Interview: Marc Horowitz
Marc Horowitz is a San Francisco based performance artist. No, not that kind of performance artist. For starters he was an Artist in Residence at the SF Sanitary Fill Company. Recent projects Marc has masterminded include the Errand Feasibility Study, Coffee in the Park, and the National Dinner Tour. What makes Marc’s art accessible to the masses (that’s you and me, dear reader) is the focus on the everyday.
In the Errand Feasibility Study, Marc identified the and challenges inherent in errands performed by all of us. In order to address the “alienation, boredom, impatience, anxiety, frustration, lethargy, and thoughtlessness” that go along with every day errand running, Marc came up with two solutions. The most ground breaking was to run errands in SF on a pack mule. Yes, that’s right a pack mule. To read more about this method of errand fulfillment, waste a big chunk of your employer’s time and to check out other potentially life altering projects go to Marc’s website. Next time you you're dropping off your dry cleaning just remember: it's not just an errand, it's art.
Name: Marc Horowitz
Introduce yourself in one sentence: Hi, my name is Marc Horowitz!
Age and Occupation: 28 photographer/ performance artist
Home Town: Westerville, OH (near Columbus)
How long have you lived in the Bay Area and Where
Los Gatos (1999 - 2000) - Blossom Hill Rd. amidst all of the other dot
commers. I landed a managerial position at a design firm.
San Jose (2000 - 3 months) - moved from LG to a "charming" victorian on 3rd street with my girlfriend. We broke up.
Oakland (2000 - 2001) - Quit my managerial job to pursue a degree from
the San Francisco Art Institute. Naturally, I moved into an Old Cookie
factory in Oakland. I lived there with a few artificial intelligence
graduates from Stanford, a mathematician, an art historian, a collage
artist, a couple fashion designers, and the very occasional "friends."
The landlord wanted to "re-develop" and booted us all.
San Francisco (2001 - 2002) - picked up my studio/ life and moved to
the sunset, 46th and Lawton, to start anew. Picked up surfing for a
while. Nobody ever visited and it took me nearly an hour to get to
work, so I had to move once again. I moved in with a friend in Bernal
Heights for a while. I then met a lady, and moved in with her on Lexington Street - we had a whole flat to ourselves. Too good to be
true - yep. Someone bought the building and we got evicted due to an
owner move-in.
Oakland (2002 - 2003) - So we moved to sunny West Oakland, Magnolia and Grand. After a few months we went our separate ways.
San Francisco 2003 - present - I found a house situation in Western
Addition (McAllister at Steiner) that had room for a studio and plenty
for entertaining. perfect. here I am.
Favorite website - that's a tough question, but I would have to say Mal Sharpe's website - http://www.sharpeworld.com/
Favorite local business - It's a tie between The International Spy Shop on Folsom Street and Gamescape (home of the 20
sided die) on Divisadero.
What I’m currently Reading - The Compleat Practical Joker by H. Allen
Smith (1954). Yes, that is how "Complete" is spelled on the book.
Best Deal in San Francisco - a free tour of the San Francisco Recycling and Disposal Company (off Bayshore)
Favorite mode of transportation: walking
Best Band or Musician to come out of the area - Megaweapon
Favorite Spot in the Area - Near the Cliff House - there is a tunnel
that leads you to a big rock you can climb on.
SF has the BEST: fog
You’ve never lived in SF until: you've visited the lesser-known Jon
Rolston's Museum of Curiosities in the the Richmond.
Favorite Bay area politician of past or present: Emperor Norton
Best solicitation from a pan handler: a guy had ripped off a "no food
or drink" sign from a store and he was walking down the street carrying it making long eye contact with those he could.
You can tell someone is local here IF: they carry a sweatshirt on a
very hot day.
SF would be soooo much better if only: they had people movers up some
of the big hills.
Best Burrito: El Castillito
Best Restaurant: Delfina
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF: The Conversation; the whole
thing.
I want all the SFists out there to know: Right now, you can run a
FREE classified in the SF Chronicle. It has to be an item for sale
that is under $ 250. Call 415.777.7777! Someone was selling their
slightly used Mr. Coffee maker for $9 to give you an example of the
possibilities.
Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview:
What have you done to better the Bay Area?