Buried Waters: Exposing Islais Creek

WATERS BURIED :EXPO S ING IS LAIS CREEK

EDITED BY LINDSEY LITTLE, CARLOS RUBIO & MICHAEL THURIN

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2012

Buried Waters: Exposing Islais Creek Editors: Lindsey Little, Michael Thurin, and Carlos Rubio

BURIED WATERS :EXPOSING ISLAIS CREEK

Copyright 2012. This is a San Francisco State University publication. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Historical maps provided by the Donald Rumsey collection.

Photography: Michael Thurin Front cover design: Lindsey Little Interior design: Lindsey Little & Carlos Rubio

EDITED BY LINDSEY LITTLE, CARLOS RUBIO & MICHAEL THURIN

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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preface

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PA R T I : S L I C E S O F I S L A I S

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Energy Sheds

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Garbology

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The Glen Park Daylights

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Passionate Points

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The Clearing

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Stored and Shared Memories

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Wild Imaginings

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Industrial Wedge

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PA R T I I : I N 5 0 0 Y E A R S

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R e t u r n 5 0 0 Ye a r s

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Warnings

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Te r r a n o v i s

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Tw i n I s l a n d

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Zombies!

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Scorched Earth

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F o u n t a i n o f Yo u t h

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W h i c h S i d e A r e Yo u O n

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Repurposed Art

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contributors

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P R E FA C E

Most of Islais Creek has been converted to an underground culvert. Now only a few remnants of what used to be the largest body of water in San Francisco remain unearthed. The daylighted portions of Islais exist in Glen Canyon Park, where a branch of the creek originates, and Third Street, where Islais empties itself into the San Francisco Bay. This book showcases projects resulting from the collaboration between art and graphic design students from San Francisco State University.

A special thanks to The Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at San Francisco State University for funding this collaboration. This book made possible through the leadership and efforts of SFSU professors Jerry Davis, Paula Levine, and Joshua Singer, and teaching assistants Chris Albon and Marilyn Hope Smulyan.

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:slices of Islais

Art and design students explore Islais Creek and its surrounding geography with GPS tracking devices. Some choose to explore Glen Canyon Park, where remnants of the creek are daylighted, while others venture to the one-mile channel near Third Street, where Islais empties itself into the bay.

PART I

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ENERGY SHEDS: A l i s a H i g h f i l l , E d u a r d o R i b e i r o & E l s p e t h To z i e r Website, Printed Pamphlet, Time Lapse Video

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00:00:02

00:00:21 Time Lapse Elk & Chenery 28 October 2011 18:15 - 18:45

Based off the concept of a water shed, an energy shed is a geographical area which pools its energy into a single space. With this in mind we decided to view our slice of Islais as a water shed turned energy shed due to human development and habitation, and attempt to measure its energy. While there are many ways to measure the energy of a neighborhood, we have decided to measure it by looking at culture, represented by religious and recreational activity, as well as centers of education and self-improvement. The movement and sound of people through the space was recorded and measured.

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00:00:02

00:00:18 Time Lapse Diamond & Bosworth 22 October 2011 18:15 - 18:45

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G A R B O L O G Y: Joviana Carrillo, Amber Lee & Jacob Rogers Printed Postcards

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A series of postcards were made to emphasize the alarming amounts of trash left where Islais Creek meets the San Francisco Bay. The mouth of Islais Creek is now an industrial landscape of scattered garbage.

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T H E G L E N PA R K D AY L I G H T S : Rebecca Andrews, Mitchell Janning, Megan Kedge & Susanna Riccio P r i n t e d M a p , D i g i t a l G o o g l e E a r t h To u r

The mouth of Islais Creek Today

The Mouth of Islais Creek in the twenties

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culverts and creeks.

access roads

again becomes an underground culvert

37 122

cl to h

flooding at alemany blvd and mount vernon st

37° 44’ 15.40” N 122° 26’ 26.91” W

Cement bridge connecting

water pressure from heavy storms will force drain covers open in more constrained sections of the sewer system, causing flooding and property damage.

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37°44'18.22"N 122°26'27.50"W a formally daylit section of access islais creek road

running parallell to the expose section ofprocess creek During the of u

37째44'15.

122째26'26

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drain grate

rbanization, hed has been iginal size.

