I had often wondered about the stacked rocks along the Ballona Creek bike path in Marina del Rey, so I was understandably excited to come across an article in the April 2011 issue of the Ballona Creek Renaissance newsletter that addressed this exact issue. Written by newsletter editor Bobby Gold, the article seemed to answer my question:

This form of temporary public art is the creation of Dr. John Nielsen, a no-longer-practicing chiropractor. He gradually began creating these rock structures as personal therapy after being forced to close his massage school on Venice Blvd. when the State of California shut down the agency that licensed his school. Now they’ve become a source of enjoyment for many passers-by. John rebuilds them several times a week after the winds, tides, stormwaters, tsunamis and sometimes vandals knock them down. People see different things in the structures: abstract herons and egrets, religious symbols, little soldiers guarding the creek and its wildlife…. 

John also often removes accumulated trash, a visual and environmental benefit.  

But a few people don’t like the rock creations and have complained to LA County Flood Protection Division, which manages the creek channel. And that’s a problem, because according to the County’s rules for safety and other reasons, no one is allowed in the channel without authorization. So John received a notice to stop and that his work would be taken down. 

At internet warp speed, an email campaign poured in to the local County offices asking that John be allowed to continue his work. BCR has stepped up, working to add this project to the list of projects it sponsors along the creek and in the nearby watershed. We’ve begun the lengthy process to apply for the permit on John’s behalf and provide the $1 million insurance policy required by the County.  

Meanwhile, in Norway, next to John’s native Denmark, a state-sponsored art museum, UKS, recognizes the value of his work and is providing an opportunity for him to construct similar work there. Says John: “They will purchase ten tons of rocks and bring them to the gallery and I'll spend a couple of hours daily building my rock kachinas for a period of six weeks. The museum pays my airfare and accommodations and a small honorarium. I don't know what else might come from it. But it definitely gives me the formal recognition as a ‘real’ artist.”

I had my answer! The rock formations were the work of an artist who had since been recognized for his genius!

I wrote to Ballona Creek Renaissance's President John Lamm to ask for permission to reprint the article, but I was disappointed to learn that much had changed since April!  It turns out that the rocks I saw were not the work of John Nielsen after all. Since Nielsen's departure to Norway, most of his work has been torn down, and the rock stacks I saw were pale imitations of the artist's work.  Wrote Lamm: