San Francisco Manhole Cover

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on January 6, 2024 at 3:01pm

Curator’s Comment:

San Francisco Manhole Cover recently reappeared in a randomized selection of artworks on the site.  While I remember viewing your beautiful dichroic glass plates in the past, it was the title that clued me in to the different scale and utility of this amazing piece. The strong radial design is in keeping with the function and historic designs of manhole covers, but the thin red bits peeking through the white mosaic fragments creates an irregular, and slightly organic feel to the otherwise circular geometry. The black edging maintains the shifts in hue and activates the border, while connecting it to the interior “bullseye” space.  While your citation on the work affirms its functional nature, there’s also a certain irony because of associations with the fragility of glass in contrast to cast iron.  As this work was made many years ago, I do hope you will consider adding new works if you’re still active on the site.