A modern feature to control the flow of islais creek

37째44'15.52"N 122째26'26.88"W

drain grate and cinderblock str

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PA S S I O N AT E P O I N T S :

0'

Lindsey Little, Alice Robertson & Carlos Rubio Printed Map, Printed Brochure

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0'

How much can an outsider learn about a place just by talking to strangers? Everyday for a week, we woke up at 7am, and talked to as many Glen Park visitors as we could, in hopes of learning more about the hidden creek. What we found contrasted greatly from our original impressions of the canyon. The seemingly quiet and peaceful canyon is actually a microcosm of social controversies. As we traveled deeper into the canyon physically, the conversations became more and more passionate. This map is a subjective result of our experiences within the canyon, and is meant to reveal the intimacy between a person and a place.

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0'

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It’s just trash.

I don’t think you would find this on your own.

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If you follow that trail deep in there, there is a homeless camp.

More and more people want to manage things.

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I’ve gone in there, and I’ve seen it.

Darn! There’s a group who’s doing it and they’re doing it secretly.

I have to tell you it’s not very attractive.

This is new. I don’t really like it.

These are aspects of humanity that most don’t come across often.

1776! That’s what they want it to be restored to!

I have heard certain people say they are going to level the place.

This isn’t called death. It’s called dormant.

They come to misbehave you know! I’ve seen them, and well I figure it’s none of my business.

These people who are planting native plants don’t realize they are creating problems.

There’s a man that used to try to carve out a cave.

Some woman was telling me, “My grandfather can’t come here”. There are other places your grandfather can go.

Seasons here really change.

They used to hire goats.

Dogs have taken over.

I love dogs and I think they should be off leash.

Right now it’s a fad and fads are really strong.

Beware of words and reality.

He’s got 7 followers, but he’ll say he has 270.

The trees were planted as a wind barrier.

These people have accused me of luring the coyotes out of their den.

That’s managing it in my opinion.

That’s part of evolution.We We can never be static.

We did bring in things, but you know, birds brought in things with their poop. don’t want bikes zipping through.

They put a dead dog down there.

They’re gonna kill the children! They’re going to eat our babies!

There is a woman here who is a big fan of the coyotes.

I’ve been singled out as an outcast!

If the coyotes get threatened, they bite back. And of course they’ll get blamed.

There’s a witchhunt down there.

The park is a cesspool ofPart fighting.

People love being covered by green, and they’re opening it all up. of it is greed.

It’s hard to educate these people.

So this is your canyon?

I need people to think the way I do.

If you walk into a lions cage, what do you expect to find?

You see signs that there are coyotes here. Why are you going to bring your baby here?

Be careful, they may want to stake you down there.

They’re more territorial than the coyotes.

Today I’m late, and it’s a whole different group of people. I think they come in waves throughout the day.

I know very little about the creek.

I hope you guys aren’t Republicans.

Fences, why fences?.

A lot of people carry baggage, and if you want to deal with them, you have to deal with their baggage.

Kids collected them. They’re easy to catch apparently.

I believe that all of this is native.

Water, water, water!

I don’t want you to advertise the coyotes.

Those are voles.

I think those people are racist in a certain way.

You might consider a different field at this point.

It’s such a nice area. The dog needs to run around.

I wish it’s a little more dog friendlier.

I wish it wasn’t that muddy there.

There is a bunch of old ladies that are really into it.

My dogs’ feet get really dirty.

I know that it’s supposed to be the last natural publicly accessible stream in the city.

Some of it is runoff.

I have to sort out this person.

400'

This is Charlie. He’s the happiest dog in Glen Park.

500'

We don’t want anyone to know this place is so good.

We don’t want other people coming here.

I’m dead serious.

I want my property values to go up.

If you see the old people hiking they’ll know about it.

They’re not afraid of us anymore.

I don’t know too much about the creek.

There are 6 coyotes.

Looking for cats probably. Snacks.

300'

They’re packing now.

They were surrounding us.

They could very well open it up on Paradise.

She likes belly rubs.

I’m in a hurry.

This used to be a live running creek.

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A lot of people say, “Where is Glen Park...It’s not important”.

There’s my dog going into native plants where he is not supposed to be. But what the hell.

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It’s the best part of my day.

I’m one of the dog people.

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100 ENTRANCE

It’s a big dog community here.

It goes from under there all the way through the middle of Glen Park.

It actually goes underneath my house.

I’ve been coming here in the mornings for about 10 years.

You get to have a city, right next to BART, but then you have a 35 acre park.

