“A stranded time ship plays centuries of soundscapes revealing histories of the area”.
Sent Forth is conceived as a time-travelling airship which has been collecting audio recordings of San Francisco across the centuries. Recently, the airship has become stuck at Fort Mason Center. As it attempts to revive itself, visitors will hear fragments of collected soundscapes revealing histories of the area, both composed by the malfunctioning ship and influenced by the surrounding environment.
The piece includes a unique ‘Solid-Drive’ sound system which relies on the shape and materiality of the artwork to re-produce a sonic composition written by Shane Myrbeck of Arup’s San Francisco office. Site weather conditions will choreograph changes in light and sound. The design and fabrication of the piece is the work of Jefferson Mack, artist, blacksmith and master metalworker, who collaborated with Arup in development of the piece. Other support for Sent Forth was provided by BBI Engineering, SoundTube, Bruck Lighting, Van Bebber Bros, and Extron.
Arup is a lighting and acoustical consulting company, their team consisted of Josh Cushner, Kurt Graffy, Toby Lewis, Shane Myrbeck and Michael Whiteman.
Mack Metal had a second installation in this exhibit titled “Safe Harbor”.
“Bravery and courage saved the open boat journey of Ernest Shackleton and five companions”
The voyage of the James Caird was an open boat journey from Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 800 nautical miles. Undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions, its objective was to obtain rescue for the main body of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–17, trapped on Elephant Island after the loss of its ship Endurance. History has come to consider the James Caird’s voyage as one of the greatest open boat journeys ever accomplished.
Lawrence LaBianca is a New York City-born sculptor who now makes his home in San Francisco, where he shows with Sculptueresite Gallery. Lawrence creates metal, ceramic, wood, and glass objects and tool-forms that explore our relationship with nature through attention to craft, form, physicality, and the fluidity of the boundaries between these ideals. His work is both abstract and narrative, as the materials with which he works assume new and idiosyncratic identities.
Lawrence holds an MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he is currently a lecturer in interior architecture.
“SToP celebrates the decommissioning of Fort Mason – Swords to Ploughshares.”
Cary Bernstein graduated from Dartmouth College in 1984 with a B.A. in Philosophy and Russian Literature. She received an M.Arch. from the Yale School of Architecture in 1988.
The office of Cary Bernstein Architect is committed to progressive design resulting from thoughtful planning, focused attention to detail and the highest construction standards. Each project is developed in response to the unique combination of client, site and budget without the imposition of a preconceived style or solution. In addition to the promotion of architectural excellence, we offer exceptional service to our clients through all phases of design and construction.
Swords to ploughshares (or swords to plowshares) is a concept in which military weapons or technologies are converted for peaceful civilian applications.
The phrase originates from the Book of Isaiah, who prophesies of a future where there will be peace amongst all humankind:
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
The advent of air transportation in the post-war era made Fort Mason obsolete for military use. In the 1960s, the Department of Defense closed the port and eventually decommissioned all of Fort Mason.
The future of Fort Mason, and other former military sites, was the focus of lively debate at the local and national level. In the early 1970s, under the leadership of Congressman Phillip Burton to protect historic sites and make national parks more accessible, Congress established the first urban national park, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which includes Fort Mason Center.
Fort Mason Center, a nonprofit organization, partnered with the GGNRA and opened in 1977.
“In WWI & WWII, concrete ship building was pioneered in Oakland. Our dry docked SEAT uses a new high-performing concrete that allows for greater, thinner spans.”
Jennifer Weiss has over 18 years of architecture-related experience, including working for the architecture firms Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, KMD Architects, and Levy Design Partners, as well as for the General Contractor Ryan Associates as a construction Project Manager. She earned a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in both Architecture and Art History from Columbia University. Ms. Weiss also studied Architecture and Art History for one year in Paris, France through Columbia University. She has been a member of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Alumni Council, and has been admitted to the American Institute of Architects as an Associate.
The type of concrete used in this seat is Ductal. Ductal is a proprietary pre-mixed ultra-high performance concrete whose physical characteristics exceed those of common concrete used in the construction of buildings. It is manufactured by Lafarge and Bouygues. Ductal has high compressive strength and flexural resistance compared to other concretes. It also has high durability, abrasion resistance, and chemical/environmental resistances (e.g. freeze and thaw, salt water, etc.). Due to these properties, Ductal can be used in thinner cross-sections and in more varied applications than common concrete. Ductal is almost self placing and is best suited for precast elements or in-situ repair or upgrade works. The constituents of Ductal are cement, fine sand, silica fume and silica flour as a filler, additive and water, using a low water cement ratio and may include high-strength steel fibres or non-metallic fibres.
“A transient, contemporary ruin that stimulates the contemplation of forlorn beauty, time, weather, decay and distant shores.”
Again, an explanation for those not up on marine vocabulary, flotsam is the wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on or washed up by the sea. Just in case you were wondering Jetsam is unwanted material or goods that have been thrown overboard from a ship and washed ashore.
David runs Artefact in Sonoma, California. At Artefact you’ll find rare antique architectural pieces, decorative objects crafted from salvage, large-scale organic forms and exclusive home décor products. Our offerings include antique furniture, lighting, mirrors, teak outdoor furniture, garden ornaments and sculpture. We produce our own collection of unique gift items and unusual home decorations. We personally travel and gather decorative accessories from the US, Europe and Asia. Closer to home, we include in our collection carefully selected sculpture and paintings from prominent local artists, commissioned pieces and a growing range of pieces designed by founder Dave Allen.
