I was in a car a couple of days ago, and guess what I saw, Brian Goggin and Dorka Keehn in a boom lift installing ‘Language of the Birds’.

Language of the Birds is one of BRAF’s 2007 Grants-to-Artists recipients. It is a permanent site-specific public art installation on the threshold of North Beach and Chinatown in San Francisco, at a new public plaza where the NW corner of Broadway, Grant and Columbus Streets intersect.

‘Language of the Birds’ is a sculpted, illuminated flock of twenty-three translucent, suspended open books positioned to give the impression of birds in flight. Phrases, taken from books written by neighborhood authors or written about the local communities, are scattered and embedded in the pavement as if the words had fallen from the books as they took flight. These suspended bird-books blink light patterns are modulated to interpret music gathered from the community. The lights are also intended to evoke flight, giving the flock the appearance of being in constant motion.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is pleased to join the City of San Francisco, artists and local patrons in supporting this permanent art installation designed to unite area neighborhoods and impart some magic in ‘a language of birds’ (sometimes considered in antiquity to be the secret key to perfect knowledge) to all who encounter it.

Here is some of the buzz about the installation:

http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2∫_new=26229

http://www.witchvox.com/wren/wn_detail.html?id=20057

http://www.thebaumfoundation.org/birds.html