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This project consisted of a gateway like structure created out of scaffolding
which measures 25’H x 21’W x 10’D. The entire structure
was draped in thin, golden colored square pieces of fabric. Each piece
was 17” x 17” and was hung on steel cables that were stretched
across a scaffolding creating an overall grid format. There were approximately
800 pieces of fabric that adorned the gate in a style similar to Tibetan
prayer flags. The structure was internally illuminated at night.
It was my hope with this piece to present a warm and welcoming portal
into the Hayes Valley neighborhood, while providing a gateway for the
dreams and visions of the people in the community. “Golden Gateway”
was composed of several conceptual layers that could be approached independently
and/ or as interconnected links within a larger unified whole. On the
most immediate level the piece was inspired by and references the historical
turning point of the discovery of gold in California and thus links itself
to the family of “Golden Gates” in San Francisco such as Golden
Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.
On a more fundamental level, this piece seeks to explore the idea of a
gateway as a portal in time; not into the future, nor the past, but of
the present. In spatial terms, a gateway is neither here nor there; it
is a unique in-between zone, which helps to identify an instant of passage.
In general, this passage also indicates a shift or a change, thereby introducing
the element of time. Thus, a gateway is as much about marking time as
it is about moving in space. For example, we often use the phrase “now
entering” in reference to a point of entry or a gateway, which clearly
points to both elements of time and space. In this sense, “Golden
Gateway” is an architectural monument of/to the present/ time; a
portal for entering into the now. In fact, the entire piece is fabricated
in such a way as to de-emphasize and undermine the primacy of space; a
gateway, which appears to be an architectural space one moment, then shifts
its shape and disappears in an instant, when the flags are lifted by the
wind.
It has been said that architecture is simply an extension/ reflection
of our selves. If this is so, then Golden Gateway can be read as a metaphor
for the human body. The scaffolding becomes the bones, while the overall
structure echoes that of our rib cage, with the opening archway, situated
at our solar plexus and then finally the fabric can be read as the skin.
If we take this exploration one step further, the fabric becomes the temporal/
superficial form of our self, ie; our physical body, that is subject to
the forces of nature. Whereas the scaffolding reflects the idea of a more
permanent foundation/ essence, an entity within us which remains constant
even as our bodies age and change.
If we continue to pursue the concept of the human being as a gateway ,
then we must ask ourselves, what are we a gateway to? The very idea of
a gateway suggests the potential for passing through and being able to
access another space, dimension or realm that is next to, above or beyond
the one on this side. At the threshold of this gateway , we find ourselves
standing at the edge of the present moment, but not the present that we
experience as bordered by past nor future, but rather a never ending chain
of nows; one linked to another in an infinite and borderless succession.
“Golden Gateway ” acts as a liminal, magical, in-between space
that encourages us to examine our most basic notions of space, time and
reality. It was a welcoming threshold for a new beginning, a place/ space
that honored our hopes, dreams, visions, inspirations and aspirations.
Yet, “Golden Gateway” also created a unique environment in which
to celebrate a neighborhood’s revitalization; a rare moment of renaissance
and rebirth in its ongoing history.
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