Public Art Proposal Display

Art Proposals for Cityside Park - Treasure Island

Public Comment Period:

August 05, 2024 to August 19, 2024

Proposal Viewing Location

Public Comment
View the Proposals

The San Francisco Arts Commission is conducting a review process to choose an artist to create a sculpture to be integrated into a forthcoming park along the western edge of Treasure Island called Cityside Park. 

The project has the following goals:

  • Engage and delight the viewer to enrich their experience of Cityside Park and help make it a destination for residents and visitors alike
  • Artwork may be whimsical, playful or interactive in nature (without having moving parts or being play equipment)
  • Enhance the viewer’s experience of the intended uses of the site by creating a work that will lift the spirits, inspire awe, laughter or joy
  • Consider the past and present character of Treasure Island and the new development that is emerging
  • Consider Treasure Island’s unique ecology and maritime environment of bright and brilliant sunshine, intense periods of fog and strong winds and its unique vantage point in the bay
  • Engage artists with a meaningful connection to the San Francisco Bay Area

Five artists were chosen as finalists by the Cityside Park Selection Panel to further develop their site-specific proposals for this artwork opportunity: Artida Arts, Ben Butler, HYBYCOZO, Ned Kahn, and Shan Shan Sheng. 

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The Pacific Queen

Artida Arts

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The Pacific Queen, a cephalopod “alien,” distanced from us by 750 million years of evolution, is bestowed with an intelligence and perception that echoes the ecological, political, and AI challenges we encounter in everyday life. A creature of mystery, she serves as a model of altruism, motherhood, and self-sacrifice.

Standing around 16 feet in height, the silicon bronze cast sculpture will be patinaed in a rusty pink/ochre, green modulating color, the natural color of the octopus as well as the silicon bronze. Over time, the tentacles will be touched by the visitors, emphasizing the beauty of the worn polished bronze, engineered with 316 stainless steel structure. A modeling light source will be located on the underside of the d with a vable panel for access and maintenance purposes. (see QR code for simulation). This lighting system, provided by a well-known company located in California, are used for outdoor units for wash/lighting and accents for buildings, proven for their durability and industrial standard. 

San Francisco is a City like no other, for its diversity, pioneering spirit and ingenuity. Outdoor life is folded into an artistic interpretation of agony and ecstasy in everyone you encounter. We would like to expand on this sense of inclusiveness of Treasure Island’s concept, by creating this sculpture that links many cultures from the neighboring Hawaiian Islands and Japan, to the indigenous Ohlone people who did not fear the octopus because they considered it as a “relative.”   

On close encounters, this Queen evokes our sense of friendship, inclusiveness, harmony, and regeneration. A tale of a cultural rainbow, for which San Francisco is splendidly famous.

Bronze is known for its durability and corrosion- resistant properties. We have been working with a company in California that is cited for its patina expertise, and they confirm that with their products it will be necessary, once every two years, to clean and check the conditions of the bronze sculpture.  Anyone specialized in the field can be engaged with easy maintenance for decades to come. Their products maintain the patina in place, however, any curator that is trustworthy can be engaged.  Vandalism is always possible, but the material used and the eight-point of anchorage will give a strong resistance.

View a larger image of The Pacific Queen by Artida Arts

Bay Bow

Ben Butler

Butler Cityside Park Proposal.jpgBay Bow is a dynamic and celebratory reflection of Treasure Island and its surroundings.

The broad, abstract sculpture is highly suggestive of many forms and is 
directly inspired by the vocabulary of its maritime setting, evoking at once a shore bird taking flight, the hand-crafted curve of a ship's bow, the elegant form of the suspension bridge. This hybrid quality - the grace and wildness of nature and the elegance and precision of human engineering, in equal parts - simultaneously imparts 
a sense of both familiarity and curiosity. Bay Bow aims to serve as a bold and iconic landmark, but also as an enigmatic invitation to wonder. 

