ADRIANE COLBURN
Bear vs. Bull; Oak vs. Eucalyptus; Creek vs. Streets
2005
paper and ink
12'x20'
This work contrasts elements of the San Francisco Mission district before and after the California gold rush. The centerpiece for this work is the now filled in Mission Creek and Bay which Southern Exposure Gallery sits on the former banks of. On the left hand side are ill-fated features of the natural landscape prior to the mid 1800’s. These include the grizzly bear, a selection of native plants (western sword fern, coast iris, acorn, scrub oak) and Mission Bay which was eventually filled in to create more land for development. (now the new home of Genentech) On the right are the post Gold Rush counterparts: the streets which now cover over Mission Bay and Creek; the Bull which trampled numerous native plants and was pitted against tethered Grizzlies for sport in the mid 1800’s; the ubiquitous eucalyptus tree which replaced the native oak trees (these were used up for firewood and construction just about as soon as Europeans hit San Francisco soil) and the invasive soil eroders, iceplant and ivy.
