Pier 92, San Francisco, California, USA, 2014
Bayview Rise is an illuminated mural on the grain elevator and silos of Port Pier 92, at the north entry to San Francisco’s Bayview Neighborhood. The large scale of the 187’ façade makes the artwork visible from surrounding hillsides and freeways, creating a landmark for the Bayview. Its geometric pattern weaves together symbols of the neighborhood’s changing economy, ecology, and community as well as its past, present, and future, symbolizing a community in transformation.
The art is a dynamic visual metaphor for this transformation through its interaction of color and light. At night different light colors cause parts of the mural of that same color to be highlighted while other colors recede into the dark background. As the light colors shift, images appear to float in and out of the scene. This striking effect of "illumination animation" results in the appearance of an animated graphic abstractly representing a neighborhood in transformation, or Bayview Rising.
Growing out of a horizon line is a pattern inspired by native islais cherry plants overlaid onto a field of shorebirds rising from the water. Soaring above is a heron, alluding to nearby Heron’s Head Park, a nearby environmental restoration project by the Port. The cow references historic Butchertown, once sited at this location. The mural’s red balloons are inspired by words of 96-year old community activist Essie Webb, who likened the neighborhood to a balloon waiting to inflate and rise. The images within the mural have been combined, overlapped, and juxtaposed in a triangular matrix so there appear to be metamorphoses between cherries and balloons, water and birds, land and leaves. This shift is emphasized with the changing colors of lights.
Bayview Rise was funded and commissioned by the Port of San Francisco with coordination from the San Francisco Arts Commission. Painting installation was by R.B. Morris III. Lighting installation was by Legend Theatrical.
Video: Bruce Damonte, Director; Lloyd B. Ranola, Drone Operator