Hidden Room

Time, events, and construction both hide and reveal histories. This installation seeks to capture an aspect of the past to challenge one’s perception of San Francisco through a dynamic reflection layering past and present in a new space.

The installation is set in Mission Rock. The history of this filled-in marshland, once home to indigenous populations, and more recently, heavy industry as the railway terminus for a working waterfront, was razed for a long-time parking lot. Traces of the train remain legible throughout the Eastern Neighborhoods, where track routes can still be read in the shape of buildings, streets, and blocks.
Our design is organized around panels of two-way mirror etched with a photograph of a train track. The track appears to stretch along the ground, evoking the working history of Mission Rock. Passerbys would experience a dynamic kaleidoscope of expanded and impossible spaces. Seated inside the frame, the space expands again, revealing hidden spaces layered within the historical imagery.