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THE CLEARING: Kate Johnson, Luis Pascual & Odelia So P r i n t e d P a m p h l e t s , D i g i t a l G o o g l e E a r t h To u r

A study on the mice and other rodents that inhabit Glen Park was conducted. The first pamphlet introduces readers to Glen Park from the perspective of a mouse, while the second pamphlet introduces readers to the park from the perspective of a dogwalker. This study examines how these two communities must learn to coexist within the same natural environment. A GPS tracking device was used to mark the coordinates of mice found in the area. These coordinates were input into Google Earth to create a visual tour of the mice sightings.

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STORED AND SHARED MEMORIES: Amanda Marquez, David Santos & Michael Thurin Found Objects, Printed Zines

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Both man-made and natural objects found in Glen Park are documented in a zine meant to share and personalize. Students stamp their zine however they choose with homemade stamps that say “just a little slice�. Found materials were used to create the zine.

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Two boxes. One contains man-made objects found near the daylighted portion of Islais Creek, while the other contains objects natural to the Glen Park area.

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WILD IMAGININGS: Ta y l o r F i t z g e r a l d Pencil, Printed Renderings

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INDUSTRIAL WEDGE: Rose Carlyle & Nathan Chavez D i g i t a l M e d i a , P r i n t e d Tr a n s p a r e n c i e s

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The area shown represents what is currently one large, triangular city block, in a substantially industrial neighborhood. Where estuaries and creeks once flowed into the bay, there are now vehicles, restaurants, and buildings.

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:in 500 years

In what kind of state will Islais Creek be in in 500 years? Will there even be a creek? Art and design students share their wild imaginings on what they think will happen to this hidden creek in the year 2510.

PART II

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RETURN 500 YEARS: Amber Lee Found Objects, Mixed Media

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WARNINGS: Alice Robertson Found Object, Lead Pencil

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TERRANOVIS: Odelia So Printed Poster

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TWIN ISLAND: A l i s a H i g h f i l l , E d u a r d o R i b e i r o & E l s p e t h To z i e r Printed Pamphlet

Welcome to Twin Island! Twin Island is one of the San Panchito Islands, located off the golden coast of Tierra Roble. 500 years ago it was a mountain in the middle of an ancient, densely populated city called San Francisco. The Twin Island Sustainable Paradise Community plan, is part of a new community adjustment project, funded by the Mexican government, which hopes to redistribute some of our population out of unhealthy urban spaces, into the recently reclaimed territory of Tierra Roble.

Those who resettle here will maintain the Mexicom Energy Harvesting Islands nearby, and enjoy a sustainable island lifestyle for which we will provide the infrastructure. We will incorporate ancient techniques with state of the art Sociology, Architecture and engineering in order to create a completely self-sustained community, a prototype for a future where the human environment exists in a healthful symbiosis with the natural environment.

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Housing for Sustainability Earth-sheltered buildings best protect against extreme temperature variations, storms, earthquakes, noise and even military strikes. The passive design principles of internal heat zoning and compact planning are employed in this EcoHouse. It should be a wonderful place in which to live; warm and quiet, with light flooding in from the south, the ventilation system providing clean and fresh air, while being sheltered by beautiful landscape.

Being underground, sheltered by the earth, means that the house has a far more stable environment than aboveground buildings. Below ground, the temperature remains pretty constant, there are no wind chill factors to worry about, no lashing rain, no baking sun. It also means that the house is very quiet.

Combining the shelter of the earth with high levels of insulation means that in temperate climates the house would need almost no extra heating whatsoever – all of the heat it needs is available from the sun alone. Being underground also means that the house disappears into the landscape, making it unobtrusive visually as well as ecologically.

The north side of this eco-house could be ideally embedded into the sloping ground of a mountainous region, but can also be built on level ground since excavated earth could easily be bermed to cover the building on three sides. The fully glazed south face is inclined at 60 degrees and encloses the greenhouse supplied with an internal fountain/pond, which rises over the

ground floor and the first floor to meet the glazed north light reinforced concrete shells that have been designe for their excellent sun/wind-catching properties, while also roofing the house

The greenhouse makes use of the “greenhouse effect� principle to trap sunrays and build up hot air, that is further transferred to the living room and - using a system of open mezzanin spaces - further into bedrooms. The greenhouse also serves the purpose of a socialising space, and can be used for growing vegetables.

Photovoltaic cells along the ridge convert sunlight into electricity. To ensure an efficient use of solar energy, materials with a high thermal storage capacity were selected. The utility room

Earth-sheltered buildings best protect against extreme temperature variations, storms, earthquakes, noise and even military strikes. The passive design principles of internal heat zoning and compact planning are employed in this EcoHouse. It should be a wonderful place in which to live; warm and quiet, with light flooding in from the south, the ventilation system providing clean and fresh air, while being sheltered by beautiful landscape.

