Defenestration Art San Francisco, CA A day in San Francisco will yield several gems. The iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, the infamous “Painted Ladies”, and historic Fishermans Wharf are just some of the popular destinations. Even a snapshot of the intersection of Haight and Ashbury have captured travelers over the years. There is one art piece, however, that seems to elude many. A little over two miles south of Fishermans Wharf, and just walking distance from City Hall, is the unassuming corner of 6th Street and Howard Street. Looking around, this seems like another charming San Francisco neighborhood. But when you look up beyond the intricate graffiti that adorns 1005 Howard Street, youll see something a little bit... unusual. Sofas appear to be pushed out of the buildings windows. Dressers seem to be taking a tumble to the street below. Lamps, televisions... even a grandfather clock seems to have succumb to gravitational forces, but with one curious detail; these items all have the appearance of being frozen in time as they are seemingly discarded out of assorted windows. Welcome to Brian Goggins “site-specific” art piece, titled “Defenestration Art”. Defenestration (defined as “throwing of a person or thing out of a window”) is a unique sculpture that encompasses not only the objects that are being thrown, but rather the entire four-story building to which they are attached. Some pieces, as stated, appear frozen. Others are cartoonishly bent or distorted. Others still, appear to have attached themselves to the buildings exterior, their legs not unlike those of an insect crawling along a wall. “Defenestration” is attached to the now-abandoned Hugo Hotel. The hotel itself dates to a time just after the 1906 quake, when it was a weekly housing unit for local workers. Unfortunately in 1988, a fire destroyed most of the interior, and there was no interest in renovating it. The owners decided to hang on to the building, in the event the South of Market neighborhood took off. Sadly, that was not the case, and the citys Redevelopment Agency took over the building in 2008 by eminent domain, and paid the owners just over $4.5 million. In 1997, Goggin had negotiated with the property owner and pitched his idea for his art piece, and it was well received. It took Goggin a total of six months to install the pieces to what is now seen by passers-by. His idea was simply to take discarded items (the pieces that make up “Defenestration” are all “found” objects), and give the impression that they are being, well... discarded. His concept was also a testament to the many members of the community (which has been close to skid-row status), in that they, like the furniture, have a feeling of being under-appreciated to the point of being cast off. To ad a little more complexity to the idea, Goggin has stated that “The act of throwing out becomes an uplifting gesture of release, inviting reflection on the spirit of the people we live with, the objects we encounter, and the places in which we live.” Quite profound, once you think about it as more than just a quirky art piece. Additionally, the graffiti that adorns the ground floor is perceived as anything but a nuisance; Goggin considers it “a rotating gallery for the vibrant artwork of street muralists” Sadly, there has been discussion of the Redevelopment Agency finally converting the building into a functioning hotel in the winter of 2014. This means that Goggin is required to uninstall his pieces, relocate, and redefine them elsewhere. The Agency has shown interest in keeping a few pieces in the lobby of the future hotel, as a testament to what was once there, thereby st least attempting to give “Defenestration” some sense of permanence.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 03:05:08 +0000
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