The sculpture is built entirely from Accoya wood, strongly evoking a craft tradition and tying the work to the natural world. Accoya is a FSC certified sustainable product. It is made from responsibly harvested timber and treated with a non-toxic process to create a stable wood that resist decay. It is both bio-friendly and incredibly durable, making is an ideal material for this project. 

The sculpture is perched on painted steel columns, elevating its elegant form and welcoming visitors to walk under and around it to explore its surprisingly complex geometry. The full installation measures 30' wide, 26' deep, and 26' in height. 

 

 

 

View a larger image of Bay Bow by Ben Butler

Prevailing Winds

HYBYCOZO

Our sculpture, Prevailing Winds, made of 316L stainless steel, stands approximately 20x20x10 ft, and, subject to material testing, will be finished with either a marine-grade gold powder coat or a satin stainless steel 220 DA finish. Our goal is to create a site-specific public installation with a geometric form that invokes a sense of wonder and playfulness, develop a windswept pattern that evokes the airflow and waves around the site, develop a visually remarkable day and night experience, center our experience as Bay Area artists in a time of broad social and technological change.TreasureIsland_HYBYCOZO_review_02.jpg

Prevailing Winds takes its geometric inspiration from the redesigned city street grid of Treasure Island. Cleverly plotted at an angle against the prevailing winds from the ocean, the predominant shape of the parallelogram forms the basis of our sculptural design. Known as a rhombic dodecahedron, this polyhedron has several unique properties. First, it tessellates 3D space like blocks, allowing them to be easily stacked. Second, it has distinct and varied views. From one perspective, it looks like a 3D drawing of a cube, and from another side, a 2D drawing of diamonds. This combination creates a sense of wonder for visitors exploring how a sculpture can look like a stack of children’s blocks from one perspective and a drawing by MC Escher from another.

Our desire is to create an iconic installation that will be emblematic of this new development on Treasure Island while connecting it to its unique environmental context. We hope to create a landmark truly treasured by the local community. As artists who had their first studio in Building 180 on Treasure Island, we were part of a community of industrial artists figuring out how to integrate technology into our artworks.

I imagine the artists who created for the Golden Gate Exposition felt a similar sense of possibility and the unknown. They, too, were creating art at the precipice of an explosion of technology and a total reorganization of society at the end of the 1930s. In retrospect, it is easy to see that we only had access to these buildings on Treasure Island, the last remaining vestiges of the industrial age, because they were about to be torn down to make way for changes in the Bay Area sparked by the information technology revolution. What was not obvious to us at the time, however, was the understanding that by integrating technology into our artwork, we were already part of the prevailing winds of change that would sweep through the Bay Area and the rest of the world.


View a larger image of of Prevailing Winds by HYBYCOZO

Canopy of Sky

Ned Kahn

My concept is to celebrate the wind and fog that bathes Treasure Island. Instead of viewing it as a negative, I propose to create an artwork that lets people see how beautiful the wind and fog really are. Inspired by the dynamic properties of fog and clouds, the artwork would function as a window into the invisible currents that constantly bathe Treasure Island. Fog and clouds are a fascinating amalgam of air and water, atmosphere and ocean. The tiny droplets of water in the passing fog might have been part of waves in the ocean a few hours ago. Given the dry scientific name: the marine layer, this amalgam of ocean and atmosphere is actually quite magical in its motion and the way it captures light. My intent is to create an artwork that opens people up to the magic of the river of ocean air that washes over Treasure Island and hopefully fosters a sense of stewardship towards the delicate envelope of air and water that surrounds this sphere of rock we call the Earth.

The proposed artwork will consimage002.jpgist of a 20’ diameter stainless steel ring suspended by cables connected to 4 curved aluminum poles. Stretched across this ring will be hundreds of stainless steel cables populated with 7000 translucent polycarbonate disks that will flutter in the wind like leaves. The translucency of the polycarbonate will capture light and shadow like the droplets of water in fog and clouds. Watching time-lapse video of the fog and clouds allows us to see the constant churning motion, the aliveness of the restless fog. My intent is to create an artwork that is as responsive to its environment, and as fluid, as a passing cloud.

