Pier 70, San Francisco
Due to a remarkable set of circumstances I was invited to stay at the home of Toby and Jerry Levine while I was in San Francisco. My friend Meredith from the Pelham Cultural Council is a great friend of theirs and encouraged me to get in touch before my trip. They were super hosts and are both very involved in San Francisco neighborhood preservation and development. Toby serves on several boards and seems to be familiar with every important neighborhood issue both past and present. At one point early in my stay she asked me if I was interested in large industrial sites. Indicating that I was, she made arrangements for me to have a tour of a few buildings at Pier 70 that are slated for development.
I only had about an hour and just my little cameras with me, but Everardo, who interns with the development company gave us a grand tour of buildings 112/113 and 104.
I get so jazzed about shooting in these environments.
There is something about this time in the life of a building that intrigues me.
Since I was not able to photograph during its productive era, I can only imagine what was happening in these rooms when they were in use.
But there is usually enough evidence left behind to give an inkling to what it might have been like to work here.
And the light is always so natural and soft.
This building is huge. It was part of a ship building and dry dock facility which at one time was part of Bethlehem Steel. I believe that it was originally the Union Iron Works.
Which at one time must have employed a ton of people.
I especially like old locker rooms and bathrooms.
Nice sign over the urinals.
It is not difficult to imagine people using these sinks after a long day’s work.
I like this little office in the middle of everything.
This is a view of the second floor of 113.
How about the red fingernails painted on this stylized hand which points the way to the rest room?
This color green shows up regularly in buildings like this one. The light fixtures give a bit of a clue to when this office space was last renovated. I’d say mid 1960’s.
These last few shots are from building 104 which seems to have been mostly used for administrative offices.
This is the top floor of 104. You can just see the skylights which at some time were painted black.
The staircases are fantastic.
More lockers here, and it seems odd to me that they were in what was essentially an office building.
There was a small hospital in one wing of 104, and with all the machinery that is saw, I can imagine it was a busy place at times.
Thanks so much to the Orton Development people for granting me access to these amazing buildings. And of course to Toby and Jerry. Here are a few links to learn more about the site, its history, and future. Click here and here.
AT&T Park, Giants v Nationals
Yesterday I went to see the Nationals play the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It was an interesting game. Very few hits and not much scoring. The Nationals won in 10, 2 to 1. As you can see it was a beautiful day, perfect for baseball. I was at the mercy of the guy selling the tickets, and just asked for a very cheap seat. Ended up in section 302, which by my estimation is the nicest place to sit in the whole park. The only problem was that for the first time in all my years of going to baseball games, it was difficult to concentrate on the action with this amazing view of the bay always pulling me away from the game. Even if you HATE baseball, it is totally worth $24.00 to sit up here for an afternoon drinking a few beers and being part of a crowd of very friendly people. / After the game I blasted over to the offices of Collector’s Weekly and met with Hunter Oatman-Stanford who wrote this article about the suitcases that really opened a lot of doors for me. We were joined by two other editors and had a great chat about this and that. I was totally blown away when they told me that the story had generated roughly 600,000 views on their site. I really owe a lot to Hunter for his great interview and interest in the project. / Made it out to the airport in time to catch the redeye back to Boston. Got home at about 9.30 this morning and was happy to see the Pearl, who after a bit of a scare this weekend seems to be back on her feet.
Artists (and dogs) at the Exploratorium
I have never given much thought to whether or not I am an artist. And the whole idea of whether or not photography is an art is a whole ball of wax that I try to avoid. So when Pam Winfrey (whose idea it was to have the Exploratorium host the “Normal” exhibit) invited me to be part of an artist’s night, I said yes without giving it much thought. So it was a bit weird for me to be introduced to people as one of the artists whose work was on display. I’ll accept it for the time being but I doubt it will go to my head. The event was pretty cool. Since I was basically alone, I wandered around looking lost for a while before I ran into my refound friend Katie Hahren and her daughter Annie. That loosened things up a bit. Eventually Karen Miller and I ended up signing catalogues and chatting with guests. / One thing about San Francisco that I really like is that dogs seem to be accepted in most public places. When I was at the Exploratorium in February I met a 4 month old black lab who was on his way to work for only the second day. I can not imagine bringing the Pearl to an office job even now when she is 12 and mostly calm.
This is the new Exploratorium on the Embarcadero at Pier 15. It is amazing. Go check it out if you ever get the chance.
