Miami Beach Unveils 55-Foot Abstract Lighthouse, Traffic Eats Our Assignment

City of Miami Beach

Tobias Rehberger, obstinate lighthouse

​In the spirit of transparency, we'll admit that behind-the-scenes at Cultist you'll find a painstakingly detailed schedule of operations. Every move we make is calculated to best serve y'all, the reader.

During Basel week, however, our daily itinerary is interrupted by greater Miami's traffic nightmare.

According to Google Maps' suggested route, it should've taken us 13 minutes to get from our offices at 4500 Biscayne to South Pointe Park for the 5 p.m. public unveiling of Tobias Rehberger's obstinate lighthouse, the latest addition to Miami Beach's public art collection. In reality, it took us 20 minutes to get past the Ivax building, and they're next door.

By the time we arrived at South Pointe, the hoopla had ended and it was just us an a 55-foot piece of abstract public art.

City of Miami Beach

Tobias Rehberger, obstinate lighthouse

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Comprised of 19 staggered parts, obstinate lighthouse closely resembles a stack of Oreo cookies organically built by a three-year-old. In other words, it's playful and cute, timeless even.

A light installation crowns Rehberger's piece and adds to the general playfulness by changing colors that represent Miami Beach's "lively spirit."

While it's billed as a lighthouse, don't expect the maritime industry to start using obstinate as a reference point. The tower is meant to welcome folks to the Beach, not ships into the harbor.

Thanks for the art, Miami Beach.

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