Oakland Geology

In my last post I described the spectrum of waste to be seen around the landscape. Piles of garbage are easy to see and judge as litter. Bones and downed trees are natural, but for citydwellers it takes an effort not to wish them removed.

Then there are all the things on the spectrum of art, like these amaryllis bulbs donated to undeveloped Knowland Park. Yeah, they’re an alien species, but neither is their presence a heedless desecration. People decorate things; it’s what we do. We make spaces where there were none before.

We make local habitations, some even with names, in wild Oakland.

I’ve come to enjoy the signs of artistic impulse out in the field. Many are harmless roadside attractions, too small to catch attention except at walking speed.

Others turn the nondescript into something . . . descript. I wish I knew more about this little assemblage that was up in Knowland Park a few years ago.

I think a solo artist made that.

I think a small group adopted this tumbledown shed on Grizzly Peak; their affection shows.

And then there’s the communal gallery up in Leona Heights Park; been going on for years; different every visit. Anyone can participate, but you can tell the standards are intimidatingly high. The first time I found it I went yeesh; now I take my cue from the Grateful Dead: “nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.”

The best place for this kind of art is the Albany Bulb. I haven’t been in a few years. Wikipedia suggests that the art has been fading and is no longer what it was. With that in mind, here are some photos from about ten years ago.

The general scene is a former dump site for construction waste. Today, most material of this sort is recycled — old concrete can be used as aggregate in new concrete and rebar is easily melted into new steel. At the Bulb, this material was recycled into art.

Lots of the work was crude, but effective.

The setting, on the Bay shore, was a crucial part of the work.

This is one of my favorites, now long gone.

The landmark of Mad Mark’s Castle was once a sublime place.

Today I’m told it’s not really there any more. Sic transit gloria mundi.

This entry was posted on 28 May 2018 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Other topics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.