Crafted out of steel and aluminum and painted with a durable urethane alkyd enamel, the ornamental crowns are sort of Victorian architecture that is intended to recall the neighborhood’s past history. The Department of Public Works added a decorative paving design based on Victorian wallpaper to the sidewalk surrounding the poles. These are meant to be community bulletin boards, and believe me, they are covered with postings. It is nice to have the city admit that phone polls like this are coated everyday with notices, why not produce something artistic and functional.
Michael received his BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute and his MFA at Stanford University. He is currently a Visiting Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.
You can see by the photos that they are in a very vibrant part of town and fit perfectly with their surroundings.
According to Michael’s website he is is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. Though visual, his art revolves largely around language. Directly informed by Historic events, material significance, and the format of jokes, his subject matter deals with sociopolitical circumstances where power relations are unbalanced.As a naturalized American, there is a geographic dimension to Michael’s investigation of cultural markers. These markers are embedded in objects, food, architecture, visual lexicons, and vernacular languages. For instance, vernacular Tagalog, is infused with Spanish and English words, lending itself to verbal mutation. This malleability result in wordplay and jokes that transform words like Persuading to First wedding, Tenacious to Tennis Shoes, Devastation to The Bus Station, and Masturbation to Mass Starvation. His practice draws from the sensibility of both insider and outsider- subtly jumbling signifier, material, linguistics, and site.
Michael was born in Manila, Philippines, and migrated to the Los Angeles area at ten years of age. He relocated to San Francisco to attend the San Francisco Art Institute where he received a BFA. And later, he attended Stanford University for his MFA. He currently lives and works in San Francisco, California.
The decorative sidewalks
This project was funded by the San Francisco Art Commission for $52,000.
What fun! I like the blue color and design. I always enjoy another glimpse of the city…gotta plan to come in and see for myself soon.
And in this very high tech age, how refreshing to have a message pole!
I love them! The first time I saw them I was so excited. BTW, I go to Puerto Alegre all the time or I used to before the second baby. My husband and I have spent a lot of time eating and drinking margaritas there.
Oh, and Bombay Bazar has the best young coconut ice cream.
What a great idea! Much more fun and interesting than a boring flat community notice board 🙂
That is so creative! I like it, and it does fit perfectly with the surroundings. San Francisco’s such a beautiful city!
I walked by here on Monday and I was so busy drooling over Puerto Alegre that I didn’t even notice the post. Valencia really is looking better these days, though Bombay Bazar was vacant as were many other storefronts.