New temporary public art project at Hayes Green

“Golden Gateway” temporary sculpture by Seyed Alavi (photo by Stefan Hastrup)

Contact: Jill Manton, SF Arts Commission
415-252-2585
jill.manton@sfgov.org

Workers put the finishing touches in place yesterday as the power was connected to illuminate The Golden Gateway, a temporary artwork by Seyed Alavi at the Hayes Green commissioned through a partnership among the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association and the Department of City Planning. The artwork was selected as the result of a competition limited to Bay Area artists by a panel including Hayes Valley neighbors, arts professionals, an Arts Commissioner and City Planning staff. The sculpture will be on display until March, 2007, when another temporary art installation will soon follow.

The sculpture is intended to create a welcoming presence in the Hayes Green and provide another Golden Gateway for the city. The artist’s design was inspired by Tibetan prayer flags and is intended to be interactive, changing from one moment to the next with each current of wind. Hayes Valley resident Stefan Hastrup says, “The most interesting aspect of the installation is the ephemeral fabric surface, which changes dramatically in different light and weather. In a light breeze, the structure will suddenly dematerialize, transforming the ‘Arc de Triomphe’ into a tattered piñata. As we hoped, the piece has a lantern-like quality that seems to anticipate autumn.”

Mayor Newsom is a great advocate of public art, regarding it as an indicator of a vital and animated city. Last year, the Arts Commission embarked upon a series of temporary public art projects, partnering with organizations such as the Black Rock Arts Foundation and San Francisco State University. Following The Golden Gateway, in spring 2007, the Arts Commission will install a miniature golf course based upon Hayes Valley landmarks, created by the artist team of Wowhaus. This will be the 14 th temporary project erected in the city over the past year and a half. The Arts Commission will seek alternative funding sources to allow more temporary projects to continue at the Hayes Green. Arts Commissioner Jeannene Przyblyski says, “Public art has the power to define a place and make it a destination. It helps people to inhabit their place and imagine their lives differently.”

Seyed Alavi has displayed his work in gallery and museum settings such as The New Museum of Contemporary Art and Franklin Furnace in New York City, the University Art Museum at Cal State Long Beach, the de Saisset Museum and San Francisco’s Capp Street Project. Seyed has also received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the US-Japan Creative Artist’s Fellowship, the California Arts Council, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Haas Creative Work Fund, among others. His numerous public art projects are nationally recognized. One example is a 150-foot-long carpet design for the Sacramento International Airport which is based upon an aerial view of the Sacramento River.