The site Robert Irwin chose for his permanent outdoor sculpture installation here is a grove of eucalyptus trees just below the Mandeville art center, on a slope crossed by pathways which students use to get to class. In many ways eucalyptus trees may be seen as analogous to Southern California culture: nonnative plants, they are dependent on water brought in from great distances; though they quickly grow tall, they often fall over in strong winds or heavy rains because of their shallow roots. The site’s potential for metaphor, however, is not what attracted Irwin to it. He looks at the art