With the “Manhattanization” of San Francisco beginning in the 1970s, struggles surrounding development, affordable housing and tenants rights have become a focal point of activism in the Mission. “Canto de la Calle” evokes these struggles by using images found in El Tecolote’s archive to construct a narrative of a city and a community in transition. Although the photographs are shown as a form of evidence, they are also used as a storytelling device: buildings are erased and turned upside down, while businesses that are standing one moment are demolished in the next. In this way, the newspaper becomes both a document of the struggle and a way of keeping these histories alive.

On another level, this work explores the double meaning of an icon (pictured below) in the newspaper’s first issue. It describes the newspaper as a “canto de la calle” or a “song of the street.” However, the phrase also invokes the Mexican proverb: “Cuando el tecolote canta, el Indio se muere. Esto no es cierto, pero es sucede” or, “When the owl sings, the Indian dies. This isn’t true, but it happens.” In other words, while the owl’s song marks a moment of transformation, the act of telling the story has its own unique truth. “Canto de la Calle” is part of the 24th Street Promenade, a series of public art projects commissioned by Triple Base Gallery. Special thanks to Roberto Daza, Juan Gonzáles, Francisco Herrera, Forrest Lewinger, Eva Martinez and Linda Wilson for helping make this project possible.