Hidden Room

The installation is set in Mission Rock. The history of this filled-in marshland, once home to indigenous populations, and more recently, heavy industry as the railway terminus for a working waterfront, was razed for a long-time parking lot that occupied the land for decades. The Southern Pacific Railroad was a significant presence at Mission Rock. Traces of the train remain legible throughout the Eastern Neighborhoods, where track routes can still be read in the shape of buildings, streets, and blocks.
Our design is organized around panels of two-way mirror etched with a photograph of a train track. The track appears to stretch along the ground, evoking the working history of Mission Rock. Mirrored frames around the track panels would capture and focus surrounding views. Passerbys would experience a dynamic kaleidoscope of expanded and impossible spaces. Seated inside the frame, the space expands again, revealing hidden spaces layered within the historical imagery.