Striking new signage was being pasted to a wall this morning at the corner of Larkin and Fulton on the side of the Asian Art Museum.
The installers discovered that the title wasn't quite straight as it spelled out China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy, so they took the section down and started again.
Finally, it was as uniform as the slickly designed Fame. Infamy. Immortality. section of the wall sign.
On the Asian Art Museum website, they explain:
The First Emperor, Qin Shihuang (259-210 BCE), conquered much in this life, but his driving purpose was even greater: He sought to conquer death. In order to achieve immortality, he built himself a tomb—a vast underground city guarded by a life-size terracotta army including warriors, infantrymen, horses, chariots and all their attendant armor and weaponry. First unearthed in 1974, the underground burial complex of the First Emperor is a revelation for the ages, an astonishing discovery on par with Egypt’s mummies and elaborate tombs.
The exhibit of ten warriors and assorted objects from the tomb will be opening February 22nd for four months, and should be quite a crowd-pleaser.
In front of the blasted heath where City Hall's Holiday Tree stood for most of December...
...a man in a 49er hoodie with pom-poms in his hand was dancing in a celebratory manner to music delivered via headphones.
Across the plaza, between the Asian Art Museum and the Main Library, trucks were parked awaiting the packout from the final Orpheum Theatre Lion King matinee before driving the production to Austin, Texas.
In anticipation of the quick packout, there were large wooden production boxes parked on Market Street near the stage door with surreal signage, including "Hyena Rack 1."
Behind the theater, the Heart of the City Farmers Market was in full flower, with a new busker above playing an electrified cello in music so unexpectedly beautiful that it stood out like a beacon. The cellist looked mortified while I was taking his picture and kept his head down. I wanted to ask if the music was written by him, notated or improvised, or the work of a fellow composer, but talking felt rude so I left some money and bought some Fuji apples five feet away.
This neighborhood is a joy to document.
In honor of Colin Kaepernick and his tattoos and coach Jim Harbaugh and his 49ers football team, City Hall has been lit red and gold for the NFL playoffs. Gold is a very tricky color for projection and as you can see, the dome looks more green than gold, but it's still an impressive lighting job.
