6,500 acres under Long Beach. T.H.U.M.S. commissioned the local landscape planning firm of Linesch & Reynolds to environmentally enhance their islands with architectural elements and plantings. What resulted was a camouflage that employed waterfalls, palm trees and shrubs set against abstract, brightly colored concrete walls and 180-foot tall towers–all dramatically lit at night. Linesch & Reynolds worked with sculptor Herbert J. Goldman and landscaper Morgan Evans to create a fantasy environment that would mask the working mechanical equipment of the oil platforms, and relate the islands visually to adjacent urban Long Beach. Linesch & Reynolds, partners between 1963-71, were an innovative southern California landscape design firm that specialized in environmental planning. Principal Joseph Linesch (1924-96) had worked with pioneering landscape designer Morgan “Bill” Evans (1910-2002) to design the landscaping at Disneyland in Anaheim (1954-55), and for Freedomland USA in the Bronx, NY (1959-60). Linesch used these theme park ideas as inspiration for his “fantasy” landscapes enhancing Long Beach’s oil drilling platforms.

The results reveal his interest in the aesthetic mitigation of technology — a departure from the contemporary modernist principles of the time, which celebrated industrial structures. On the basis of his work for the T.H.U.M.S. consortium, Linesch was then commissioned to design landscapes for several Southern California Edison substations in the region, which are also included in this exhibition. Joseph Linesch went on to create designs for many other world-renowned theme parks, including the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center at Walk Disney World, Disneyland in Tokyo, Universal Studios in Florida, Busch Gardens in Houston and Van Nuys, Astroworld in Houston, Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, and the Shinen-kan Pavilion Garden and East Sculpture Garden at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He also devised landscape plans for such projects as multiple-acre regional parks in various locations throughout the United States, the pool at Fontainbleu Hotel in Miami, the landscaping at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the Los Angeles Sports Arena. His mark on our built environment is indisputable though largely unrecognized.

The islands are closed to the public, but on September 16th, the University Art Museum at CSULB presents Fantasy Island Tours – a once in a lifetime opportunity that includes a tour of White Island, the T.H.U.M.S. oil-drilling island off Bluff Park in Long Beach. This special event is sponsored by T.H.U.M.S. Company of Long Beach, and the City of Long Beach. The tour includes free admission to the UAM to view the exhibition Fantasy Islands , free parking on CSULB campus, round-trip bus transportation to the dock, round-trip transportation to White Island via boat, a guided tour of the Island, and refreshments. Tickets are priced at $55.00 per person, and $40.00 per person for UAM members. Tours will depart from the UAM every hour from 9 AM to 4 PM. Reservations are mandatory and may be made by calling (562) 985-4299.

For safety concerns, no children under the age of 10 years will be allowed. Footwear is relegated to tennis shoes or closed toed shoes – no heels. Visitors will be required to wear hardhats and safety goggles while on the islands, which will be provided by T.H.U.M.S. at the beginning of the tour. Fantasy Islands exhibition was organized by Kurt Helfrich, Curator, Architecture and Design Collection, University Art Museum, UC Santa Barbara. Accompanying exhibition brochure made possible by funding from the Grace Jones Richardson Trust and the Friends of the University Art Museum, UC Santa Barbara.