Artefact sits on the edge of Cornerstone Gardens.
Cornerstone Gardens is an ever-changing series of walk-through gardens, showcasing new and innovative designs from the world’s finest landscape architects and designers. The first such gallery-style gardens in the United States.
The nine-acre gardens were inspired by the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire in France, Cornerstone Gardens aims to create a cultural and creative haven, celebrating the connection between art, architecture and nature. The gardens contribute to the art, philosophy and future of garden design; they focus on themes and ideas, establishing or uncovering new directions in garden design and art. Continually in a state of evolution, some garden installations will be in place for a season, while others will remain for several seasons.
The eel explores relationships between physical environment and human sensation. Traversing the spectrum from corporeal to ethereal, the eel responds to external stimuli by emitting both heat and light with ranges of color intensity. The eel is clearly solid matter. Yet – at times – it appears intangible and diffuse.
According to their vast, and fascinating website: Raveevarn began her design education in Bangkok, Thailand, at Chulalongkorn University. She continued her graduate studies in both Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Raveevarn received The Arthur Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship Award from Harvard University in 1996 and the LEF Foundation Grant in 1999.
Raveevarn is now an Associate Professor in Architecture Design at University of California at Berkeley. She is also a visiting professor and serves as a design critic at numerous academic institutions both in the States and abroad. Most recently, she holds a visiting professorship at University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Both of her design and academic work have been exhibited and published widely in the US and abroad.
The sculpture lights up, and in that context the title makes considerably more sense. To see pictures of the sculpture in the night go here.
“Simple chairs-fastened but movable-the same situation as the ships that once used the bollards”.
I must admit, this one so struck my fancy. The use of that gorgeous and immense bollard and the wonderful play on words were just perfect for this type of exhibit.
Born and raised in California, Baldon was a partner in his family’s wooden toy business before moving to San Francisco in 1984. After receiving his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he has studied and worked with some of the country’s leading studio furniture makers, including Garry Knox Bennett, Gail Fredell, Kim Kelzer, Thom Loeser, and Wendy Maruyama. In 1999, he helped to form a co-op studio in Alameda, California, where members pursue many commissioned and speculative furniture and sculptural works in a 5,000-square-foot wood and metal shop.
Since 2000 Russell has taught in the Furniture Program at CCA and additionally at Laney Community College.
“Designed to look like varied sizes of the Shovelnose Guitarfish, a species of the shark family living in the San Francisco Bay, these benches are meant for a human family to sit upon.”
According to Bruning’s website: Leslie Bruning was born in Syracuse, KS and raised in Nebraska. After studying at Graz Center in Austria, he graduated with BA-Art from Nebraska Wesleyan University. In 1970 he was awarded a MFA -Sculpture from Syracuse University. He is currently Chair of the Art Area of Bellevue University, Bellevue Nebraska.
“An homage to all the small boats that have plied the San Francisco Bay.”
According to Oliver DiCicco’s website: Oliver displays the versatility of a renaissance artist. He is a multi-talented designer who is at the same time sculptor, fabricator, scientist, engineer, and musician. The mix of playful curiosity, technical capability and aesthetic sensibility required to accomplish his broad range of work is astonishing.
After perusing Oliver’s website, I couldn’t agree more, his range of work truly is astonishing.
“Public seating for humans and bicycles, an essential for re-creation, personal development, and civilization. Reflect on values overlooked in your modern life.”
According to Jefferson Mack’s website he has been involved with the metal arts since 1990. Aside from architectural products, Jefferson Mack Metal features increasingly complete lines of furniture, lighting, fire and hearth accessories, as well as works for public commission.
“The Bracket Collection” by Pallet Studio provides dignified seating for anybody in mundane and over looked spaces.
The Pallet Studio artists are Michael Wlosek, Lukas Nickerson and Andrew Perkins. According to Michael Wlosek’s Facebook Page he studied architecture at California College of the Arts and is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
According to Lukas Nickerson’s website: “I am interested in existing within the confluence of old century craft and modern technology, starting in the present and exploring the past; investigating what isolation from the modern world can bring back to the 21st century city.” He is a wonderful furniture designer.
According to Andrew Perkins website: “Born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Andrew now calls San Francisco his home. Designing and building locally with organic and recyclable materials is central to his work. However, Andrew strongly believes that sustainable design is foremost about the quality and emotional longevity of the object. Andrew strives for this core principle by combining his experience as a cabinetmaker with a world class education in design. He knows that if the idea isn’t present than the object will not persist.” He too is an accomplished designer and furniture manufacturer.
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This piece is high up on a retaining wall. The chair is by Brian Goggins and is very similar to his Defenestration Piece running South of Market.
The description that accompanies the piece is “Fortitude” A submarine chair transforms our perception of space and objects. This “submarine chair” is a chair found on WWII submarines known to be “fashionably indestructible”.
People in submarines eventually need to sit down, and in 1944 aluminum company ALCOA collaborated with the U.S. Navy on the purpose-built 1006 Chair, also known as the Navy Chair or Submarine Chair. The design brief had at least one interesting bulletpoint: The chair had to be “torpedo-proof.”
The resultant super-strong chair is still in production today, manufactured by aluminum chair company Emeco.
Emeco even teamed up with Coca-Cola to make the chairs from recycled plastic.