Douglas Perry: San Francisco Structures
Terminal 3
"The steel, glass, and concrete used to erect our buildings are a measure of our civilization in the twenty-first century."
–Douglas Perry
Douglas Perry: San Francisco Structures
For photographer Douglas Perry, architectural structures are social achievements, which manifest innate beauty. He views completed buildings and public-works projects as an expression of the skills and inspiration of the developers, architects, financiers, city planners, engineers, builders, and hundreds of craftspeople.
Tall landmarks, such as the Bank of America Building and One Rincon Hill, hold a particular delight for Perry–their majesty. According to Perry, high-rise buildings have a universal appeal, as witnessed by the current competition in Asia and the Middle East to construct the world’s tallest building. Countries around the world are expressing their global power and influence in an unprecedented number of high-rise buildings—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, now the world’s tallest building with 120 stories (2,717 feet) high recently replaced the Taipei 101, also called the Taipei Financial Center in Taiwan, which is 101 stories (1,671 feet) high.
San Francisco Union Architecture is derived from a much larger collection of images, amassed while Perry was the photojournalist for Union Publications—the official newspaper for the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council founded in 1989.
This exhibition was organized in conjunction with the Phillip and Sala Burton Center for Human Rights, which focuses on the contributions of organized labor in promoting human rights and social justice. Perry’s images reflect the enduring quality and beauty of union-constructed, private and public-works projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.
[Inset image]
Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco 2002
Douglas Perry
digital print
Courtesy of the artist
Photography is not permitted.
©2010 by San Francisco Airport Commission. All rights reserved.