The artwork will be fabricated out of marine-grade stainless steel, powder-coated aluminum and UV-resistant polycarbonate, all materials that I have used in previous installations in marine environments and have stood the test of time with zero required maintenance. The proposed cable array is designed to be flexible enough to allow any objects or debris to fall through the matrix instead of getting stuck. The kinetic elements will all be above 13’ from the ground, keeping them out of reach. Based on 35 years of experience, the proposed artwork will hold up to hurricane winds, floods, salt air and full sun for decades with no required maintenance.

The four curved poles that support the artwork will be located outside of the walkway so as to not impede pedestrian movement. The artwork will not require any lighting or electrical power. It will be a kinetic artwork powered entirely by the wind, a zero-carbon emitting, completely renewable source of power. Adding electrical lighting would contradict the benign ecological footprint of the artwork. Ambient light from the existing site lighting, adjacent buildings, the moon and the glow of the urban sky will be more than sufficient to illuminate the artwork at night.

I imagine that the proposed artwork might occasionally function as a canopy for weddings, concerts, and other ceremonies. The circular form is evocative of the hoops often used as backdrops for weddings as well as kivas and other round forms that recur in the artwork created by first American people. The kinetic veil of the artwork will cast a dappled shade on the ground below, creating an immersive pattern of ever-changing light and shadow. Most people find the dappled shade of a forest, the environment where humans first evolved, to be deeply calming and restorative. My hope is that the proposed artwork will create a sanctuary where people can reconnect with the larger forces of nature that engulf and sustain us as well as all life on this planet.

View a larger image of Canopy of Sky by Ned Kahn

Sail

Shan Shan Sheng

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SAIL is an abstract vessel evoking natural systems, expressing a contemporary acknowledgment of  natural ecosystems returning and restoring the Bay as a portal of the Pacific Ocean.

SAIL is a piece of architectural artglass sculpture designed to capture the elegance and dynamism of the ocean. It’s shape is inspired by a sailboat, symbolizing the freedom and adventurous spirit of sailing.

SAIL represents Treasure Island’s maritime roots, from being constructed with the intention of hosting the World’s Fair, to being a military base during WWII, to eventually becoming a tranquil oasis for the people of the Bay Area, Treasure Island has had to navigate and “sail” through many iterations of itself.

As the sun sets, the night sky will activate SAIL as a meditative current of light and color. The artwork acts as a sphere of colorful light and will stand like a refreshing beacon in the luminous day and night.

The Architectural glass sailboat is characterized by its graceful and flowing design, reminiscent of the billowing sails of a boat. The entire sculpture is made of transparent glass, each displaying unique hues and textures, adding layers and vitality to the sculpture.

This colorful glass sailboat will be displayed by the seaside, complementing the ocean. Visitors can appreciate the sculpture from different angles, enjoying the ever-changing play of light and shadow under the sun, and experiencing the grandeur and mystery of the ocean.

We have chosen vibrant colors such as ocean blue, coral reef purple to showcase the diversity and vitality of the ocean.

These colors, when illuminated by sunlight, create enchanting light and shadow effects, adding a magical charm to the sculpture.   

 View a larger image of Sail by Shan Shan Sheng

Opportunity For Public Comment

Please take a few minutes to review these artwork proposals and provide feedback in the form below. Comments may also be submitted via email to sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org by Monday, August 19, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Public comments will be considered by the Review Panel as part of the Final Review Panel meeting where the Panel will recommend one proposal for implementation. Please note that public comments do not constitute a vote.

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What's Coming Up

Public Meeting

Executive Committee Meeting

December 19
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1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 408 and Online
Public Meeting

Full Arts Commission Meeting

February 03
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2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 416 and Online
Public Meeting

Executive Committee Meeting

January 15
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1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 408 and Online
Public Meeting

Full Arts Commission Meeting

February 03
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2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 416 and Online
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