City of Indio ribbon-cutting for the “Sarbalé Ke” installation
The City of Indio celebrated the installation of "Sarbalé Ke" at Dr. Carreon Park on Wednesday morning.
This event coincided with the opening of the 2022 Mobius Conference that the installation's artist Francis Kéré took part in 2019.
The Sarbalé Ke towers stand from nine to 49-feet tall at the park. The series of towers were originally installed at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
They are a representation of the baobab trees from the artist's native West African village of Gando, Burkina Faso.
The artwork was acquired by the City of Indio as a long-term loan from Goldenvoice.
City of Indio Mayor Waymond Fermon said that these towers are part of what the city is trying to create with the park as far as projects go.
"It's just a great way to have art in our community," he said. "Art does something to a community, it creates a synergy, and that's what we want to do for that community. We're working on a lot of projects in that area and Sarbalé Ke is a centerpiece for that."
