invisible aesthetics

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For the first set of images I decided to start with an aesthetic comparison. As a native San Franciscan and recent Chicago transplant, I have a personal investment in both of these frequently overlooked, visual components of the two cities. The top image depicts a staple of domestic Chicago architecture--the back stairs/entrance or fire escape. I was informed when I first moved here about 6 months ago that these became the standard for Chicago homes in response to the devastation caused by the Chicago fire. As a San Franciscan, I'm used to a much different conception of population density; the idea of each pair of streets having their own alley and separate entrance was initially completely baffling. This feature has become one of my favorite aspects of the city's architecture. Row after row of these fantastic wooden fire escapes line the alleys. With the endless flatness that is mid-western terrain (another novelty to me), truly astounding visual experiences can result from a peek down an average alley way. This photograph captures the contrast of the brick and wood structures that I find to be so compelling. Every time I encounter one of these structures (including walking up my own alley and staircase), I cannot help but feel that I am experiencing the private, inner life of a city's structure.

San Francisco's Muni lines may not be entirely in line with the kind of aesthetic that comes to mind when picturing the city's Victorian architecture as it reflects bright California sun light. Psychedelic paint-jobs, monumental bridges, and the kind of views that could only result from the city being built on a series of endless vertigo-inducing hills--these are the images found on post-cards of San Francisco. These images explain appeal to the countless under-dressed tourists who come to the city only to be shocked by the fact that it is normally 20 degrees colder than the imagined California climate. There is no question that the city of San Francisco offers a range of aesthetic experiences that are amplified by the prominence of the city's bright light and color. But one important aesthetic component of the city that is specifically meant to go unnoticed is the web of wires that enclose the city. Muni wires are everywhere, and they provide a completely unique service to the aesthetic of the city. They create an intimacy to the urban space, and also a sense of connectedness. The most famous landmark of San Francisco may be the Golden Gate Bridge (I've been told it is the most photographed structure in the world); but if you ask anyone who has lived in San Francisco about the Muni lines instead, my guess is you will get a much more impassioned response.

So what can be said about looking at the city structures that inhabit our visual fields and shape our experiences on a daily basis, when they are often meant to be invisible? There is a massive web that entangles the city of San Francisco and it necessarily changes its inhabitants' experience of their environment on a daily basis. It is entirely present and visible, yet most of the time, it is exactly the opposite.