One of the most enjoyable things about living in the city of San Francisco is how visually dynamic it is. There is simply art everywhere, but not in a way that inundates you. The most interesting pieces are hidden away in nooks and crannies that you may not even see. ART on STREETS highlights this city’s art through the lens of a “Polaroid” camera (except it’s various apps on the iPhone). Each week we will feature a different soundtrack for your viewing pleasure: a single song from a Bay Area musical artist. So plug in your earbuds (or not) and have a listen while you check out the art.
Street art is interesting to me because of its transience. It is very easy for a piece to be covered up, changed or abused in some way, and as soon as that happens, the owner of a wall is given a choice: either contact the artist to make repairs or paint over the surface to avoid a city fine. Recently, a piece I have had my eye on in the Lower Haight by Megan Stevens got vandalized and then fell prey to the ubiquitous paint over. The art wasn’t up for long-on the side of an apartment building located on the corner of Haight and Pierce. I had seen it go up over a period of a few weeks, and at each stage I enjoyed watching the work develop. When I saw that it was gone, I was really glad that I had “taken it in” this way. Don’t get me wrong. I would have preferred that the work not be so temporary, but it also reminded me to enjoy every day as we go.
Note: Most of the images in this post were taken with my camera and not my phone, as the artwork was removed before I could document it as planned.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/32146379″ iframe=”true” /]
Musical Artist: Tha Fruitbat
Title: Withered Spoonage (Free DL)
Taken as the piece was still in progress
Corner of Haight and Pierce [Map]
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