Groundswell
Posted on December 7, 2021 | posted by: alira081
“Groundswell brings together artists, youth, and community organizations to use art as a tool for social change.” A company based in New York that focuses on highlighting key issues while supporting creatives and young people in the community. They use art as a tool for collaboration, communication, a way to explore interests and spread valuable messages.
The mural that we visited as a class is located in Bowery, New York City. It is fascinating to see that each time one looks at such a mural, new things become visible. Maybe that is a bird flying out of traditional fabric, maybe that is the writing on the tombstone, or even the greater significance behind the imagery of the fish-eating fish after another.
Interestingly, these murals belong to the wider community of the city, so anything can happen to them. They are almost living and breathing, when you return a week later it could have been taken down, painted over, or tagged all over. This makes us reflect on not only the importance of space but the power that it holds. The location of a mural can add so much information to and importance to the message, it can be strategically placed to catch specific groups of people or to gain the most attention possible. Looking at it from a raw perspective they are layers of bricks with paint, but what this becomes with the touch and an idea of a human is unbelievable.
In some ways, walls can create barriers to keep people out or to stop people from stepping in, however, murals, covered in colors and creativity, like this one invite people and brings them together.
Groundswell Mural – Bowery