Friday Five
Now on the precipice of the weekend, it’s clear that we’re in for at least two more days of opaque, thick, smoky skies. Even with Wednesday’s ominous orange skies behind us — though forever cemented in our minds and, one day, probably referenced in history books — the air quality continues to sit at “unhealthy levels” in San Francisco, with much (read: most) of the Bay Area still boasting hazardous air conditions. Suffice to say, now’s not the best time to get out for a walk to appreciate our city’s best public artworks. Or open a window. Or smell the flowers.
But, in lieu of long walks to the beach and socially distant strolls, familiarize yourself with these public light displays, and let them bring some light and levity to your otherwise sheltered-in, air-filtered day. If you’re fortunate enough to live near one of these displays, look out your window tonight — and appreciate how, despite the doom and gloom, their bright lights can still pierce through this dystopian landscape.
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For the time being, digitally appreciate these five sublime public light artworks in San Francisco. And when the air does inevitably clear up, take an evening outing to see them IRL.
1. Islais
Located at Bayview Gateway — nestled in the recently renovated space along Islais Creek Park — this statue by Cliff Garten is a 20-foot-tall, stainless steel construction that’s meant to mirror the ebbs and flows of Islais Creek itself. (It mirrors the original bends of the wide creek… before concrete and buildings diverted its direction.) When our solar system’s star goes down, the stringed LEDs, which are woven along with the steel, illuminate the metal statue, making it appear to undulate like a running stream. During the day, the blue-hued steel nods to the color palette of the creek it’s named after.
Third Street and Cargo Way (Bayview-Hunters Point)
2. Hope Will Never Be Silent
Designed by Illuminate founder Ben Davis, this uplifting, small-scale public light display at Harvey Milk Plaza, right above Soul Cycle in The Castro, pays tribute to the late LGBTQ rights icon Harvey Milk. Davis intended the piece to sit as a glowing symbol of strength and inspiration amid times of strain and strife — which we’re, unfortunately, all experiencing right now… orange skies and all.
400 Castro Street (The Castro)
3. The Seed
Just across Harvey Milk Plaza at nearby Jane Warner Plaza, Los Angeles-based Aphidoidea’s The Seed — a collection of six 13-foot-tall LED dandelion seeds — is meant to symbolize how a single wish, when carried by the wind, can hold enough weight to inspire a movement. The structures predominantly glow hues of purple and blue; during Pride Month, their lights are set to show a rainbow of colors to celebrate radical acceptance.
4235 19th Street (The Castro)
4. Language of the Birds
The theme of floating grandeur is common with many of our city’s public light displays — Caruso’s Dream and The Bay Lights come to mind — and Chinatown’s Language of the Birds is no exception to that notion. It’s a permanent, site-specific sculpture placed at a pedestrian plaza connecting Chinatown and North Beach. The artwork’s suspended (and splayed open), larger-than-life books mirror the movement of migrating birds; the bindings and pages mimic the “flap” of a bird in flight. LEDs illuminate each volume and pulse at different times, cementing the idea that these dangled pieces of art act as a singular body — a flock on the go. Better yet: Language of the Birds is the first solar power-offset public artwork in California.
320 Columbus Avenue (Chinatown)
5. The Bay Lights
Speaking of The Bay Lights: No list of San Francisco’s best public light displays is complete without a mention of this 1.8-mile-wide utilitarian canvas that is the Bay Bridge, which includes an LED light sculpture that’s over 500 feet high. Per Illuminate, the entire installation was done to commemorate the Bay Bridge’s 75th anniversary. Artist Leo Villareal went about creating a never-repeating, awe-inspiring showcase of 25,000 white LED lights that span the western side of the Bay Bridge. Originally intended for a two-year run, the Bay Lights may now sparkle indefinitely — and we’re forever grateful that it will glimmer for, hopefully, decades and generations to come.
…It’s on that giant car-catwalk that connects San Francisco to Oakland
