“Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those peepers?
Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those eyes?
Gosh all git-up, how’d you get so lit up?
Gosh all git up, how’d it get that size?…”
-Song written in 1938 by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer
Pictured: 1913 Alfa Romeo Castagna Aerodinamica
This Thursday is the opening of The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit: “The Utopian Impulse: Buckminster Fuller.” They called a few months ago, wanting to interview me on my experiences with Bucky. I told them it would be a negative interview, to wit: 1. Fuller did not invent the geodesic dome; the first geodesic dome was built in Jena, Germany in 1922, designed by Dr. Walter Bauersfeld. Fuller secured a patent in 1954, and always claimed he was the inventor. (Full story on pp. 180-81 of Shelter.)
2. Nor did Fuller invent the tensegrity sphere or the tensegrity mast, both of which he claimed credit for. They were invented by a student of his at Black Mountain College, artist Kenneth Snelson.
3. His Dymaxion car was obviously based on the 1913 Alfa Romeo Castagna Aerodinamica.
4. I was an early fan, but as time passed, I became disillusioned with Fuller and pretty much all of his concepts. Don’t get me started.
So they filmed me expressing these admittedly negative views, and it apparently will be part of the exhibit, from March 31-July 29, 2012 at SFMOMA, 151 3rd St., SF. I like to accentuate the positive, but sometimes it’s just not possible.
If you grew up in San Francisco long enough ago, you knew Laughing Sal, now in her new home on the Santa Cruz boardwalk:
In the motorcycle shop in Pt. Arena was this little motorcycle made out of what looksd like wood, bamboo and raffia.
Anchovy pizza a la Pt. Arena Cove: first brush with olive oil, then slices of ROMA tomatoes*, small balls of mozarella cut in half (water squeezed out), anchovies. * Roma have v. little water, other tomatoes make pizza too wet. Next time I’m gonna use these tomatoes.
This was totally fun. Unexpected treat: Aimee Kibbe, an artist/free spirit from Nevada City, presented me with this handmade Shelter doll. The embroidery on the left trouser leg is the Jaime de Angulo sketch from the first page of our 1973 book Shelter.
Photos by Lisa Foti-StraussSee: https://gravelandgold.com/blog/ for more photos
Just before I did the slide show, along came 100s of cyclists down Valencia, turning on to 21st St. Boisterous, friendly, loud. I’d never seen “Critical Mass” before. Worldwide now, started in SF 1982.
“What is Critical Mass?
Critical Mass is a mass bicycle ride that takes place on the last Friday of each month in cities around the world. Everyone is invited! No one is in charge! Bring your bike!”
https://www.sfcriticalmass.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
Doorway on 21st Street. I love wandering the city with camera. Country hick: “Wow! Look at that!”
I think San Francisco is culturally rich right now.
