The Panhandle Bandshell

The Panhandle Bandshell was a collaboration between BRAF, The Finch Mob, REBAR Group, CMG Landscape Architecture and the North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA).

Panhandle Bandshell by The Finch Mob and REBAR art collectives, and Christopher Guillard of CMG Landscape Architecture
San Francisco, California
June 23, 2007 – September 3, 2007
Reclaimed materials
25’H x 30’W x 20’D

The Panhandle Bandshell at Panhandle Park, San Francisco, California. Photo by James Addison.

About the Project

The Panhandle Bandshell is a full-scale performance stage constructed almost entirely out of reclaimed and repurposed materials, including 65 automobile hoods, hundreds of computer circuit boards, 3,000 plastic water bottles, French doors, reclaimed wood, and recycled structural steel. As a fully modular structure, it can easily be dismantled, moved and re-assembled anywhere.

The back of the Panhandle Bandshell. Photo by Melissa Alexander.

From June 23, 2007 to September 3, 2007, it was installed in San Francisco’s Panhandle Park, where it was open for both impromptu and scheduled performances. The Bandshell was dismantled on September 14, 2007 and moved to Treasure Island for winter storage. In the summer of 2009, it started a new life at a second location at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center, where it played host to countless performances and gatherings over the course of the next year and a half. It is currently in storage again–awaiting installation at its final home.

The Panhandle Bandshell at Panhandle Park, San Francisco, California. Photo by James Addison.

Support

In addition to support granted by BRAF and the San Francisco Department of the Environment, The Panhandle Bandshell was also supported by the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association, the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council, the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association, the Neighborhood Parks Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and Mayor Gavin Newsom.

About ScrapEden

ScrapEden first bloomed at the Burning Man event in 2006 when we invited citizens of Black Rock City to contribute sculptures of garden-inspired artworks made from reclaimed and recycled materials. The project yielded delightful creations, and inspired us to continue to collaborate with artists around the theme of reuse and recycling.

The ScrapEden Program evolved into a collaborative effort between the San Francisco Department of the Environment and BRAF. Together, BRAF and the DOE produce public works of art that illustrates the messages and practices of recycling and reuse. All of these collaborative ScrapEden projects serve their communities by promoting dialog and thought about the importance of recycling, reuse, and composting and about the impact of the human practices of accumulating, treating and creating waste.

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