Shooting Wide Open

Dan Vanderkam has combined photos, time and place into one easy interface! It’s called Old SF and it utilizes the SF Historical Photograph Collection. Old is right since the most recent of these are form the ’70s and ’80s.

Could this be expanded to draw upon the collections of the California Historical Society as well as select current day photos? That would be an undertaking, but it would round out the idea very nicely. There isn’t inclusion of emphemera such as posters and menus and whatnot associated with the locations, but is another undertaking in and of itself. Makes me wonder if one day Google willl attempt this on a massive scale.

Refugees, Union Square, 1906

Visitors from Melbourne, Union Square, 1962

Haven’t had much time lately to get out there and shoot some MF (I think I’m missed several iterations of holiday windows). I’m really starting to miss it what with lugging the 4×5 around. However, I’m just starting to scan the color sheets that I’m getting back from the lab and I am enamored. Results to follow.

And it continues.

I started as a photo editor for the school paper one night a week and the increased screen time takes away my motivation for keeping up with the blogosphere, so mostly I am reading the blogs that post once or less per day. A minor case of information inflammation. Anyone got a cure? Right now all I can handle is my own business. So here’re some shots of the Mission. You may have seen them before. In that case, tough luck.

One of the Mission Art in Storefronts projects that was implemented was a fortune telling service called Mrs. Teriosa, where you write your question on a card and drop it into a slot. Mrs. Teriosa, who are really Kelly Ording and Jetro Martinez, then posts the original and a reply card in the window. Mission Loc@l, a “hyperlocal” web magazine, have a few photos of the questions people have been asking in What We Want to Know (I, II). What we want to know, it turns out, is mostly relationship-related, for better, or in this case, for worse. I should go check it out soon, maybe ask her what photographs I should take next, what I should have for dinner tomorrow…

A little bit about Mission Loc@l:

Mission Loc@l believes that by covering a neighborhood fairly and thoroughly, we can build community and a sustainable model for quality journalism. As part of that effort, we seek collaboration and experimentation that will serve the community we cover and journalism. In the Mission District that means being a bilingual site and using print, multimedia and video to deliver information that offers diverse residents a way to connect and stay informed.

The site launched in October 2008, opened an office in the Mission District in January and many of us are Mission residents.

They have a feature call Sunday Morning Walk that’s pretty fun. Looks like the Mission alright.

Simmons and Belonax

Remember that Art in Storefronts initiative? The chosen artists have been announced, and the most interesting to me is Simmons and Belonax’s “Everything is Okay” neon sign installation proposed for Central Market St, not the least because there is a mock-up photo.

There is also Market St poster plan for next year that includes some work by Bihn Danh. One can only hope daguerreotypes are involved, but maybe that’s asking too much for street posters. The project is described as:

The final series, by artist Bihn Danh, called The Wonderful Life of Gardening, will be installed from April 5 to July 1, 2010. This series incorporates photographic collaborations with San Francisco gardeners, including some of those who tend garden plots under the San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Community Garden Program.

There’s also a bit of strangeness brewing. As, I assume, a part of the SF Planning Dept’s plan to prettify the Mission (I heard about this in the Mission Dispatch, and it certainly explains the construction on Valencia St), the SF Arts Commission announced the winning proposal for a Valencia St installation as Michael Arcega‘s, but it was a close one between Arcega and Brian Goggin. Apparently one of the jurors on the deciding panel voted with a fraction, and when he was told he couldn’t, threw the deciding vote to Mike. I’m not really sure what was going on behind the scenes, but Goggin saw an opening, and with some mobilization he has won a revote. Not sure when it is happening since I only heard about this today, but if you’re a local, you might want to take a look at the two proposals and let Mary Chou (Mary.Chou [at] sfgov.org) know if you, as a community member, have any views.

Personally, I think Mike’s proposal is a lot more functional and meaningful as a part of the daily activity of the community, though it looks like Goggin has more experience in street installation. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that he was the TA to one of my art classes a while ago and I am swayed by the fact that the work he showed us in class was very interesting. Not to mention he is a nice guy! So if you have thoughts, shoot off an email. Who knows if community messages will make a real difference, but it can’t hurt, especially since one of the main goals of all these projects is to build a few spots where it’s pleasant for people to hang out and to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

UPDATE: From Kate Patternson of SFAC:

There is a lot of misinformation flying around about the recent Valencia Streetscape Public Art Project artist selection process. Here are the facts:

Essentially, when the panel met and originally voted it appeared that Michael Arcega had the highest score and was declared the winner. However, afterward the staff reviewed the votes and realized that there was an error in the scoring, which invalidated all of the votes. In order to rectify the situation, we are going to redo the last selection panel meeting and all original project finalists will be included. This has nothing to do with any particular artist, it is simply a mistake, which we are going to correct.