Bridge
I am back in San Francisco and the weather is beautiful. Staying in the Mission Bay area and yesterday had a long walk up to the Ferry Terminal from my host’s condo. Off to meet some folks and then the event at the Exploratorium tonight. Should be interesting.
Elmira Correctional Facility + SF Meet-up?
One of the projects I did back in the 80s was a documentation of late 19th and early 20th century New York State prison architecture (funded by the New York State Council on the Arts). I shot it all with my 4 x 5 Wista and it is nice to look at the photographs from time to time. This shot at the Elmira Correctional Facility is the only one I took with evidence of a prisoner (note the guy’s hands on the lower left holding the mirror as he is checking me out). The corrections people were super nice to me, although I am pretty sure they could not really grasp what I was up to. If I remember correctly, this is one of the few NY State prisons with this traditional set up….just like in the movies!
I’ll be heading back out to San Francisco on Sunday for an Exploratorium event Monday evening. Thinking about trying to get together with any of you who are interested. Any ideas about a pub somewhere near the Embarcadero where we could hang out at the end of the day on Tuesday? Shoot me an email if you have any ideas.
Old House Journal Story
The current issue of the Old House Journal (June/July 2013) has a story that I shot a few months ago. Kerry Baldridge is restoring a house in Exeter, NH and the shoot was lots of fun. Here’s a link to the online version. Her blog is great and for those of you who live in old houses it is worth checking out. Scroll down to the bottom of the Old House online page for the link.
Willard Open House
There will be a rare opportunity to see the grounds of Willard next Saturday the 18th May. I have copied and pasted all the information that I have at this point, and you can view it below. I would highly recommend that anyone who is in the area and is interested make the effort to attend. / This photograph is from my first visit to Chapin House after it had been closed for several years.
Willard Psychiatric Hospital WILLARD – Organizers of the guided tours at the former Willard Psychiatric Center on May 18 are trying something new. This year only two starting times are scheduled for tours so visitors will have more of a chance to explore 9 of the structures that grace the landmark hospital on Route 96A.
“We used to have three starting times but people never had enough time to travel through these incredible buildings so we decided to limit it to two,” said organizer Lee Anne Fox. “This will improve the flow of people and give our 35 volunteers the chance for a lunch break.”
The two-and-a-half hour tours are slated to begin promptly at 9:30am and 1pm at the Grandview Building, built in 1860 and now used by the Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union. Other buildings that will be recognized by those familiar with the site, which began its history in 1869 as the New York State Agricultural College, include Brookside, Bleak House, Hadley Hall and the Mortuary.
Current stones in the Willard Cemetery have only a number, and no name.
Current stones in the Willard Cemetery have only a number, and no name.
Former Willard hospital employees and some current staff of the Willard Drug Treatment Campus, which took over the property in 1995, will be available to answer questions and offer background during the event. Some may discuss ghost sightings that have been the subject of television shows. Visitors will also have the chance to inspect the Willard Cemetery where 5,776 Willard patients were buried from 1870 to 2000. An effort has been underway to restore the cemetery, which is adjacent to hospital grounds.
Cost of admission to the tour is $10 per person. Children under 12 years of age are free. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center, an accredited not-for-profit daycare center in the Jackson Building, which once housed Willard’s School of Nursing and is also on the tour. Parking is free.
For additional information contact Carly Hungerford at (607) 869-5533.
Pears Soap
My favorite soap is Pears. I have used it for the last 25 or so years. Some time ago the company was bought by Unilever and the original formula was changed. I noticed a difference as did most other users. (Here’s a link to an amusing piece in the Guardian.) I was bummed, but have gotten used to the new smell and feel. Yesterday I was cleaning out my bathroom cabinets and came across this soap dish way in the back on a shelf. When I opened it I was happy to find a bar of the original Pears that had been abandoned well before the change. / It’s the little things, I guess, that sometimes can make life a bit brighter.
The Changing Face of What is Normal, The Exploratorium
I finally got the chance to see the exhibit, and while I have a few quibbles, it is very exciting.
The space is situated very close to the front of the building. There are basically three components. On the left of this photograph (↑) is the Utica Crib display which deals with the idea of confinement. To the right of that is the entrance to the “attic” where the cases are located, along with my photographs and Karen Miller’s poems. And out the back is the interactive space where visitors can write about their feelings toward the exhibit and the ideas represented.
