The Dust Never Settles: Artists Respond to the Centennial of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Curator. San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries: Various sites. June - August 2006.
Artists: Kate Pocrass (downtown kiosks), Margaret Tedesco (SF Public Library), Claudia Tennyson (SFAC Main Gallery), Patricia Diart (Grove Street)
The Dust Never Settles is an exhibition of four visual projects by San Francisco-based artists exploring the 1906 earthquake from a contemporary perspective. Located in various physical and virtual sites, the projects pose such questions as: What would it be like to live through another disaster of that magnitude, and are we prepared for such a happening? What does it mean when we try to piece together the past through archival material? When confronted with the prospect of losing everything, what really matters?
PROJECT: Patricia Diart, The Rate of Transfer
Location: SFAC window installation space at 155 Grove Street
Patricia is in residence throughout the exhibition dates (Wednesday – Saturday, 11am-5pm) in our window installation space on Grove Street adjacent to City Hall. As visitors pass this highly visible site they will see the artist attempting to reconstruct a kitchen from the debris of a recent demolition. Although it is not possible to duplicate history by piecing together fractured bits, it is possible to cherish those fragments in the framework of the present. Her tender performative gesture represents a heroic yet futile attempt to rebuild the past. In the evening a video of the original demolition provides context for the work in progress. This project is sponsored by NORCAL Waste Systems, Inc.
PROJECT: Kate Pocrass, That which I refuse to leave behind
Locations: JCDecaux Kiosks around the City (July and August) and a Blog
Kate asked local residents what one object they would take with them if faced with having to evacuate their homes. Photographs of these objects along with a quote from the owner will be made into a series of posters set to occupy 34 JCDecaux kiosks around San Francisco in July and August. The posters invite the public to visit the SFAC Gallery web site and post an image of your chosen object with a short explanation of why you would protect that particular item. Acknowledging that anyone’s life can change in an instant, the blog provides an opportunity for international participation.
PROJECT: Margaret Tedesco, nineteen hundred o six – two thousand o six
Locations: SFAC Gallery at 401 Van Ness Avenue, and also at the San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, Book Arts and Special Collections Center,
As a point of departure Margaret uses eyewitness accounts of the time prior to and following the 1906 earthquake to examine the wide range of physical and emotional states experienced during a catastrophe. Utilizing clips from films such as National Velvet Margaret has created a series of 10 flipbooks (ed. 10) that illustrate human responses to situations out of our control. The flipbooks are exhibited alongside images from the films at both the SFAC Gallery and the Public Library, and are available for purchase at the Gallery. This project is sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library.
PROJECT: Claudia Tennyson, Surroundings
Location: SFAC Gallery at 401 Van Ness Avenue
Claudia’s project occupies the majority of the Gallery at 401 Van Ness. Inspired by photos of uprooted survivors of the 1906 earthquake camped out with their furniture, her exhibition focuses on home furnishings as the basis for shelter in the event of another disaster. The project also addresses current issues of homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. Tables, chairs and bureaus are converted into “living spaces” in an attempt to create comfort, privacy and a sense of home without architecture.