The final selection panel meeting is currently scheduled for October 14. More information will be posted soon.

A little while ago, when I was getting into the subway downtown, I saw this. When I read it, I think instead, “LET US PERFORM A FRONTAL LOBOTOMY ON YOU.” It comes across as a command or a threat, not an offer, which would probably still be disturbing considering Vegas is a mash of casinos, strip clubs and Celine Dion concerts. I’m not sure it’s my idea of all-caps entertainment…

I know that the word “infotainment” has been around for a while now, but yesterday I heard it used by an educational organization in reference to themselves – “go to our website to be infotained.” I’m all for education that is informative yet fun, but something about that just seems a little wrong.

After I got off the subway, there was kitsch galore:

All of these paintings depict the same couple in various states of female helplessness and male strength. Aside from the inexplicable and apparently constant demand for car charger devices, I was also confused by the juxtaposition of the noble savage and WWF wrestlers. On second thought though, it makes perfect sense.

Charles Gatewood

I found the ’70s street photography of Charles Gatewood today and was very gratified to see graphic elements rather than the usual crowds of commuters or dolled up women. You can see more on the Robert Tat (SF) gallery site. I tried to make a permanent link, but if it doesn’t work, search for Charles Gatewood.

Speak of San Francisco, I also saw an interesting initiative from the SF Arts Commission today that might be worth applying to if you’re looking to show work (not just photography). They are looking to place art into vacant storefronts (3 more near my street in the last couple of months) to beautify and make use of empty space. Damn good idea, if you ask me. They haven’t released details yet, but you can sign up for their mailing list.

Seeking Artists to Transform Storefronts with Installations

The SFAC’s Community Arts & Education Program and the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development have partnered to create a pilot Art in Storefronts program that places art temporarily in vacant storefront windows. Tough economic times have left many storefronts empty throughout the City, and this program encourages an alternative use of storefronts to reinvigorate and celebrate our neighborhoods, improve streetscape conditions, and support local merchants by increasing foot traffic.

And speak of storefronts, I was told a story overheard from a building manager of a frustrated thief. During the night, someone breaks into the second storey of a building to lift some goods. Except that the business on the second floor has gone out of business and the rooms are vacant. So he breaks into the third floor. Which also turns out to be vacant. He’s so mad by the time that he breaks into the fourth floor that the building manager comes the next morning to find the entire door ripped off its hinges. Then the story was cut off by closing elevator doors. Did he find goods on the fourth floor? Nothing? Old Betamax players? Hello Kitty clocks? What a cliffhanger.

NextArt in San Francisco organized a live simulcast of inauguration events in front of City Hall and not far down the road, a small group of people had set up a game booth called Throw a Shoe at Bush. This city is not fond of Bush to say the least, and everyone who wished that shoe had found its mark in that pressroom lined to live out a fantasy redo. Some people got up close and personal to hit the cutout as hard as they could, and others yelled insults as they let the shoes fly. (“The only one term president to serve two terms!!”) The crowd cheered and giggled every time a shoe found its mark. The loud THUNKs of shoes bouncing off the cutout were rather cathartic.

But it’s not quite over, is it? The Harper’s Index for Jan. lists much of Bush’s legacy. Some highlights:

Factor by which an Iraqi in 2006 was more likely to die than in the last year of the Saddam regime: 3.6

Factor by which the cause of death was more likely to be violence: 120

Minimum number of times that Frederick Douglass was beaten in what is now Donald Rumsfeld’s vacation home: 25

Estimated amount Bush-era policies will cost the U.S. in new debt and accrued obligations: $10,350,000,000,000

Portion of all U.S. income gains during the Bush Administration that have gone to the top 1 percent of earners: 3/4

Increase since 2000 in the number of Americans living at less than half the federal poverty level: 3,500,000

Percentage change since 2001 in the average amount U.S. workers spend on out-of-pocket medical expenses: +172

Percentage change since 2001 in U.S. government spending on paper shredding: +466

Percentage change in U.S. discretionary spending during Bush’s presidency: +31

Percentage change during Reagan’s and Clinton’s, respectively: +16, +0.3

You know there’s something wrong with your legacy when old ladies are throwing shoes at you.

I found this photo in Manuel Guerzoni’s photo blog.