Language of the Birds

Very cool piece of random art. Love cities for places like this. Why NOT go check it out? Then head over to Rogue for a beer or the Stinking Rose for ridiculous amounts of Garlic — you can’t lose!

I love this piece of public art. Books flying across the telephone poles: cool. They’re dropping words as they fly by (psst, look down): even cooler. They light up at night: tacky or mega-​cool? You decide.

I originally thought there were located by Washington Square Park from the small picture on my phone so I thought it was a seasonal art project. When I was crossing the street on Columbus and Broadway, I noticed what looked like styrofoam take-​out boxes strung together by wires overhead to make them seem like birds indefinitely stuck in flight. I later noticed as I got closer/​right under them that they were fake white-​contoured books upside down, well a friend had to sell me that since I was still on the take-​out box idea (since it is Chinatown’s eastern border). Right below the hanging books are words on the sidewalk.

I thought this was a very beautiful installation. I didn’t expect it to have such personality. I was glad to see that it wasn’t a static light display– there was motion and change. Two thumbs up for being solar powered.

I first took note of this new art installation by Brian Goggin, with Dorka Keehn, from the «Birds on a Wire» article in 7×7, and was pleasantly surprised to chance upon it after finishing a late night dinner at New Sun Hong Kong Restaurant. Lighting up the sky since its unveiling on November 23^rd, Language of the Birds looked as amazing in person as described in the 7×7 article:
«Keep that in mind when his new site-​specific installation (a two-​year collaboration – commissioned by the SF Arts Commission – with local political activist Dorka Keehn) is unveiled this month above a new plaza linking Chinatown and North Beach, at the intersection of Broadway and Columbus. The Language of the Birds (a reference to the ancient Greek and Celtic mythical languages used to communicate with the divine) is a flock of 23 books suspended 15 to 30 feet above ground and arranged with their bindings open, as if in flight. For the sublime-​spectacle portion of the program, the books, sculpted from white translucent polycarbonate and embedded with LED lights, will be illuminated from dusk till dawn using solar power from ad-​hoc panels installed above City Lights Books. „Eventually, the goal is to take City Lights off the electrical grid,“ Keehn says. (Bonus points awarded for the project’s eco-​consciousness.)»
According to Goggin’s website
the «fallen words» in the concrete are in English, Italian and Chinese to reflect the rich literary history of the neighborhood where North Beach and Chinatown intersect. Text from over 90 local authors, ranging from the Beats to Chinese poets and Italians, from the last 150 years are represented. The design on the concrete was actually created during a separate performance at the SFMOMA months ago, making this the first time SF’s public art has included performance art. Check out Goggin’s website for more information.
You might also recognize him from his installation, «Defenestration,» at 6^th and Howard.