Those who live, work or commute along the Wiggle may have noticed a big change to the corner of Steiner and Haight. The mysterious ladies has disappeared, and a brand-new collaborative piece by artists MARS-1, David Choong Lee, Oliver Vernon, Nome Edonna and Damon Soule has debuted.
Wild Feather owner Tamo Hulva told us she'd been looking for artists to create a new mural on the side of her shop for a while, and in the end, the collaboration came through neighborhood synergy. She and Trevor Martin, the director of FIFTY24SF, met through a street photographer friend a month ago. "We were instant best buds," Martin told us. "We both have a background in fashion, appreciate visual art and enjoy electronic music, so there were many parallels there already."
The pair teamed up to bring artists together for the mural project, and that too came out of neighborhood relationships. Artist Nome Edonna is a friend of both Hulva and the artist Mars-1. Mars-1 also happens to live on the same block as FIFTY4SF's gallery, walking distance from Wild Feather.
"We have collaborated for years and I thought, if we could get all the guys together, it would be a great opportunity for everyone to paint that wall," Martin told us. "We knew that it was time for a new piece on that wall, Tamo wanted to get Nome on it, and everything just fell into place from there."
Photo: FIFTY24SF
The six artists who ended up coming on board for the mural have worked together on many pieces previously—they're part of a Bay Area-based collective with roots that go back to the 90's in San Francisco,
"They all have their own individual style, but collectively their works have a certain theme that brings some continuity to their collaborative work together," Martin said.
A detail of the piece in early evening light (Photo: Nuala Sawyer/Hoodline)
The piece itself is surreal and psychedelic, with swirling patterns and shapes all tied together with shades of blue. The tone of the piece is one that the group of artists has been working in for a while—"They tend to stick with a specific palette for a few pieces and/or walls before moving on to another distinct theme," Martin told us.
The mural isn't done quite yet, but it's already enormous, taking up about three-quarters of the building's side. Stop by to catch the artists at work throughout the day, and keep an eye open for when the mural project is completed.
