Pinhole Day Workshop @ The Looking Glass

Ok, full frontal disclaimer… this event takes place in Berkeley.  I know, I know.  I can hear some of you groaning already…

But Berkeley is good for a few things… like amazing radio (KALX you rock!), incredible Indian food (Vik’s, yummm!), used record/cd shops (I love you Amoeba), a wealth of intellectual and progressive “capital” that truly drives our country forward (despite how annoying it can be sometimes), and this photography store:  Looking Glass Camera & Photo Supply.  Their motto is “the camera store that loves you back!” and it’s really true.

buy local, the looking glass, best camera store east bay

This Sunday, April 25th, they’re hosting their annual Pinhole Day Workshop & Celebration in honor of Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  Photobugs are likely familiar with the concept, but for you laypeople out there, a pinhole camera is the simplest kind of camera consisting of nothing more than a box with a tiny hole in it.  There is no actual lens.

It easy to make a pinhole camera out of a box or cyclinder (I’m going to use a coffee can) by simply poking a hole into your container.  You need a way to cover the hole… simplest method is thick tape, like electrical tape.  You also need a larger opening into the container so you can put your film in.  My coffee can already has one built in… a shoebox, similarly.  And then the whole thing has to be relatively light-tight, so you don’t get light leaking in through seams to expose your film in unwanted ways.

I won’t get into all the physics of it, but the neat thing about pinhole photography is that everything from the closest blade of grass to the farthest horizon line are all equally in focus.  You can also make multiple exposures, or create interesting visual “tricks” with long exposures.

In any case, The Looking Glass is like one of those old-school mom & pop shops. They’re always throwing fun & interesting events to bring the community together around a shared passion of photography.  Others include Print Swaps, Summer Lectures,  Photo Contests, Free Studio Portraits on Halloween (you have to be in costume!), and more.  Plus all the other stuff you want from your camera/photo store, and great prices that are comparable with the big boys in the city, but you don’t have to drive across the bridge.

looking glass photo, pinhole day workshop, worldwide pinhole photo day

Sunday’s workshop costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids… In their words “Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day is a great way to create and share the most historic and simple form of the camera. Our workshop gives you the chance to make your own camera, capture your image with a minimum of fuss, then print out your photo in our darkroom. It’s the ultimate in hands-on photography!”

I’ll be there. Hope you will too…

More info here:
Pinhole Photography Resources
Looking Glass Photo on Yelp
Contemporary Pinhole Photography Gallery

Street Tattoo Mural ~ San Pablo

I’ve passed this mural probably hundreds of times…  Despite its dilapidated state, I’ve always loved it.  It’s not a stretch of San Pablo I typically walk –  under the freeway overpass near the Greyhound Bus Station – so I’m either whizzing by in my car or on my bike.  Today I got out and walked its full length so I could snap these shots.

Created in 1982 (nearly 30 years ago!) by Daniel Galvez with many others (see below), it’s titled “STREET TATTOO”.

oakland mural art, oakland mural san pablo

oakland residents mural art, oakland residents portraits san pablo

daniel galvez, street tattoo mural, oakland mural art

daniel galvez, san pablo mural oakland, street tattoo mural

The mural presents a wonderful portrait of Oakland’s diversity, and what I love about it is how happy everyone looks in all of their active and creative pursuits.  You don’t have to walk far down this stretch of San Pablo to see that most real-life folks aren’t singing, laughing, dancing, or juggling.  I wish they were.

But it certainly paints an idyllic picture.  I hope they’ll both be restored one day… the mural, and the “picture.”

daniel galvez, street tattoo mural, oakland mural by bus station

You can’t see because the type is too small, but the number 2 tag on the man in the wheelchair reads “1981 Oakland Marathon”.

oakland resident portraits, daniel galvez

The female firefighter rocks! Oh, and I zoomed in on this man’s t-shirt because I think it’s simply fabulous. It reads “Oakland – The Center of Western Civilization”. I can’t quite make out the design… it looks like Atlas holding a portion of the Bay Bridge, but I’m not sure what else. Anyone?

mural by daniel galvez, oakland mural art

daniel galvez muralist, mural art oakland, mural on san pablo

oakland mural art, street tattoo mural

My understanding is that all the subjects portrayed here were real people, and I believe he worked from photographs, as in later murals produced (see below).  In fact a friend of mine met a woman recently who claimed to be girl on the tire swing.  She, too, hopes the mural will be restored.

Daniel Galvez, who received his undergrad at California College of Arts & Crafts (now CCA) and Master of Arts and Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, was a powerhouse muralist in Oakland in the early eighties.  He later achieved national recognition, producing his most famous murals for the Department of the Interior in Washington D.C. (Guardians of the Past, Stewards of the Future), and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (Homage to Malcom X), among many many others throughout the U.S.

He was also one of the primary artists on the amazing “Grand Performance” mural by the Grand Lake Theater.  I’m saving that one for a rainy day…

Other artists include: Jamie Morgan, Dan Fontes, Keith Sklar, Eduardo Pineda, Warren NG, Marilyn Gaines, Linda Wolfe, Brian Thiele, Debbie Simpson, and Reynaldo Carranza

Sponsors include: California Arts Council, City of Oakland, Chinatown/Central Community Development, Cal Trans, and others.

Random Ramblings…

I’ve been thinking about this awhile now… I’m looking for some guest bloggers. Anyone out there got a passion for Oakland, a camera, and some ideas to share?

