I intend to replace a special manhole cover located in a sidewalk adjacent to Dolores Park, San Francisco, with a custom fabricated fully transparent cover of equivalent durability and load-bearing capacity in order to open a curious and educational window into the civic water infrastructure of the city. This specific manhole cover is specially designated for access to the system of cisterns that compose a redundant supply of firefighting water. Often overlooked or unheard of, over 170 of these cisterns lie scattered under San Francisco. In order to attract attention, a special pressure reactive lighting fixture will be placed beneath the cover to draw curious passersby with a visual lure in an unusual location. Along with the transparent cover, an informational brass plaque will briefly describe the historical significance of these cisterns to San Francisco.

I will install the new cover with help from The San Francisco Hiking Club, an art and experience design collective that I co-founded, that produces experiences through creative repurposing of under-utilized city infrastructure, as a playground to expand the public’s perspectives of the spaces they inhabit. Fellow artists will provide support with the fabrication & the Club’s lead documentarian is willing to film and photograph the process and installation to share with his ~13k followers.