Rock Bar Turns Our Disgusting Habits Into Beautiful Art

Hopefully this is the last time I take close-up shots of stepped-on chewing gum.

Since there's nothing that compliments a pint like chewing on a fat wad of gum, it makes sense that the sidewalk outside of Rock Bar is littered with it.  But instead of letting their sidewalk be yet another grayscale leopard print glue trap, they've busted out the paintbrush and turned the minefield of Big League Chew into a bunch of germ-ridden gold nuggets!

Now, I'm sure they're not thinking that big or anything about a bunch of gum stomped into the sidewalk, but this definitely has the chance to become the Google Doodle of Mission bars.  Think of the painting opportunities:

  • Red, white, and blue gum on the 4th of July
  • Orange and black on Halloween/the playoffs
  • Red and green for Christmas
  • The rainbow for SF Pride
  • Green, white, and red for Cinco de Mayo
  • Bile for New Year's
  • Blood red for the week of Burning Man

Anyway, painted gum!

Comments (6)

Wait, what?

How did they accomplish this sorcery?

The Pink Dot Experiment seeks to call attention to the way in which we take our external urban environment for granted as we pollute it with thoughtless, careless practices disconsiderate of the environment. As it involves public participation, this project encourages citizens to recognize an obscure urban mapping of pollution and to reflect on their own actions as they affect public space adversely, allowing for the possibility of “Waking people up to rethinking their attitudes and behaviours.”

Was some sort of speed involved in this? Some of that crystal meth the kids are talking about? And by kids I mean 45 year old tweakers.

Cause this is awesome in an I’ve-been-up-for-two-days-straight kind of way.

My girlfriend and I witnessed this start to completion over a champagne stoop sesh on a Sunday afternoon about a month ago. The painter was a dick, a Burner looking dick. He would scowl and make faces, he would yell and shrug, he would put his hands on his face (Home Alone style) and convulse anytime anybody got anywhere NEAR his art project. It was hilarious and maddening. He would chastise old women and children just the same. No retreat/ No surrender. His Process: paint a piece of gum, walk back 4 feet, tilt his head, pensively scratch chin while contemplating his next brush move, walk to another piece of sidewalk gum, slowly paint it with tiny brush, repeat process. I would feel bad about making fun, but seriously, the guy was totally oblivious, a complete asshole to the neighborhood folk just trying to walk down their sidewalk.

I love Front Porch. I like Rock Bar. But that guy can get lost.

I wonder how long before they get a graffiti removal notice from DPW?!