Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Out of Character



The Asian Art Museum recently spent a lot of money on a rebranding initiative where they were advised to brighten up the signage around the museum. It was good advice, except when the big new special exhibit is devoted to black-and-white calligraphy and a street drunk is passed out in front of the signage on Fulton Street on a Sunday morning.



A guard from the museum noticed the drunk after I started taking photos, and ran down the sidewalk to him, calmly and patiently convincing the fellow to move over five feet and sleep on the lawn and trees nearby. The guy stood up, furiously smoked a few puffs from a leftover cigarette in his pocket, and slumped away.



While photographing, what looked like a 7-year-old skateboarder rolled by, and he gave me a stare that was the essence of Punk. He was definitely In Character.

3 comments:

Markley Morris said...

Wow. This post is mindblowing. Beyond words. The final photo is perfection. Thank you, Michael.

Civic Center said...

Dear Markley: Thanks so much for the kind words, especially from somebody who has been paying attention to this site for so long.

Hope you're well. I've been working in the Heart of Darkness aka the SF Financial District for the last couple of months and continue to do so. Will see you again soon.

janinsanfran said...

Those granite canyons downtown are pretty awful, says I after nearly a year located there. Who are all those people? They don't look like anyone I know.