I’m not exactly sure how it will work, but I’m open to suggestions… Could be once a week, once a month, or maybe a whole week at some point to give me a little break. The blog is simply a personal project right now and doesn’t have any advertising on it to generate revenue, which sadly means I can’t pay you. It would strictly be a volunteer effort… a labor of love.

Anyone? Please send in comments if interested…

In other news, and I’ll admit this is completely un-art-related, it’s Pickle & Pepper’s birthday! Here’s a shot of them resting up now, so they can party like crazy later. Just thought I’d share…

And last, but certainly not least, here are some mostly-art-related events coming up that you’ll definitely want to check out…

  • 4/23 Friday – Oakland Underground Film Festival kicks off (98 Broadway, Jack London Square)
    This festival will be running through August so do check their site for schedule details.  This Friday features Local Talent Short Films and I’m particularly interested in A Day Late in Oakland by Zachary Stauffer about the murder of journalist Chauncey Bailey and the history of the Black Muslim Bakery in Oakland.
  • 4/24 Saturday – Oakland Organic Plant Sale at California Hotel (35th St. @ Chestnut, West Oakland)
    This event is sponsored by People’s Grocery and related organization Ferment Change. Plants from local West Oakland organic farms (People’s Grocery and City Slickers) will be sold to raise money to hire low-income residents from the hotel to work in the newly established garden and greenhouse at the hotel.  Live music too.
  • 5/1-2 Saturday/Sunday – Oakland Museum Re-opening Weekend Celebration (Oak @ 10th St., downtown) Well it’s been a long wait, but next weekend proves to be an exciting celebration of the newly renovated Oakland Museum.  The museum will be open for 31 hours straight and admission is FREE for the entire weekend.  Check out their site for all the groovy events planned… it’s gonna be a great party!

“One of the largest roof gardens in the world…”

I visited the Kaiser Roof Garden yesterday under gorgeous sunny conditions, so I feel a little sheepish sharing this while the next two days are forecast for thunderstorm gloom, but this is a lovely spot to visit, even in the rain.

Perched atop the parking garage for Kaiser Center (300 Lakeside Drive), this garden is a one of Oaktown’s secret gems. I first discovered it several years ago when hired to shoot a wedding here… it struck me as a particularly urban setting for a wedding – very Oaktown appropriate – lush green landscaping giving way to towering skyscrapers beyond.  Very cool.

On the left below, you can see the greenery peeking from the edge of the parking garage’s roof (with the Cathedral of Christ the Light in the distance). Right side pictures the 28-story Kaiser Center building viewed from the garden.

rooftop garden, kaiser center garden

The Kaiser building was built in 1960. At that time it was Oakland’s tallest building, and the largest office tower west of the Rocky Mountains. The building was the home for Kaiser Industries, a large Fortune 500 company headed by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, known as the father of American shipbuilding. (Wikipedia)

In the 40’s, his Kaiser Shipyard located in Richmond California produced “Liberty” cargo ships for WWII; utilizing mass production techniques, a new ship was churned out every 45 days. He went on to form Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Steel, and eventually Kaiser Permanente health care for his workers and their families, which by the 1990 was the country’s largest non-profit HMO. (Wikipedia)

Kaiser was known as a man of incredible ambition, famous for wanting to make things bigger, better, faster. You’ll pass a historical display chronicling his life and work on the 2nd floor of the Kaiser Center on your way to the parking garage. According to one of the panels, after hours of deliberation during development planning, all parties had finally agreed on the size the new Kaiser Center to be built. Kaiser responded by simply saying, “Double it.” And they did.

He also orchestrated installation of the roof garden despite unanimous disapproval by his upper management team. Rumor has it he did so, because he resided in a penthouse apartment on the 28th floor of the Kaiser Center, and wanted to have a view of a lovely garden rather than a concrete roof. But according the architect who actually designed the garden, Theodore Osmundson (who later wrote one of the definitive books on rooftop gardens, Roof Gardens: History, Design, & Construction), the garden was conceived by Henry J. Kaiser’s son, Edgar.

Here is the view as the elevator delivers you to the top of the parking garage…

roof garden, kaiser center garden, kaiser rooftop garden

snapdragons, rhodedendron, kaiser roof garden

The garden comprises over 3 acres with 42 species of mature trees, expansive lawns, and smaller plantings, a large reflecting pool with fountains, a wooden bridge, a numerous walkways and benches. The primary challenges in developing the garden were drainage and weight. Drainage is provided across the sloped roof, through the use of downspouts which run through the 5 stories of parking spaces to a storm sewer in the basement. The heavy loads of mature trees were placed directly over support columns running through the garage. All of the trees chosen (olive, holly oak, japanese maple, and southern magnolia) have fibrous root systems, which I suppose makes them well suited for a shallower planting.

kaiser roof garden, bridge on roof garden

pond on roof garden

kaiser center garden, kaiser rooftop garden

bamboo stand, kaiser roof garden

This dedication plaque states that “The beauty and grace of the Kaiser Center Roof Garden is a tribute to Tony Flood’s thirty years of love and dedication as a gardener. (April 30, 1991)” I’ve been unable to locate any info on Tony Flood. Please send comments if you have some…

tony flood, tony flood gardener

Finally, there are a series of large scale black and white photographs hanging in the lobby you can access from the garden. Here is an aerial photo I particularly liked; it shows the rooftop garden in the foreground, Lake Merritt and the lovely Lakeside Park Gardens behind…

aerial photo lake merritt, aerial photo downtown oakland