Awarded - In Progress

ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED CENTER, SUNOL CA

COMMISSIONED BY: SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION

RUUPAYWA - SONGS OF THE WATERSHED

It begins at the threshold of mixed evergreen and oak savanna and winds its way to the edge of the bay. It pays tribute to the Muwekma Ohlone People and recognizes both their history and their continued presence and power. Ruupaywa (the eagle) is a chief, a protector, and a creator in the Muwekma Ohlone creation story. This sculpture represents a protector spirit, a guardian of spaces above and below ground. It is meant as a vessel, a sheltering place for reflection, remembrance, and visioning.

The Alameda Creek Watershed Center in Sunol is only 16 miles from one of the most significant Golden Eagle breeding areas in the world. These birds are powerful residents of the watershed and surrounding areas. This eagle sculpture is a framework, an invitation to the Muwekma Ohlone community to generate imagery and song in a collaborative partnership. Open areas in the wings and tail will be filled with images gathered collectively on “Watershed Walks.” The sound component will be composed entirely from voices from the Tribe translated into the songs and calls of the watershed.

Sculpture

The Golden Eagle is made from welded 2” square steel tubing, sandblasted and painted to withstand the harshest elements. It floats in a protective posture facing Mt. Diablo to the north, its wings wrapped around 3 benches oriented according to the cardinal directions. The 3500 lb structure is composed of 5 assemblies bolted together at their seams and resting on 9 plates anchored in the concrete. The intersecting steel members create a lattice that ensures the structure is strong enough to support itself and endure wind loads or any unanticipated loads or impacts. All corners and edges will be rounded and smooth to the touch.

Several openings in the sculptural framework house 9/16” waterjet cut laminated glass panels printed with translucent imagery taken by “watershed walk” participants and selected through consultation with the Tribe. These images will be printed onto the laminate of DuPont Sentryglas® by Pulp Studios. The steel structure will have tabs welded in place and engineered to support stainless steel standoffs onto which the glass will be mounted as part of installation on site. The vivid images will populate the area with color and texture through reflected light and cast shadows. Tule reed textures printed on tail panels will evoke the historic shelters constructed by the Muwekma Ohlone.

Sound

The sound installation is a response to a desire communicated by members of the Tribe to assert their continued presence and survival despite centuries of erasure and oppression. It is an invitation to members of the Muwekma community to select and learn the songs of birds and animals in a unique way. The technique is inspired by artist Marcus Coates’ brilliant work entitled “Dawn Chorus.”

We will slow the calls of the eagle, the hawk, the hummingbird, the coyote, the Acorn Woodpecker, the Bobcat, and many other watershed species until they enter the human vocal range. Then, singing the melodies in Chochenyo, each person will learn and replicate the sounds of the slowed animal calls. This very forgiving process can be done in very short, easy to learn sections. The phrases sung will be affirmations and declarations chosen in conversation with the Tribe.

The resulting recordings are then sped up to their original tempos and the voices of the participants will ring out as the calls of Sandhill Cranes, White-crowned Sparrows, or frogs in the night. The recordings will be played through weatherproof speakers situated in 8-10 locations throughout the gardens, their positions matching their preferred habitats within the watershed.

The sound installation will be available for those wanting to learn about the wildlife of the watershed, but for the Tribe it is offered as a repository of language and a document of multigenerational community expression. The installation will also be quite subtle and available to those who are attentive and patient. Any sound work intending to last 25 years must be artfully implemented. The work will be an element of the garden environment outside the walls of the Watershed Center and tuned to complement the existing soundscape.

Community

This public artwork is a frame for material generated through engagement with the Muwekma people. We will convene a conversation to discuss how the artwork can best fulfill its role in honoring their past while addressing the present and looking to the future. This gathering will address language use, significant visual symbols, the role of youth, the archive, and any site specific concerns. Guided “Watershed Walks” will take place in at least 2 locations along Alameda Creek. Listening exercises will be shared. During these walks cameras will be distributed and we will pay careful attention to textures and imagery and sound. Participants will contribute pictures taken on the walk to a photo library from which we will carefully choose some of the final images for the glass panels.

We will also conduct several “Song Sharing Circles” where bird and animal calls will be slowed, reinterpreted, and taught as sung phrases using the Chochenyo language. When agreed, we will record these songs in a professional local recording studio for inclusion in the sound installation. The collected songs, images, and documentation of workshops will be compiled into a book and audio tracks to be shared with all participants. Food will be provided for all workshops along with time for reflection and consideration of the day’s events.