11-JUN-2007
Multiple worlds, Chinatown, San Francisco, California, 2007
Chinatown reflects both Asian traditions and the dynamic presence of a 21st century American city. The words on the wall are in an Asiatic language. They seem to be incongruously at odds with the woman who pushes her stroller beneath them. Another woman slumps next to a tree, her shopping bags at her feet. She seems to exist in a world of her own. This image would probably mean even more to those who understand the meaning of the words on that wall. A final incongruity is provided by the reflections in the windows – a futuristic cityscape appears to us, but neither of these women will ever see it.
(Since I first posted this image, viewer CeiPui Wong has emailed me to tell us that " the words in this image are written in Traditional Chinese, the 3 big words on the top line means "Very Delicious", the 5 words in bottom line means "A Leisure Eatery Place". Thanks, CeiPui. Now we can view this image with full context for it.
11-JUN-2007
Shoppers, Chinatown, San Francisco, California, 2007
Space is at a premium on the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Its neighborhood markets are chaotic places. I photographed these shoppers as they pushed their way into a shop. Behind them is a local delivery truck, its sides covered with garishly painted words. These indecipherable words symbolize the spontaneous nature of local commerce here and their colors are echoed in the maroon colored clothing of the woman who pushes a stroller before her. Additional context comes from the hand gesture of the other woman – she seems to be symbolically protecting herself from the turbulence of the streets of Chinatown.
13-JUN-2007
Cow Crossing, Point Reyes Seashore, California, 2007
Dairy cows graze on farms that sprawl across the twisting roads of the Point Reyes Seashore nature preserve. The words on this sign warn us of potential obstacles in the road. Although there is not another car in sight, we must proceed slowly. Very slowly. I build this image around the curving white lines that divide our territory from the bovine domain. The road carries us past the three subjects that stand to the right of it: a rock, a cow, and the words on that sign.
10-JUN-2007
Museum, Mare Island Shipyard, San Francisco, California, 2007
Time has ravaged this handsome sign, which tells us exactly when this building was constructed. Time has eroded not only the words on this sign, but also Mare Island itself. This naval shipyard was established in 1854, and closed in 1996. It was the Navy's oldest base on the west coast, building 512 ships and repairing hundreds more. This museum houses its memories. And this sign speaks of is abandonment.
11-JUN-2007
Graffiti, Petaluma, California, 2007
I made this image through the locked door of a local theatre. I shot into a dark corner – focusing on what seems to be a door to perhaps a hallway or storage area. All of it is covered by the words of a coded language spoken by the few to the many – graffiti. In some cases, graffiti is considered defacement and vandalism. In this case, it helps shape the character of this place. It symbolizes personal expression. This theatre houses local concerts that encourage improvisation, and the graffiti provides another outlet for such expression.
09-JUN-2007
Sweet Corn, Petaluma, California, 2007
This old truck was parked just outside of Petaluma's market. The rear doors opened to reveal these cartons of sweet corn. The words on the cartons provide the origin of the product, and promote its benefits. I repeat them six times, creating a mantra that embraces the pile of corn.
09-JUN-2007
WCTU Fountain, Petaluma, California, 2007
Petaluma has saved this concrete drinking fountain on a busy downtown corner. It was erected in 1891 by the Women's Christian Temperance Union – an organization dedicated to banning the sale and drinking of alcohol. The words engraved on this severe, monolithic fountain reflect 19th century morality. I built the image around this severity and its long shadow. The fountain still exists in the 21st century, and so does both the issue of Alcoholism and the WCTU.
08-JUN-2007
The Tenderloin, San Francisco, California, 2007
The Tenderloin is San Francisco’s inner city. Homeless people walk its streets by day and sleep on them by night. Yet the area is slowly becoming gentrified, and tourists cruise the neighborhood, too. This chaotic wall mural brightens a seedy street. It reaches out and absorbs passers-by, making them part of the urban scene as they pass. I layered this image with a white fire hydrant and police barricades in the foreground. The hydrant’s cap echoes the white cap on the person. And the sign on the barricades affirms their purpose – to keep people in check, restrict their movement, and control behavior. The barricades represent an attempt to maintain order in the midst of urban chaos. This person refuses to acknowledge their presence. The words on the sign may symbolize restrictions, yet the subject appears utterly unrestricted.
09-JUN-2007
Signage, Petaluma, California, 2007
Historical preservation of its old buildings and signage helps Petaluma maintain the image of a place where time seems to stand still. The image is made up words – some of them in fading paint on old brick, others in the neon tubing on a decaying sign over an old shop. These words speak of the times in which they were created. The effect of time on these signs is evident here as well. The advertising and marketing techniques of the early 20th century are incongruously still present on the streets of Petaluma in the early 21st century.
07-JUN-2007
Hearst Building, San Francisco, California, 2007
The Market Street home of William Randolph Hearst's publishing empire was in this building, which was designed by the famed architect Julia Morgan in 1909, and renovated in 1937. The ornamental grillwork over its front door brings a touch of deco nostalgia into the 21st century. I create an incongruity by juxtaposing this ornamental entry to the Hearst Building with a kiosk featuring an advertisement for men’s cosmetics. Just as Morgan created an ornamental screen for the building, the reflections in the curved glass of the kiosk offer a shimmering screen of light and shadow for the smoldering portrait behind it.
The entire image comes together, however, because of the words on the kiosk. The name of the city authenticates the scene – giving it a sense of place and identity.
09-JUN-2007
Vintage Chevy, Petaluma, California, 2007
This old car was parked across the street from the house where I was staying in Petaluma. I photographed it for a half hour, and boiled it down to the whimsically distinctive artwork on the lid of its trunk. I also noticed that the handle on the trunk tilted down on the left, so I tilted the camera slightly to make the license place lean a bit down at the right. These tilts, together with the feathery drawing, puts the image into motion. It is the simple word “Idaho” on the license plate that adds the final touch to this image. Idaho is a essentially a rural state, and the folksy drawing on this trunk lid would seem very much at home on a country road.
07-JUN-2007
The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, California, 2007
The Palace, built in 1875, survived the great earthquake of 1906, but was consumed by the fires that engulfed the city in its wake. It reopened in 1909, and its interior was completely restored eighty years later. My abstracted image features a plume of steam rising into the cold morning sky. The steam recalls the smoke that once poured from these same walls. The most important aspect of this image is the sign bearing the name of the hotel. Without that sign, it could be any building. With that sign, and some knowledge of San Francisco’s history, that steam becomes symbolic smoke.
