Analgesia (and Armament)

This project is in reference to the August 4th, 1977 eviction of the San Francisco International Hotel(widely known as the I-Hotel). The building was built in 1907 and was a low-cost residential hotel located at the corner of Kearny and Jackson Streets in the Manilatown section of San Francisco. Right before the police broke inside, tenant leader and elder Wahat Tampao pulled out a butterfly knife and served slices of cantaloupe to calm the activists down. This 2009 video was recorded inside an 8 x 10 square foot room in the similar St. Paul Single Room Occupancy Hotel across the street from the I-Hotel, now with original anti-eviction leader Dr. Estella Habal cutting the fruit. Depicting the gesture of sharing remembered in the midst of struggle, the video portrays a generous act with a street switchblade and signifies what it means for those (who experienced the actual event) to act it now.

Press Release (PDF)
Detailed Essay on Four-Platform Project (PDF)