ILLUMINATE SF

HANDSIGNALS

Matthew Passmore/MoreLab (2014)

Permanent (Civic Art Collection)

Mission: McCoppin Street at Valencia Street (View Map)

A playful re-imagining of the pedestrian traffic signal, Handsignals creates a meditation on community symbolism. Marking the entrance to the plaza as well as signifying the McCoppin Hub neighborhood, Handsignals references the well-understood vocabulary of theater marquees and signs prevalent in the Mission District to “advertise” a new public space. "McCoppin" is spelled out in bright yellow cast aluminum lettering on the north-facing side of the piece.The work's south-facing side replaces familiar “red hand” and “walking figure” symbols with ones designed to represent themes embedded in Mission District culture. The modules blink on and off in a slow, irregular pattern during the day and at night, creating new combinations of symbols whose meaning and relationship to the neighborhood will change as the neighborhood continues to evolve.

Best Viewing: Stand on the Valencia Street sidewalk to get a close-up view of the art work, then walk up the terraced steps of muliti-level McCoppin Hub plaza for a higher view.