I'm the creative director at Stamen.

There are certainly more variables at play than the ones we were able to display on the maps. One of these is the fact that the Tenderloin is home to more children than almost any other SF neighborhood; another is that the number of fire engines that hurtle through our residential streets, sirens blaring, is considerably higher than that of other areas. There's transit to talk about, pedestrian fatalities, distance from schools, height of buildings, income level, how much each building contributes to the Community Benefit District, etc. The variables we displayed are the ones we currently have access to, and this is very much a work-in-progress; suggestions for new datasets to map are definitely welcome.

Sadly, I'm well aware that the current state of affairs makes it acceptable for you to take one look at the party and assume that none of my neighbors and I were there. One of the things we hoped to show with the maps is that there is more to the Tenderloin than the monolithic view you seem to have of it's residents (I've lived there since 2001). We are a dynamic, diverse community of homeowners, artists, immigrants and families, overly burdened by a city administration that chose to place a disproportionate number of supportive services here in the 1960s, and longstanding city policies to use the neighborhood as a containment zone for drugs and violence that would be politically unacceptable in other neighborhoods.

I realize it's easy to collapse the broad-based Tenderloin community support that organizations like GAFFTA enjoy into a simple, reflexive assumption that when an improvement happens in the Tenderloin, the "goal is commerce." From the title all the way down, this article parrots the immediate assumption that the maps try to address: my community's desire for a safe, livable neighborhood which supports a diverse community, and our attempts to make it a better neighborhood by (for example) supporting galleries and reducing crime means pushing out "those who were here first." It's such a wierd, self-loathing attitude - do you like the fact that the center of town, a National Historic District and one of the densest, most vibrant neighborhoods in the City is "dedicated to...addiction and crime"?

Very well said Eric.

Disclaimer: I work with the Gray Area Foundation, and my comments here are my own and do not necessarily reflect official thoughts of the foundation. That being said, I will use the word "we" as my perceptions of "our" goals.

Camille's piece does NOT in fact interweave images of the viewers in with images of the Tenderloin. The images are all Tenderloin footage, and the video is scrubbed through by the viewers proximity to the screen. It's like a cut up vertical flipbook. So, the whole metaphor for the images of the Tenderloin being replaced breaks down. Oops.

Regarding the political agenda, I would say that there are a lot of political agendas that are competing for exposure and traction in the area currently. To say it is "our" political agenda I think is giving us credit for a lot of issues that are a lot larger than us. People seem to be giving us credit for a lot of things that have nothing to do with us, which I guess is what happens when you are doing something different and ambitions.

So let me be clear: our "agenda" is to foster the environment where digital art can be experienced and produced - as well as connect with the community and offer opportunities for creative expression to those who may not have much access to such opportunities. I, for one, believe that the digital medium can speak to a variety of cultures, and no harm is done by different communities interacting through the arts.

Lastly, there are a lot of opinions dealing with the perceived community's response to us being there, and the art we present, that are simply not based on any facts. For some discussion of this I leave you with my recent retrospection on my site.

Eric:

As someone who has paid attention to Stamen for over a year, and enjoyed the progressive mapping and data visualizations that you folks create, I had high hopes for your GAFFTA exhibition. What I found was rather hackneyed and heavy handed. If this piece is incomplete—you mention that it is “very much a work-in-progress”—then why was it included? Because it is the first/last impression when entering/leaving the area, and the largest display, it gets interpreted as your “centerpiece” and—in comparison to the collage of miscellaneous data on the back wall—“finished.”

If it’s a “fact that the Tenderloin is home to more children than almost any other SF neighborhood,” then surely you have access to this data (and others). So, why wasn’t it implemented? Stamen’s “Cabspotting” and “Crimespotting” projects have considerable development and detail. Why doesn’t this one? Those projects are unique and interesting

in and of themselves, but when lumped together with Craigslist rental listings these three disparate sets of data get lost and confused. They define “monolithic.” What are the connections? What is to be extrapolated? What do rental listings and cabs suggest in and of themselves? Turnover and raising rents? Continuous fleet and high fares? To me, high rental and cab activity don’t reflect a healthy neighborhood; they reflect a neighborhood of strangers where everyone is coming and going, where everyone is in transit and thus, everyone is a transient—different transients competing for the same space.

It is clear that the Tenderloin needs improving—and commerce and capital are obvious elements to improve any situation. Neither is inherently corrupt, but their implementation can be if used towards the benefit a small group as opposed to everyone affected (I would hope this also qualifies under Stamen’s definition of “crime”). This is currently the concern with Proposition D, an initiative that GAFFTA supports.

Barry:

I must have misinterpreted Camille’s piece. I thought the infused image was me—looked like me, dressed like me, moved like me. (This issue could be another discussion altogether.)

In response to your take on GAFFTA’s agenda: you keep shifting the responsibility. Do you believe that GAFFTA has any responsibility to the Tenderloin? Or are they, like you say, simply purveyors of digital art? GAFFTA is now an actor in the area, and because they are supporting an upcoming initiative, they are political agents. Claiming to be "bystanders” and allowing the politics to sort themselves out is a political move itself.

I want GAFFTA around. I think there is incredible potential to be had with their space and ambition. However, trying to separate the politics from the art—especially when the art exhibited is inherently political—is passive, inarticulate, and irresponsible.

Those links don't appear to be working, so here are the url's:

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=9274&catid=4&volume_id=452&issue_id=455&volume_num=44&issue_num=03

http://www.gaffta.org/2009/10/08/a-better-market-street/

Spencer,

I am the executive director of GAFFTA.

1st of all we do not support propositon D. The post that you linked to is merely an informational post about what's going on around us. In fact I was asked by David Addington to sign the ballot and did not. The reason being that we are neutral, we are in this neighborhood supporting and promoting the arts and are civicly engaged. For the past 60 years no business besides porn theater, liquor store, and bar have existed on our block next to golden gate theater.

The stamen piece is a collaborative project and will continue to evolve. It launched in our show to begin a dialogue with the community. It has not launched online. We wanted to hear what people thought and thank you for your input. It will not be taken lightly.

This is a perfect example of how we intend to work. We listen to the community and do what we can given our modest means. Most eveyone within our organization is a volunteer. We are involved because we believe that more creative space is needed throughout San Francisco. The tenderloin happens to be the heart of our city but also a containment zone for social services after all you don't see a meal service in the marina.

I am happy to answer any questions that you may have
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