The Eye: Structure transcends "buildingness"
By: Anne Ray
Special to The Examiner
July 4, 2009
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| Strike a pose: The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. substation at Fremont and Folsom streets in San Francisco is unique and eclectic. (Courtesy photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Today’s artwork chosen by Paul Rauschelbach
AGE: 43
OCCUPATION: Computer support for graphic artists
NEIGHBORHOOD: South of Market district
THE PIECE OF ART I LOVE: PG&E substation at Folsom and Fremont streets
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PIECE? Every time I see it, it evokes a new and positive image, because and/or despite that it really shouldn’t.
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER IT? The 24th time I drove by it, perhaps. You do have to discover it, as it can be difficult to see. We aren’t used to enormous, windowless, raw-concrete buildings. It may even have been designed not to be seen.
WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT IT? My first take was a minimalist block building, with an elegant groove pattern that causes the building’s color to shift throughout the day and seasons. Because of its enormity and lack of typical “buildingness,” I’m compelled to imagine its possible uses. The weight and raw purpose of it make my projected ideas tangible and believable. It’s also so clearly made for hiding something very large, so I can put anything in it. It is a giantess’ pleated skirt, a prototype section for the Even Greater Wall of Northern California, a hot air balloon launch site, furrows for a vertical farm and something equally fantastic next time.
