The public art piece in Golden Gate Park consisting of 12-foot-tall red letters that spell out “NO DANCING” is set to come down later this month, just over a year since its unveiling on the car-free section of JFK Drive opposite the disco roller rink known as Skatin’ Place.
For David Miles, San Francisco’s self-proclaimed “godfather” of roller skating, the day can’t come soon enough.
Calling it “an insult to everybody that comes to this park,” Miles said the sign — a former Burning Man installation by artist Cody Smith that’s technically called “Over Ruled” — has been a 115-foot-long buzzkill for the past 13 months. Looming over the joyful, music-filled space he’s worked for decades to build, its tongue-in-cheek negativity won few fans among the skaters. “It is a total disregard of everyone, by people who have no fucking idea of what the park’s about,” Miles said.
Ben Davis of Illuminate, the nonprofit arts organization that oversaw the sign’s installation — along with the pianos, sculptures, and beer garden on JFK Drive’s “Golden Mile” — told The Standard that the sign was always temporary. “It had a nice run,” he said. “It’s a little disappointing that some of the dysfunction from the skating community spilled into the equation.”
San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department spokesperson Tamara Aparton said the sign will take “a few days to remove. Weather and equipment availability will dictate exact dates.”
Miles remains unsatisfied. If anything, he’s angrier about the public art now than he was a year ago. “It’s just another sign of the deterioration of the fantastic city San Francisco used to be,” he said. “This is the greatest place on the planet. And now? It’s hard to live here!”
Consequently, Miles said, he’s been spending less time at Skatin’ Place and more time at the Church of 8 Wheels, his indoor rink inside a former house of worship on Fillmore Street. “I’ve been here trying to maintain something that every person that comes here can feel that it’s for them.”
It’s not the only time tensions at Skatin’ Place have boiled up this year. Over the summer, Miles faced accusations of verbal harassment after an episode in which someone lowered the volume of his portable stereo without permission, later ascribing it to “a bad day after 45 years of hard work.” He told The Standard again this week that he denied any wrongdoing in that incident.
Illuminate is slated to debut a new public art piece Friday in Golden Gate Park, a collaboration with the street artist fnnch called “Solar Arch.” Fnnch is no stranger to controversy, his ubiquitous honey bear murals having been the subject of feverish criticism during the pandemic. The arch will not be near where “Over Ruled” now stands.
Miles hopes nothing goes up in its place, but he’s open to working with the city on other additions to the park. He has some ideas of his own: a zip line, say, or art cars that putter up and down the asphalt at 5 mph, with the top-hatted Miles telling stories behind the wheel. He’s done it before, he said.
“Nonmotorized, no-gasoline vehicles — safe, inspected, and all that,” he added. “If the DMV can do it at Burning Man, we can do it here!”
Indeed, a year after having been “Over Ruled,” it’s the roller disco godfather who has the last word.