A Stressful Finish

How interesting it is that the cracks and flaking are concentrated around the word "stress." Makes me wonder if, somehow, this was all intentional. But I think ... not.

After talking to some of my informants in the construction trade here and there, it seems that this unsightly finish came about because:

Although the low wall was freshly poured, for some reason, the outer surface was finished with a sack mix, applied in a 1/8" or so thick layer. You can see some of the aggregate from the inside concrete layer in the photo where the letters have been routered. Obviously, the lettering was carved in after this thin plaster-like layer was applied. While additional care in the curing and application of the sack mix may have alleviated some of the flaking and mosaic cracks on the surface, such failure was probably inevitable given the waterfront location of the wall where it is constantly exposed to extremes in moisture. The better choice would have been to carve the letters in the wall without applying the additional layer of concrete. Of course, a more elegant and permanent solution would have been to use a granite stone or such, with finer workmanship as would have befit the occasion (this is a memorial tribute at the Rosie the Riveter Memorial Park in Richmond, Calif.)

Compare the understated but beautiful presentation of the message at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, below.

More photos of the Tiled Bench Project at Peralta Park

At the time, I had very little idea of what was involved in plastering the concrete barricade with the tiles.  It was a lot of work, and took a lot of precision planning and a creative vision, especially on the part of Susan Steinman and Andree Singer Thompson, the project artists.

Over the holidays, I finally got around to finding my negatives from eight years ago to document this project here. I am still looking for the photos that I took of the classroom session with the kids making the tiles.  I know they are somewhere...

Whenever I drive by Peralta Park on my way downtown, I try to catch a glimpse of the bench and the playground.  From what I can tell, it's still lookin' pretty good, I must say.  After looking at these pictures though, I think I will go and rub that tile that imagines a potion in the Future, that will let you "live forever, even if ur 1,000,000 years old, u won't feel old!"

Peralta Park: Marking the Millennium

Back in 1999, I was part of the project team tasked with the renovation of 30-plus tot lots in Oakland, Ca.   Peralta Park had a long, awkwardly shaped concrete bench that looked more like a Caltrans barrier than park furnishing, but we found some money in the budget to hire a couple of artists who worked with kids from two nearby schools to create tiles that gave the bench a brand new look. At the official dedication, the students and their teachers came to check out the new climbers and the tiles they helped create. The adults had been somewhat suspicious of the new type climber (of the Galaxy line!) because it didn't have a slide, or swings or other familiar features. The kids didn't miss a beat though. They spotted the new equipment and went straight up the ropes and ladders and knew exactly what to do.