That's Random: The House of Falling Furniture

Photo by plaid_iguana

I swear, I must have driven past this a hundred times and never noticed -- and, hello!, it's been there since 1997. (I spotted it this morning via shelterrific. Nothing like the interwebs to make us finally take note of something that's right under our noses, eh?)

It's a sculptural mural called Defenestration, on an abandoned tenement at the corner of Sixth and Howard streets (aka Skid Row) in San Francisco. Created by Brian Goggin, the installation features cartoonishly warped furniture that appears to come crashing out of broken windows or to scale the sides of the building with limbs akimbo.

In the artist's own words, "The concept of 'defenestration,' a word literally meaning 'to throw out of a window,' is embodied by both the site and staging of this installation. The site is part of a neighborhood that historically has faced economic challenge. Reflecting the harsh experience of many members of the community, the furniture is also of the streets, cast-off and unappreciated. The act of 'throwing out' becomes an uplifting gesture of release, inviting reflection on the spirit of the people we live with, the objects we encounter, and the places in which we live."

Check it out:

Photo by Dawn Endico

Photos by Claudine

Photos by Octoferret

Photo by Frank Synopsis

In a word: Whoa.

Find out more about Defenestration right here.