MURAL, 2017
Projector, digital video | Dimensions variable | 33 min. 27 sec. loop
Installation view at the Cole Creativity Center with Santa Paula Art Museum, 2017
MURAL encapsulates the essence of Santa Paula through a collaborative effort between the artist and community members. The piece features an extensive collection of photographs capturing various facets of Santa Paula, encompassing natural and human landscapes, shops, street views, and interior spaces. These hundreds of photographs were meticulously curated into six sequences, each telling a unique visual story.
To enhance the visual narrative, the artist incorporated visual effects, simulating the movement of water and reflective surfaces within the sequences. This infusion adds depth and dynamism to the imagery, creating a captivating portrayal of Santa Paula's vibrant community life.
The digital video, a culmination of these sequences, was commissioned by the Santa Paula Art Museum and prominently projected onto the Cole Creativity Center. This center, serving as a vital community space, holds particular significance as it symbolizes a new era for Santa Paula, especially with the opening of the community center. Given Santa Paula's predominantly agriculturally based economy, the integration of water motifs in the artwork not only pays homage to the community's roots but also serves to highlight the transformative power of the Cole Creativity Center as a hub for communal gatherings.
Furthermore, the unique architectural structure of the Cole Creativity Center is thoughtfully mirrored in the artwork, invoking the imagery of water steps. This connection between the visual elements of the piece and the physical attributes of the community center adds a layer of symbolism, emphasizing the harmony between art, community, and architecture.
The unique structure of the facade of the Cole creativity Center inspires the idea of steps of water. Water is an important part of Santa Paula due to the city’s geographical location in Santa Clara Valley, as well as due to its history as an agrarian society. With the opening of the Cole Creativity Center, water is also used as a metaphor of new energy and sustainability to highlight the creation of a new gathering place for the community.
Art has been entrenched in Santa Paula residents’ lives by the form of murals, of which they are very proud. With the murals depicting their history, I want to make a modern mural that represents the current spirit of Santa Paula. With the help of Adrian, a member of the local Lion team, and my partner, Drew, hundreds of pictures were taken around Santa Paula and made into six sequences of images including natural and human landscapes, shops, street views and interior spaces.
The Cole Creativity Center is expected to be a place that gathers people and starts conversations through the inspiration of art. Through the idea of reflection, Mural carries the museum's hope of improving the community by generating appreciation of the place through presenting the beauty of Santa Paula and to reduce the distance between art and everyday life by making art that residents can resonate with.
Photographed and filmed by Shan Wu, Adrian Escobar, Andrew CavicchiDocumentation: Shan Wu, Wren WarnerIn collaboration with Santa Paula Art Museum,
Fillmore Leo Club Teen participant: Adrian,
Special thanks to: Michelle Glass, Jennifer Orcutt Heighton, Seana-Marie Sesma
Supervisor: Astra Price