After entering the door ( top photo above) one enters the attic. (This is the core idea of the exhibit space. Gordon Chen based his design on the room where the cases were rediscovered. I think it mostly works, although I did hear several complaints about the lighting. It does seem a bit on the dark side. The wall to the right has nine 12 inch prints. I think they could have used more. There seems to be a lot of empty space, and given that the cases are displayed in three levels it would make sense to me to have used more photos in this area.
This shot (↑) shows the relationship between the photographs on the right and the actual cases on the left, which are placed behind chicken wire. The wire is a bit distracting for me. Viewed from a distance it works well, but when one gets close to the objects, it makes it difficult to read text and get a feeling for the items. I would stress that this could be a problem only for me, since I have had such an intimate relationship with the contents of the suitcases while photographing them. Others might not have any issue with this. At the far end of this shot is one of the amazing 36 inch photographs that Alex Ross printed (they used six of these). The idea of big prints has never really appealed to me in general, but I will say that they work really well in the space. Behind that wall is a series of video monitors with different people talking about mental illness, and I heard many visitors found these interviews fascinating.
This view (↑) looks back toward the entrance and shows how the cases are displayed. The hanging clipboards are Karen’s “then and now” diagnosis of the patients. Several people told me that this was an extremely effective way to connect with the owners of the suitcases. It is a simple concept that describes how the doctors at the time of admittance made a diagnosis, and how those same symptoms might be treated today.
Here is another one of Alex’s 36 inch prints, with cases on the right.
This view is toward the exit, and leads into the interactive space.
And this is the exit door looking back into the attic.
Visitors are encouraged to sit at tables and use small cards to answer questions like the one above. Most of the answers are heartfelt and interesting, although some trolling is present. What is especially touching to me is seeing comments in the handwriting of children. I visited on two separate occasions, and I saw parents with their kids viewing the photographs and objects, and reading Karen’s poems. This is an exhibit that is clearly provocative, although not in the negative sense at all. What it does, and was clearly intended to do, is open up dialogue about mental health issues.
Here’s another one of the questions. The card on the right reads “My stuff toy Johnson”.
The Exploratorium folks thought it would be a good idea to print up some cards with my photos on the front and a snippet of one of Karen’s poems on the back. These are beautiful and so far seem to be selling well. I bought several sets and am excited to have them.
I have a few comments about the whole experience and am not really sure where to start. But here goes.
The new Exploratorium is simply amazing. It is a beautiful space with so much to see. Keeping in mind their original charter as a hands-on learning environment, it is completely successful. And the fact that they are now branching out into the social sciences and presenting more artistically orientated concepts is great. Not only great, but brave and daring as well. My first visit was on an extremely busy Sunday and the place was jammed. As I lingered in the “Normal” space, I noticed some visitors were clearly not expecting to see something like it, and there were a few who were obviously put off by the whole idea. I even heard one young kid use the word “awful” twice in one sentence. And that is why I use the words brave and daring. They are now doing everything a public museum should be doing by exposing visitors to concepts that are not always comfortable. And I am honored to have been asked to play a small role in that process.
My second visit on Tuesday helped me to be objective about my involvement in the project. I was able to talk to quite a few people and get some very positive feedback. Early on, I accepted my role as an adjunct player in ” The Changing Face….”. It was difficult at times as most of the decision making was out of my hands. And there are still some elements of it that are at odds with my initial concept of what to do with the photographs. But as I move forward, I will be able to show the work at venues where I have much more control. That said though, I am happy and excited by what the Exploratorium has done. The photographs are being seen by a diverse audience and that is always a good thing.
So, big thanks to Pam Winfrey, Stephanie Bailey, Julie Nunn, and Stacy Martin who have all supported my involvement. Please go see the new building and the exhibit, and I would really appreciate any feedback.
Logan
I’m working on the “Normal” post, but in the interim wanted to mention that as we were just off the end of the runway at Logan last night, the pilot juiced the engines and pulled up into a steep climb. We cruised around for about 20 minutes and as we headed back toward the airport we were then informed that the landing gear hadn’t come down on our approach and that the pilot had to lower it manually (hand crank?). When we finally landed there were lots of flashing lights and fire trucks everywhere. For some reason we had to be towed to the gate. It was never too scary but an interesting way to return to Massachusetts.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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