Street Art on Natoma Street amidst the rubble of the old Transit Terminal bus ramps.
Looking NE across Natoma Street to the site where the old Transbay Transit Terminal on First and Mission is being deconstructed to make way for the new five story Transbay Transit Center scheduled to open in 2015.
As I approach the active demolition zone of the old Transbay Transit terminal on First and Mission, I am thinking of the massive crowds now assembled in Tahrir Square, Cairo. The Egyptian people have roared to life with an extraordinary revolutionary energy and are demanding the ouster of their longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. I've been listening to the electrically charged story all day on the car radio and it is not clear what will happen next.
I make my way over the rubble of the old bus ramps and watch the last walls of the terminal, built in 1939, being smashed apart by a wrecking ball and clawed down piece by piece by the teeth of two huge diesel powered shovels. I look at this crumbling structure designed by star architect Timothy Pflueger (completed in 1939) and it forms an immediate symbolic link with the events in Egypt. Old walls and outdated structures are coming down.
Looking east down Minna Street toward the last remnants of the old Transbay Transit Terminal. This was the western end of the linear structure where large curving bus ramps entered the complex.
Looking west along Minna Street
Tearing Down the Walls
I reflect on this symbolism and look up to find two strange and alluring pieces of street art that carry the theme even further. The first is a stenciled image right on the quaking terminal wall now being demolished. It features the image of a young woman partially hidden behind a bandana proclaiming "This ain't no smash and grab. This is a Revolution!" The second image features the calm countenance of the Buddha(s), "embellished" with chaotic graffiti and looking shockingly beautiful in the late afternoon light. The world is so mysterious.
click images for full view
Comments