PUBLIC ART PROPOSALS FOR

Soma West-McCoppin Garden

On view at the LBGT Community Center

1800 Market Street, San Francisco, 94102

Proposal Exhibition Dates: Monday, July 19 – Saturday July 31, 2010

Three artists were selected by the Soma West Improvements Selection Panel to create artwork proposals for the future community garden at McCoppin Street cul de sac. The finalists for this project – Michael Hayden, Scott Oliver and Rebar – have created proposals for artwork at the center of the garden in a raised planting bed.

The Selection Panel is scheduled to meet Tuesday, August 3^rd, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., at the Arts Commission offices, located at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70.  One artist will be selected at this meeting, which is open to the public.

Comments can be emailed to Eleanor Beaton at eleanor.beaton@sfgov.org by 5 p.m. August 4.  Please note that comments made by members of the public do not constitute a vote.  Comments will be summarized and shared with the Selection Panel.

Please take a few minutes to review these artwork proposals.

MICHAEL HAYDEN

Click Here to see a PDF of the Proposal

The Lumetric Sculpture (which dimensions shall be just under 8’ long X just over 5’ wide and will stand at almost 9’ tall from grade), I have designed, expressly for the McCoppin Garden project, will utilize an articulated, holographically originated, transmission diffraction grating, which has been embossed onto 3 mil polyester film.  When struck by sunlight (or by automobile headlights in the evening), this installation will diffract all the colors of the rainbow. This “CRYSTALS” articulation (protected, by having received a vacuum deposited, high refractive index coating), will be laminated onto 3/8” clear impact resistive acrylite panels.

This particular “Crystals” articulation has been created by Master Holographers – Chris Rich and Joel Peterson, at their facility: Wavefront Technologies, located at 7350 Somerset Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723, (562) 634-0434 <www.wft.bz>.

Chris and Joel have created specific holographic solutions for over two dozen of my Lumetric installations since 1994.

The lamination of Wavefront’s film will be performed by the FLEXcon Corporation, which has often performed this task for me on very little advanced notice.  Please see their estimated price quote + an accompanying e-mail explaining how these prices were arrived at, included with my tally of all expenses.

I expect that this Sculpture will require only very periodic cleaning (with any household dishwashing detergent + a soft cotton cloth.) I have had similar installations need a simple brief cleaning, no more than once yearly.  When I make my formal presentation to the Project Selection Panel, I will demonstrate how graffiti can be easily removed from the sculpture’s surface, by utilizing either Naptha (which is also known as White Gas or as Camp-Fuel) or Denatured Alcohol (also known as Methyl Hydrate) neither of which cause any detrimental impact to the sculpture’s Lexan surfaces and both are available at any neighborhood Hardware Store.

Every sunny day we can expect surface diffraction (and the projection of rainbows), to be generated … splashes of spectra to occur at different times of day, seen from different locations and for varying durations, seasonally.

The fabrication of this artwork will be performed by Rick and Jenell Routley at their facility: Q and I Plastics, located at 445 Portal Street, Unit #9, Cotati, California 94931, (707) 795-0612.  Rick and Jenell have expertly fabricated all the plastic components of my major Lumetric installations – world wide for the past two decades.

As can be seen by perusing the illustrations provided – it is my intention to have the sculpture installed with clearance between its bottom edge and the earth of the garden.  This will be accomplished via three concrete secured galvanized pipes that will intersect with and be through-bolted to just above the bottom edges of the sculpture.  I have chosen this method, to minimize the support system’s visual impact and yet maximize its being very well anchored.  I intend to oversee/supervise the creation of all components to be utilized, and their fabrication, delivery and installation processes and I expect that no engineering report will be needed, for this sculpture’s very simple fabrication and installation procedures.

I have already constructed and hand-delivered a maquette of my proposal; which is alluded-to on this proposal layout.  If I am successful in being awarded the commission to fabricate this site-specific sculpture – I expect that I will be able to deliver it (upon my fully insured, 18’ tandem wheeled trailer – which over 30 years ago, I had outfitted expressly to transport my sculptures to locations all over North America … from Vancouver BC to Ft. Worth TX); ready for installation, within a month of my having received the initial down payment.

SCOTT OLIVER

Click Here to see a PDF of the Proposal

A. Description

LUNGS/TREE is a proposed sculpture for the McCoppin Street Community Garden Project to be located where McCoppin St. terminates at the 101/Octavia Blvd. freeway off-ramp. The form of the sculpture is based on an inverted human “bronchial tree” (the network of air passages in the lungs that bring oxygen to the blood and carry away carbon dioxide) enlarged to the proportions of a typical street tree. The sculpture will be approximately 18 feet in height and 12’ to 15’ wide. It will be fabricated by welding decreasing diameters of stainless steel pipe, tube, and rod (12”–15” at the base, down to ½” at the outer branches). The surface of LUNGS/TREE will be treated with a chemical patinating agent to produce an oxidized finish varying from light to dark orange-brown. The base of the sculpture will be attached to a concrete footer below soil level in the central planting bed so that the connection will not be visible. A structural engineer will determine the exact attachment method.

