Seed , 2009; mixed-media.

James Sansing spent four months in residence at SF Recycling & Disposal, creating three different series of wall pieces using only what he could find on site.

Intricate and evocative, the first set--each about two feet square--are small-scale assemblages that suggest traumatized urban landscapes: foreclosed properties in varying states of neglect, or the stripped and decaying structures found in the wake of a hurricane. Sansing said the driving force behind his selections for this series were objects in a range of subdued green, gray, and red hues, which he combined with the frames from dismantled adding machines or typewriters, and affixed to the wall.

Sansing also discovered broken tempered glass, a bag of graphite powder, and cast-off bags of cement. From these, he constructed two of his gorgeous signature abstract wall pieces by pouring the cement onto the broken glass, removing the latter, and then coloring the mold with the graphite powder. These hang between the aforementioned landscapes and forty photographs set in the metallic grids of discarded electrical boxes. He removed the human figure from each photo to create silhouettes in a variety of positions or poses, including some rather humorous ones. Placed behind the now-empty figures are reflective surfaces from the backs of LCD fixtures, which shine and blink like a collection of eyes from forty different faces. All are entitled Missing Persons, each with a subtitle describing the individual's action or posture.

The piece I enjoyed the most from this last series was Missing Persons: Man With Car, which was taken in front of a group of houses I recognize from the Outer Sunset, giving new context to a familiar setting. Strange how the missing--but shining-- man proudly leans against his car, an ancient model T or old Ford. Someday, I wonder, where will the photograph of a proud owner of a 2009 Hybrid or SUV end up?

James Sansing: "Systemic Obsolescence" was on view at the San Francisco Recycling & Disposal gallery September 26-27, 2009. For more information about his work and the Artist in Residence Program, please see http://www.sfrecycling.com/AIR/index.php?t=d