MTC ART GALLERY

The MTC community art program presents:

Tom Paiva
THE ART OF STEEL:
Views of fabrication work for the new Bay Bridge East Span in Shanghai, China

MetroCenter
101 Eighth Street, Oakland, 2nd Floor
(at the Lake Merritt BART Station)
510.817.5700
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays

View online gallery

Artist's Statement

Over the past year, I have been exploring the construction of the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge both here in the Bay Area, and in the spring of 2009, abroad at two facilities in the vicinity of Shanghai, China – one producing deck and tower pieces, and the other producing the bridge cables. I am attracted to the monumental scale and dynamic forms of the development of this major bridge project. Each image is a moment in time, because the project is always changing, morphing each month as new materials, engineering and components are added.

I am drawn to the power and monumentalism of major industrial projects. But unlike most art photographers who focus on the industrial landscape, I enjoy working at night and twilight, and in color. The commercial sites are often still functioning, but the glare and energy of the day have subsided. What is raw and ugly in the noontime sun is transformed by night into an evocative landscape you want to explore and linger in.

I adore the large format, 4x5 negative, which captures an unbelievable amount of detail and tonality. On the other hand, it is incredibly hard to do, especially at night. Because my exposures can be as long as 15 minutes, I rarely get more than three or four images completed in a night's work. I actually like the technical challenges of working with film at night. You cannot be sure what the film will pick up in these environments of complex mixed light sources, diverse intensities and deep shadows. The available light sources of sodium vapor, mercury vapor, metal halide, tungsten and fluorescent intensify the yellows, blues, greens, and overall depth. I do not use computer manipulation in my work.

This show features 39 images from the China trip. Some were taken outdoors at night or in twilight conditions, while others were taken in cavernous indoor, hangar-like facilities that create conditions similar to night and twilight.
— Tom Paiva