Inspired by SFMike's reporting of Brian Barneclo's Systems Mural Project, I set out yesterday to see if I could view it without buying a ticket on Caltrain. It covers a long expanse of wall along the tracks at 7th & Townsend, & since it's basically in the train yard, the best view is indeed from a seat on Caltrain. From street level, I had to be content with viewing it through fences.
Large heads at either end of the picture communicate through a convoluted path which looks like a cross between a circuit diagram & "It's a Small World." I recognized the San Francisco Bay, complete with sea lions. There's also a parade, a polar bear & a buffalo. Even though the artist uses geometric areas of flat color, the mural has a sense of 3D space. The mural needs a viewing stand, perhaps on top of one of those construction trailers just inside the fence.
§ Systems Mural Project
Brian Barneclo
7th Street & Townsend
2 comments:
I'm so glad you made it down there. Perhaps we'll take a field trip on CalTrain someday together. And your suggestion of a viewing stand is a good one, though because of the curved wall I think it's almost impossible to take the mural in completely from any one view, which in its own way is sort of cool.
True about the curved wall, but it was still very annoying to be on the wrong side of the fence!
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