BAY AREA LANDSCAPES

These three pieces were commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission. They will be installed in the Laguna Honda Healthcare Facility, a project currently in the construction process. The architect has designed a curving stone wall with three niches, one for each of these fabric collages.

The San Francisco Arts Commission requested three Bay Area landscapes. This made me ask, "What makes the Bay Area unique?". In a word—verticality. Everywhere you look there is a change in elevation. San Francisco rises out of the Pacific Ocean with a sharp upward thrust of cliffs. The City itself is defined by its hills. One can look from the top of Telegraph Hill over to the top of Russian Hill. Stand at the top of Nob Hill and look towards the Bay. Look across the Golden Gate to the Marin Headlands. And circling the City are more hills—the foothills of Marin and the East Bay.

This series of elevation changes enriches the Bay Area, creating distinct environments. Weather on one side of a hill is gray and damp; on the other side it is warm and sunny. Or sometimes two hills act as a funnel, channeling the fog between them. The Laguna Honda facility is sited in a particularly foggy part of San Francisco. It is a gorgeous site, covered with eucalyptus and Monterey pines. These trees, with their dark green needles and dusty blue-gray leaves, fairly drip with moisture. While it is a beautiful view, the residents of this long-term care facility could probably use a bit of sunshine as well.

My intent with this series is to celebrate the Bay Area's vertical elements, its cliffs and hills, while also bringing some bright color and light into the building and the residents' lives.

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©2005 Merle Axelrad Serlin

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