Monday, April 16, 2007

Thrown Out The Window

Defenestration: 1: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window 2: a usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office)



Crab-like and tweakerish, a yellow chair scuttled up the brick side of the building, yet another cracked out inhabitant of 6th Street’s. A coffee table bearing suicidal tendencies leapt from the roof, an old wardrobe twisted out of a window and reprimanded the street lurkers below, while a grandfather clock peered up at the sky inquiring after the weather. If there were one thing to go see in San Francisco it is this, Brian Goggin’s art installation, opened March 9th 1997, that represents “to be literally thrown out the window”.


A neighborhood that has fallen into irreversible disrepair looks entirely average in its seediness until one has glanced up at the building on the corner of 6th and Howard. It would seem a nearly hallucinogenic vision of the furniture from Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast" has come to life.

Take a minute to glance about, and when you’ve done that you may understand the inspiration of this particular piece of art. His clever choice in title (The Defenestration Project) reflects the 6th Street community perfectly. Almost every person who lives on, or frequents 6th has been thrown out the window by society. Fiending drug addicts, old forgotten grandparents, and inexplicably shunned individuals have one similarity amongst them… funds are seriously lacking and there is no way of changing that.



For an exclusive interview with the supposed son of the artist, 60-year-old veteran and street vendor of sorts (inventory consisting of considerable lengths of dirty yarn, and bottle caps), and hopefully an interview with the artist himself (Brian Goggin, who bears no relation whatsoever to the veteran), once it is up and running-check out SneakySalamander.

1 comment:

Christina Kho said...

Cool post. Would be cool to have some quotes from Goggin. Spent some time checking out his artworks on his site and definitely looking forward to seeing them in person.