We checked out Temporium on H St this past Sunday, the last day that this “pop-up”/temporary boutique was open. No purchases were made, though there were plenty of bags, shirts, belts, and unique pieces of jewelry and artwork that caught my eye, all of the items created by DC area artists. The reuse of the space was an excellent idea, so hopefully we’ll see lots more temporary places like this. No word yet on where the next Temporium space will be, but I’m hoping it will be in time for (eeek!) holiday shopping. Not that I’m ready for that yet or anything….
If you look at them the right way (or is it the wrong way?), the domed ceilings in the arcade at Union Station can start to look quite trippy. Kind of like this.
Once some colorful artwork or graffiti is now covered in white cover-up paint. It always seems like a cyclical process, until someone comes along and re-tags the wall. Or, a sign comes off (post-graffiti, but pre-white-paint-over) to reveal what once was there.
How can you not enjoy walking through this colorful alleyway at 1344 U St. NW? On the left-hand side of the image we see part of artist Joel Bergner’s mural, “Afro-Colombian Mural: Currulao y Desplazamiento”, which pays tribute to the Afro-Colombian culture in DC (especially around the U Street area) and also around the world. Through this three-story painting, the artist hoped to educate the public about human rights issues and the displacement of people related to the armed Colombian conflict. Here’s another angle of this work. Bergner also coordinates Action Ashe, which, according to its website is a project whose mission is “to create social change and celebrate culture through public art.”
Below is a video of the mural inauguration, which “opened” on September 12, 2009.
Living in the city, you see a lot of “things that make you go… hmmm” (yes, in a C+C Music Factory sort of way) but this busted old sign at 14th and S NW, by Garden District, for “The Bureau of Misdirected Destiny” was one that really made me wonder. Thank goodness for Herb of DC for clearing it up — with lots of pictures of the original piece. According to his blog, this was formerly a work of art by Matthew McGuinness and Eliza Newman Saul as part of SiteProjects DC. A quick google search for this organization leads nowhere, so I can only assume it is now defunct and a shadow of its former self, just like this installation. Still, maybe it’s even more provocative in its current state?
Just one more of the many recognizable murals found on 18th Street in Adams Morgan. According to Cultural Tourism DC , this one was painted from a photo by restaurant owner André Neveux in 1980.
The figure is cabaret singer Aristide Bruant, as painted by the famous Parisian Toulouse-Lautrec.
This photograph was one in a set of “black-white-color” images that Matt created in his set of framed photography for the hallways of Union Row.
I like finding little bits of urban artwork in unexpected places. Usually though, it’s the work of an unknown or independent artist expressing themselves through graffiti, stencil, murals, stickers, or otherwise. In this case though, a homeowner (or apartment dweller perhaps) in Dupont Circle added their own little take to “urban artwork” by having Frida to watch over the alleyway. Try walking by that window at night without feeling a set of eyes watching you.
Some people think that the fear of clowns comes from not being able to distinguish their emotions. If a clown has a painted-on smile around their lips, how will you know if they are sad?? Isn’t this really just the fear of the unknown?
