THE CONCEPT

The artist, David Aaron Smith, lives his life around reclaiming material.  The extreme waste of living a conventional American life forced Aaron into a remote area of Death Valley where he's been working with the byproducts of consumer lifestyle. It's become a daily practice for Aaron to observe how the systems in place facilitating human life dictate the choices you have.  

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When the opportunity presented itself to project this personal outlook onto the big stage of San Francisco, Aaron's brain started churning.  What he wants is to create something that is San Francisco, from concept to materials.  

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On September 26th, Aaron arrives in San Francisco with a small team to build 10 to 12 life-size assemblage canvases from reclaimed materials from the streets of San Francisco.  Aaron will then take 10-12 San Francisco residents who are dealing with displacement; from those looking for solutions to the housing crisis, to those providing relief, those scrambling for footing, and those managing the material debris that follows displacement.

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The result is a multi-media portrait show that tells the story of San Francisco's present.  In another facet, it comments on the way cities build systems for dealing with societal byproducts that are not always empathetic.  

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There's an additional dimension of charity to the show.  A portion of the sales will be donated to a non-profit working against displacement of the sitter's choosing.

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GARDENVILLE STATION SHOWING

This is a look at the show's first install.