Bright, bold and fanciful, a 4,000-square-foot mural has overtaken the historic bulkhead at San Francisco’s Pier 19½, its presence as sprawling as the octopus tentacles it depicts.
In a nod to its waterfront location, “Beneath the Bay” features larger-than-life sea creatures playfully interacting with San Francisco landmarks.
The artwork is part of the initiative “These City Walls,” commissioned by Levi Strauss & Co., to create 25 new murals across the city. “Beneath the Bay” is the fifth mural in the series to be completed — and the largest.
“Levi’s was founded in San Francisco over 170 years ago, so we have a really deep commitment to the city we continue to call home,” said Alexis Bechtol, director of community affairs at Levi Strauss & Co. “This mural project is one of those ways we’re working to support San Francisco’s revitalization.”
The denim maker partnered with local artists at 1AM Projects as well as the Port of San Francisco, which provided the space for the mural. Bechtol said they decided to approach 1AM after seeing their large murals across the city.
“We’re not artists,” Bechtol said. “We make jeans.”
Daniel Pan, co-founder of 1AM, who was born and raised in San Francisco, said the jeans maker had a hands-off approach to the mural design. “That was the part that really surprised us,” he said, noting it is atypical of grant funders.
Pan and his business partner, Antoine Marnata, painted San Francisco history into the final design: The “Welcome Home” on the anchor is a nod to the many returning veterans whose entry point was on the waterfront, and a transit car represents the Embarcadero’s history as one of the busiest rail lines in the world.
Yet looming largest of all are the sea creatures — a giant crab and an affable seal, as well as the octopus.
“When you think of the Embarcadero, the animals kind of come first,” Pan said.
The mural’s title echoes the 1955 horror film “It Came from Beneath the Sea,” in which an oversized octopus wraps itself around the Golden Gate Bridge. The pier’s empty wall provided an ideal space.
“It was a no-brainer of a perfect location,” said Arianna Cunha, senior analyst in the maintenance division for the Port of San Francisco. “It’s a huge blank canvas across from Levi’s.”
The company headquarters on Battery Street recently reopened its denim museum as well as its Levi’s Plaza store, shuttered since 2020.
The mural on the bay also filled in a gap in the Port’s art trail, which celebrated the launch of 10 temporary sculptures along the waterfront in early November. (When it’s finished, the Big Art Loop will include 100 large-scale sculptures).
The art initiative is part of a bigger plan to align with the mayor’s economic recovery plan and bring people to the waterfront, Cunha said. The mayor, in turn, owes his wealth to his family ties to the iconic blue jeans manufacturer.
The fast-tracked appearance of public art is not without contention.
The arrival of large new pieces along the waterfront without oversight from the San Francisco Arts Commission has sparked controversy, as have massive sculptures like Marco Cochrane’s “R-Evolution,” which will continue to inhabit prime real estate for at least another six months.
“The Port sees public art as a powerful tool to activate our waterfront,” Cunha said in response to the disapproval. “Art is always going to be criticized. The point is, people are going to be talking about it and coming to see it.”
When asked about critics who might contend that corporations shouldn’t be funding public art, Bechtol pointed to the positive reception of the mural.
“If it can inspire others, citizens, corporations, community members, tourists alike, to be active and engaged in their communities, then we’ve cemented our support in the right way,” she said.
Locals who stopped to take in the mural on a Tuesday afternoon gave it a thumbs-up.
“It’s a good location and nice colors,” said Giselle M., who has been working in the neighborhood for 20 years and enjoyed seeing something up on what she had always remembered as a blank wall. “It adds to the general feel and character of San Francisco.”
Passerby Mark Lim applauded the mural’s connection to the city. “It’s very San Francisco,” he said. “The dungeness crab is very cool.”
He also appreciated that the Transamerica Pyramid, and not the Salesforce Tower, was included in the design. “As a Bay Area native, I like that they’re keeping it real,” he said.
Pan said the experience of painting “Beneath the Bay” stood out not only for its size, but also for the extent of community engagement. Locals would come by daily to check on the progress, bringing the artists lunch and pretending to take part in the mural-making by holding paintbrushes.
While the public was all in, the company kept its distance, despite its headquarters nearby, the artists said.
“It’s great how hands-off everything is,” Pan said. “We like it when we have less chefs in the kitchen.”
I hope they put a protective film over it so when some dork spray paints over it , it can be restored