Language of the birds

Language of the Birds, in San Francisco

Language of the Birds is an aerial artwork of San Francisco, made of suspended and luminous books. The San Francisco audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this poetic installation, on a small plaza between Chinatown and North Beach.

The flown books between two districts

Before going down Columbus Avenue, you discover, on a small pedestrian plaza that links Chinatown to North Beach, the work Language of the Birds. This poetic installation is composed of open books, suspended in the air like a flight of birds, illuminated at dusk. On the ground, words evoke the languages and the stories of the two neighbouring districts. Nearby, a painted wall pays tribute to jazz and the culture of North Beach, the cradle of the Beat Generation. This aerial and symbolic work celebrates reading, language and the meeting of cultures that make the richness of San Francisco.

What to see

You admire the open books suspended in the air like a flight of birds, illuminated at dusk, on the small plaza linking Chinatown to North Beach, near a painted wall paying tribute to jazz. Language of the Birds celebrates reading and the meeting of cultures. It is a poetic stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

Language of the Birds lies on a small plaza between Chinatown and North Beach, near Columbus Avenue, in San Francisco, reachable on foot. It is an open-air work, freely visible. It is particularly beautiful at dusk, when the books light up.

What is Language of the Birds in San Francisco?

A poetic artistic installation made of open books suspended in the air like a flight of birds, illuminated in the evening, on the small plaza linking Chinatown to North Beach.

Where is Language of the Birds?

On a small plaza between Chinatown and North Beach, in San Francisco, in the United States.