Through highlighting the formal similarities between the internal structure of human lungs and the external structure of trees, LUNGS/TREE functions as a symbol of the interconnected living processes of plants and people, or more broadly, of plants and animals. Representing lungs and tree simultaneously, LUNGS/TREE references both photosynthesis (plants) and respiration (animals)—a ceaseless exchange of food and oxygen for water and carbon dioxide. More concretely this sculpture will reflect the activities of the community garden surrounding it—a place where the relationship between plants and people will be both visible and dynamic.

The close proximity of the freeway off-ramp is also significant here. Cars, like people, burn fuel and oxygen releasing water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but along with other fuel-burning human activities, at a rate that exceeds the ability of plants (and oceans) to absorb it. Excess CO₂ is a major cause of global warming not to mention bad air quality. Visible to drivers as they exit the freeway onto city streets, LUNGS/TREE serves as a gentle reminder that we participate in an ecosystem larger than our city and that each of us bears some responsibility for the overall health of the resources we share.

B. Maintenance Requirements

There should be little to no maintenance requirements for LUNGS/TREE. It will be made exclusively from stainless steel, including any hardware used in attaching the sculpture to the footing. Stainless steel is highly resistant to the corrosive effects of outdoor conditions. The patina finish is only a surface treatment and will in no way compromise the integrity of the stainless steel. The only foreseeable maintenance would be repairs caused by vandalism, though the durability of the material also makes this sculpture resistant to vandalism.

C. Artist’s Role

In addition to conceptualizing this artwork I will oversee all aspects of design, fabrication and installation. It is important to me that this artwork be realized according to my specific vision. I have close working relationships with both the architect, Erik Bloom, who’ll be helping me create technical drawings for the fabricator; and the fabricator, Hellikson Design & Mfg. I will work with Bloom and HD&M to develop an efficient fabrication method and then drawings that will serve as reference during the fabrication process. Kenneth Hughes, the preferred structural engineer of HD&M, will provide structural drawings and specifications that will be integrated into the fabrication process as well as the site work. I will also work with the city to coordinate the site work and ensure that it meets with our specifications. During fabrication I will be in constant contact with the fabricator and make regular visits to HD&M to oversee and assist with fabrication. I will also be present to oversee and assist with installation. HD&M will implement all aspects of fabrication, transportation and installation of the artwork.

Subcontractors:

Erik Bloom, Architect/draftsman

122 Ellsworth St.

San Francisco CA 94110

510-541-6294

Hellikson Design & Manufacturing, Fabricator

722 36^th Ave., #B

Oakland CA 94601

510-532-9006

Kenneth R. Hughes, Structural Engineer

3620 Mt. Diablo Blvd. #203

Lafayette CA 94549

925-284-2808

D. Timeline

As yet no construction schedule exists for the McCoppin Garden Project. The following schedule is broken into two phases that would most likely be separated by a few months for the bid process and construction of the site. Once a construction schedule is established for this project I am happy to work with the city to develop a more detailed timeline that corresponds to the construction schedule. Phase 1 will need to take place before bid documents go out.

Phase 1

• Create working drawings for fabricator and structural engineer                                    1 week

• Engineer and fabricator review drawings and provide feed back                                   1 week

• Revised drawings provided to fabricator and engineer                                                 1 week

• Engineer creates drawings and specifications for concrete footing and                        2-3 weeks
attachment. Fabricator orders materials based on drawings, incorporating
structural engineering. Artist works with city to integrate structural drawings
into bid set for site contractor.

Phase 2

• Fabrication and finishing of artwork                                                                    6 weeks

• Transportation and installation of artwork                                                            1 day

E. Additional Materials

I plan to bring a sample “branch” with me to the interview to share with the review panelists. The sample will show material, fabrication technique and finish (patina).

REBAR

Click Here to see a PDF of the Proposal

A. Project Narrative

Flutter•By is a large-scale steel sculpture composed of two butterflies in flight, rendered in an assemblage of reconfigured street signs and mounted on tall steel poles. The piece is designed to punctuate a moment in time, as the SOMA West-McCoppin corridor undergoes a radical transformation from an underutilized fragment of asphalt to a lush new community garden and cultural landmark.

Flutter•By is assembled entirely out of pre-fabricated, existing urban street furnishings. The bodies of the two butterflies are composed of common street signs, which have been cut into pleasingly curvilinear shapes and riveted together to form colorfully patterned wings. The steel support poles consist of repurposed traffic light mast arms, a common urban structure found at nearly every controlled intersection in the City.