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Community Center

The Twin Island Community Center is located on the southern end of the island, nestled into a hill that faces the lovely San Bruno. The center will be the focus of most community gatherings as well as the many info-shops, which we will offer. It is also Twin Island Community’s center for healing, where state of the art holistic healing is practiced. It will also serve as a space for trade amongst Island residents.

The building itself is in a unique amphitheater shape allowing for a protected courtyard area for large gatherings. There are three levels, which face the south with all green rooms, which heat the rest of the building. The outer half ring of the building has three sustaining components. The bottom sections are a series of planter boxes, which will grow herbs, and food for the use of the facility. The very top section is a greenhouse for starting plants and growing tropical herbs. The middle sections are solar panels, which harvest energy to be used in the building.

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Zombies!: Jacob Rogers Found Objects, Lead Pencil

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SCORCHED EARTH: Michael Thurin L a s e r- P r i n t e d P h o t o g r a p h s

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Fires have destroyed many parts of the Bay Area, as seen in the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 and the fire in San Francisco following the earthquake in 1906. The next fire will destroy much, if not all, of San Francisco. It will be caused by humans, and will therefore destroy all human life and man-made structures in the area.

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F O U N TA I N O F Y O U T H : Amanda Marquez DIgital Media

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A legend of old describes a sacred spring where magical water would flow from out of the earth. It would restore beauty and give eternal youth to anyone who drinks of its waters.

Discover the magic of Islais Springs. We can all benefit from the healing properties of Islais Springs. For 500 years these waters have become a destination for billions of people and creatures of this earth, searching for happiness and renewal of their youth.

Founded in 2011, The Cerridwen Universal Universalists Society of Truth Collective do not own, but maintain the Islais Springs, ensuring its preservation and continuation as a sacred space and destination for all seeking eternal youth. Named after Cerridwen, the Celtic goddess of rebirth, transformation, and nature, the sacred waters – the eighth wonder of the world – contain properties only found in the southern region of San Francisco.

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WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: Lindsey Little & Carlos Rubio Printed Propaganda Booklets

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>OUR LAND >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DESTROYED

It is 2510 and the Glen Canyon Resistance is fighting for the last piece of earth unclaimed

by Global Weapons Test Operatives, a military regime that plans to use Glen Canyon as a nuclear weapons testing site. Glen Canyon used to be known for its charming little creek and lush wildlife, but now it is barren. Only the soldiers of the Glen Canyon Resistance exist in this desolate land, desperately fighting to keep this last piece of land from the dictating hands of the GWTO.

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>>>>>>>>>>I AM THE RESISTANCE.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FIGHT! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>OR >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RISK >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ANNIHILATION!

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GWTO

It is 2510 and the Global Weapons Test Operatives is fighting for the last piece of land that rightfully belongs to them. Only the rebels who occupy Glen Canyon stand in the way.

They are unlawful, dirty rebels who are preventing the GWTO from becoming the world’s government. Eventually the rebels of the Glen Canyon Resistance will perish, and the last unoccupied piece of earth will fall in the mighty hands of the GWTO.

We must win the war, and we can win it! Each man and each woman must call forth their utmost in work, courage, and discipline. Then our future and the future of our children will be assured, and the GWTO will be saved from a descent into rebel chaos!

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WE ARE A WALL

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S U P L H E EC T PR OTR YO U I LY! FAM

We build body and soul.

GWTO GWTO

and JOIN the GWTO

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R E P U R P O S E D A R T: Rose Carlyle Found Objects, Mixed Media

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Rebecca Andrews Rose Carlyle

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Joviana Carrillo

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Nathan Chavez

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Taylor Fitzgerald

20,72

Alisa Highfill

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Mitchell Janning

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Kate Johnson

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Megan Kedge

26,62

Amber Lee

38,90

Lindsey Little

46,86

Amanda Marquez

42 20,72 32

Luis Pascual Eduardo Ribeiro Susanna Riccio

38,66

Alice Robertson

26,78

Jacob Rogers

38,90

Carlos Rubio

46

David Santos

42,70

Odelia So

46,82

Michael Thurin

20,72

Elspeth Tozier

Most of Islais Creek has been converted to an underground culvert. Now only a few remnants of what used to be the largest body of water in San Francisco remain unearthed. The daylighted portions of Islais exist in Glen Canyon Park, where a branch of the creek originates, and Third Street, where Islais empties itself into the San Francisco Bay. This book showcases projects resulting from the collaboration between art and graphic design students from San Francisco State University.