By Kathy Chouteau
An opportunity is afoot to check out two Richmond phenomenons all at once. The Beer Can Monolith creator (BCM)—the anonymous Richmond artist who’s built numerous local pyramids using beer cans—has just unveiled his newest upcycled art installment at Black Star Pirate BBQ, the hot new outlander eatery in Point San Pablo Harbor.
The BCM creator’s latest piece, called the “Black Star BBQ Beacon Tower,” consists of 340 beer cans, most of which are Northern California brews—including some from East Brother Beer Co. and Laughing Monk Brewing. Atomic Duck, an IPA out of Las Vegas, also made it onto the tower; the BCM creator said he placed those cans toward the top of his work “because it has like a mushroom cloud explosion, and if you’ve been to the Black Star, it kind of seems Mad-Maxi, post-apocalyptic.”
The work is topped by a solar-powered tiki torch, a signature of the artist’s work. As he often does, the BCM creator said he may circle back to this latest tower in a month or two to add 100 beer cans or so.
It all came about when a Black Star employee reached out to the BCM creator a month ago, telling him that restaurant owners, Tony Carracci and Suzie Vasko, liked the tower he created for The Factory Bar and were wondering if they could have one too. The BCM creator jumped aboard the ‘pirate ship,’ taking approximately three weeks to build his latest work. It debuted Thursday night during a pirate-themed birthday party the owners had for an employee.
The Black Star BBQ Beacon Tower is currently situated outside next to the eclectically adorned Pirate Booty boutique by the restaurant—perfectly fitting in amongst the landscape’s giant bee, mosaic alligator and pirate related-treasures. While the artist isn’t certain how long his work will be on display, he said that “hopefully, it finds a nice home out there.”
Along with his Black Star BBQ Beacon Tower, the BCM creator has also built triangles, pyramids and the like at The Factory, Armistice Brewing Company and atop Point Potrero in Richmond; at Ales Tales in Albany; and at the Gilman Brewing Company in Berkeley. He also created a beer can archway for the UPcycle Fest in Albany organized by Richmond resident Katie Harrison last weekend.
Next up, the BCM creator has been beckoned back to Ales Tales to create a beer can wall in its shop. He’s also considering organizing a bike ride or a beer can pub crawl at some point.
To check out the BCM creator’s latest beer can tower, visit Black Star Pirate BBQ, 1900 Stenmark Dr. in Richmond. Questions? Visit the restaurant’s website or call 415-517-8080. Visit the BCM creator on Facebook here.
