Collective Geographies
2018Irving Street Projects
San Francisco, CA
Photocollage, wood, series of printed paper cards
Irving Street Projects
November 2017-February 2018
"Combining both analog research methods and Google Street View technology, artist Kelley O’Leary mapped
the Outer Sunset in a way that fused physical, digital, and
psychological geographies and re-inserted the emotion and personal
experience that maps never capture. At a time when the neighborhood, the
city, and the nation were experiencing rapid transformation, Collective
Geographies provided an opportunity for reflection, dialogue, and a
glimpse of the innumerable layers of community and connection shared
through place.
For Collective Geographies O’Leary invited the
public to contribute memories associated with a street address in the
Outer Sunset, loosely defined as west of 19th Avenue, north of Sloat
Blvd, and south of Golden Gate Park. Each locale was added to a
large-scale collage in the gallery, and each memory was transcribed in a
set of corresponding cards for visitors to explore. Public programming
included opening and closing receptions, open hours for drop-in visitors
to participate, a movie night featuring historical footage collected by
O'Leary from the Prelinger Archive, the Western Neighborhoods
Association, long-time residents of the Outer Sunset, and online
research, and a "Discover Your District" event with District 4
Supervisor Katy Tang. Collective Geographies was supported by funding
from the Zellerbach Family Foundation and was included in the INTERSECT
SF Series, funded by San Francisco Grants for the Arts and Intersection
for the Arts."
-Kelly Inouye, Irving Street Projects
Collective Geographies now lives on as a book.
Video Collage, 2017
Found footage from the Prelinger Archives
Music by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, The Pleasure Seekers, The Shaggs, The Sandwitches & The Cramps
In
conjunction with Collective Geographies, this video was made using
found footage from home movies and outtake reels from feature films
based in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco. It was screened
in the gallery at Irving Street Projects on December 14, 2017.
Installation documentation by Anna Rotty