The sculpture is designed for the enjoyment of two distinct groups of viewers.

Flutter•By is an arresting sculptural landmark for garden visitors, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and other travelers along the Valencia Street. In addition, by elevating the sculptures high above the garden, the piece can be enjoyed as a casual visual marker by automobile drivers as they exit the freeway onto Octavia Boulevard.

The choice of butterflies as the primary subject of the sculptures is significant for a number of reasons. Butterflies are a crucial element in any garden that contains flowering plants; without butterflies or other pollinating animals, flowering plants die quickly, unable to propagate. We also hope to remind viewers that the city still contains ecosystems that are not devised by humans. Despite our best attempts to organize and control the urban environment through paving and building, there is an ineluctable wildness, even wilderness, that grows and thrives in the cracked pavement, the vacant lots, the interstitial niches that a diverse array of plants and animals call home. In a sense, Flutter•By is an ode to the non-human residents of San Francisco.

Flutter•By punctuates the new McCoppin garden project with a visually arresting and thematic sculpture. The piece is a prime example of Rebar’s experimental use of mundane urban street furniture as a medium for exploring new ways to engage and understand the structures and symbols that comprise the contemporary urban landscape.

Physical Description

Flutter•By comprises two gently-arcing steel poles which are each capped with a butterfly sculpture. The steel poles are repurposed traffic mast arms, which can either be procured directly from the City of San Francisco, another local municipality, or by any number of manufacturers, such as Valmont Industries in Valley, Nebraska. To account for the possible necessity of purchase of the mast arms, we have budgeted accordingly.

The butterflies will be made of standard, widely available traffic signs, which will be cut into curvilinear shapes and riveted together. These street signs are made of aluminum, as are the rivets that will pin them together. Because aluminum cannot be welded to the steel mast arms, the connection system between the butterflies and the mast arms will most likely be mechanical; that is, it will be a connection using bolts instead of welded metal.

The steel masts will be painted in a dark green color, in order to blend in with the garden and its surroundings, and to highlight the butterflies. The butterflies will remain unpainted (though coated with a durable, anti-graffiti clear coat) to highlight the graphics and colors of the street signs of which they are constructed. To achieve a range of colors that allude generally to the natural coloring of an iconic butterfly (such as a monarch, We will use the following street signs: stop signs, school signs, orange “working” signs, yellow traffic signs.

Flutter•By is approximately 18 feet tall, and the wingspan of the larger butterfly is 6 feet; the smaller butterfly is 5 feet.

B. Maintenance

Because Flutter•By uses materials that are designed and fabricated for long-term outdoor use, maintenance for the piece is expected to be minimal. Prior to installation, all elements of the sculpture will be treated with clear, protective anti-graffiti coating.

C. Concept to Structure – the Fabrication and Installation Process

1. Architecture and Engineering

Because two of Rebar’s principals are professional landscape architects, Rebar will develop and provide all necessary project design services, including CAD drawings and schematics to assist the structural engineer in developing the designs and calculations necessary for the construction of the piece. Rebar will oversee project design, development and fabrication at every stage of the process.

Structural engineering calculations regarding the steel pole angles, weight loads, attachment system and the footing system will be developed in collaboration with

EndresWare, an architectural and structural engineering firm. Rebar has worked with EndresWare on two prior large scale public art projects, including Street Life, a sculpture commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission. Contact: Ben Corotis, EndresWare, 2607 7th Street Suite B, Berkeley CA 94710, ben@endresware.com, 510-845-3906, www.endresware.com.

2. Fabrication and Painting

Fabrication of the sculpture, including all necessary sign cutting, sign riveting, attachment mechanism fabrication, and the footing/street attachment system will be performed by Rebar at our studio and shop in the Mission District. Certified welders and welding inspectors can be hired to weld any structural welding that requires certification and inspection. Painting of the mast arms will be performed by Rick Gomez, Professional Finishing, 770 Market Street, Richmond, CA, 94801, 510-233-7629, www.professionalfinishing.com.

3. Transportation

The piece will be fabricated a constructed and assembled at Rebar, located on 20th &Folsom Street in San Francisco, approximately 1 mile from the project site. From there it will be transported via flatbed truck to McCoppin Garden for installation.

4. Installation

Installation will be handled by a suitable contractor licensed to conduct business with the City of San Francisco. Rebar will oversee and participate as necessary and appropriate in the installation process. Depending on consultation with the structural engineer and installation contractor, and subject to budget restrictions, the piece may be installed in two separate phases: First, the foundation is poured and the mast arm poles mounted onto the foundation. Second, the butterfly sculptures are hoisted up to the top of the mast arms using a crane, and attached on-site. To accommodate the potential two-step installation process, we have allocated $9,000 for installation.