THE WORD IS OUT! OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION HAS COMMENCED
March 10, 2010
Brian Goggin’s “Operation Restore Defenestration” has been in the news lately. The word is out and people have been flocking to the gallery to see Brian’s restored and new works. We hope that the buzz will remain strong and help him raise the funds he needs to restore Defenestration, San Francisco’s iconic work of art.
Here are notable quotes from San Francisco’s well-known journalists:
I have always wondered whether “Defenestration” made reference to suicide, but Goggin said it was inspired by his reading about the First Defenestration of Prague. That incident, which ignited the 15th century Hussite wars, involved an incensed mob throwing seven city council members from upper windows of the town hall.
But that historical reference lurks far in the background of “Defenestration.”
“As there’s this absurd image of furniture seeking a new life, it may well end as they get smashed to the ground,” Goggin said. “There’s a sense of bliss and joy captured in that moment. The next moment is left up to the observer. I like it that people project on it things they see happening next.”
- From Kenneth Baker’s, art critic for SF Chronicle, Brian Seeks to Revive ‘Defenestration’
For more than a decade, a curious scene has greeted viewers looking upon the old Hugo Hotel at Sixth and Howard streets. A bright green couch lurches precipitously from the building’s corner window. Packs of reading lamps are scaling the building’s outer walls. A floor or two up, another couch, some coffee tables, and one of those old and impossibly heavy television cabinets appear to contemplate jumping from the fourth-story rooftop. No prank of the homeless, this precarious assemblage — wow, that’s a dangling claw-foot bathtub three stories up — is the Defenestration Project, the work of Bay-Area artist Brian Goggin.
- Brady Welch’s, writer for SF Bay Guardian, Still Defying Gravity
Thanks to Amy Hollyfield from ABC 7 News for coming out and covering our opening!
OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION EXTENDED THROUGH APRIL 17TH AT 1:AM GALLERY!
OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION – OH, WHAT AN OPENING!
March 08, 2010
If you weren’t at 1:AM gallery last Friday, you missed out. It was by far the most festive and entertaining opening we have ever had.
Brian Goggin knows how to throw a fundraiser. With a lot of help and support from friends, the night was filled with wonderful surprises, music, photos, cupcakes and beautiful people radiating with positive energy.
Brian Goggin blowing out candles. Happy 13th Birthday, Defenestration!
Brian rapeling off the building!
Black Rock Arts Foundation, fiscal sponsor of the OPERATION
Wine provided by our friends at Gundlach Bundschu
The Dime Store Dandy kickin' off the night for us.
The COCKROACHES from the Defenestration building... they delightfully entertained the patrons
$teven, the master of ceremonies
Mike Farrah from the Mayor's office of Neighborhood Services telling us to KEEP PUBLIC ART ALIVE IN SF!
Mr. Lucky serenading the crowd
Paul Cesewski's bowling ball sculpture outside the gallery
PHOTO BOOF! with Defenestration backdrop outside the gallery
DJ toAD on the 1 2's
Jeremy and Paula workin the sponsorship table
The man of the night, Brian Goggin with his beautiful friends
GREAT TURNOUT! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!
If you haven’t had the chance to swing by the gallery, come by and check out original furniture sculptures off the Defenestration building, limited edition screen prints, photography of Defenestration over the years, and new sculptures. Profits from the sale of art pieces goes towards restoring the building. Do your part to keep public art alive in San Francisco!
If you want to learn more about OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION or make a donation, visit www.defenestration.org. Visit Laughing Squid to see more coverage of the opening.
MORE PHOTOS OF THE OPENING ON OUR FLICKR! THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD ONES!
WEEK IN PHOTOS: OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION
March 05, 2010
Brian Goggin holding tight to his table
New lamps!
Defenestration illuminated at night
Sponsor a Sculpture
OPERATION RESTORE DEFENESTRATION opens tonight from 6-10pm! Learn more about the project on www.1AMSF.com or visit www.defenestration.org.
PLAYBILL FOR TOMORROW NIGHT’S EVENT
March 04, 2010
1:AM gallery and Brian J. Goggin
present
Brian Goggin ……………………………………………. played by Brian Goggin
Guitarist ……………………………………………. The Dime Store Dandy
On the turntables……………………………………………. DJ toAD
Singer ……………………………………………. Mr. Lucky
Performance Troupe Extradordinaire ……………………………………………. Fou Fou Ha!
Wine ……………………………………………. Gundlach Bundschu Winery
~~~~~~~~~~
Keepsake from the night ……………………………………………. Photo Boof
Fiscal Sponsor ……………………………………………. Black Rock Arts Foundation
Doors open at 6pm.
1000 Howard Street (x 6th)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Lost? Be on the lookout for the infamous Doggie Diner Heads or Paul Cesewski’s Bowling Ball Structure in front of 1:AM gallery and Defenestration building.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: IS THE DEFENESTRATION BUILDING GOING TO BE TORN DOWN?
March 03, 2010
Yes, it will be eventually torn down.
The Hugo Hotel was condemned and acquired by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) via eminent domain. The Hugo Hotel site is a key element of the SFRA’s continuing efforts to improve the South of Market Redevelopment project area. Within the next 18 to 24 months, the Agency plans to replace the existing blighted structure with new affordable family rental housing. In the meantime, Defenestration is in need of immediate and extensive reconstruction if it is to remain a fixture of the City for as long as the Hugo remains standing, and possibly longer in a future incarnation.
The eminent domain action took place at approximately the same time that Brian Goggin had been considering ways to restore and update the work. After discussions with the SFRA, they agreed that rather than tear down the building immediately, they would let Brian keep Defenestration up in the interim between acquisition of the property and a time when a developer was ready to build. The SFRA agreed to a Permit to Enter, which gives Brian access to the otherwise blighted building for a minimum of 18 months. There is no definitive date when the building will be torn down. There is speculation that based on the obstacles involved in obtaining funding and erecting a new building in San Francisco, and especially in this economic climate, it will be up for more than 18 months. Whether Defenestration, or some version of it, can find a lasting place in the neighborhood thereafter no one yet knows, but it will have no chance unless it is restored now.
Read the article in SF Bay Guardian titled “Still Defying Gravity” for more information.
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