Tuesday 22 March 2022
I sporadically read a weekly newsletter called Reasons to be Cheerful. RtbC was founded by, and still features writing by, David Byrne, singer, songwriter, etc. As its title suggests, it is a purveyor of hopeful news, something that I’ve welcomed over the last few years.
This week there was a link to a story on another blog that really stuck a chord. It is about the work of a street artist who ‘repairs’ pavement by embedding mosaics in damaged areas. (The full article can be found here: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2022/02/ememem-pavement-mosaics/)
Take a look:
and
and
I like these. They are surprising. They are colorful. They are functional. They also call attention to the structure of the pavement, for it, too, is a mosaic of textures and colors and patterns.
I wonder if it might be cost effective to crowdsource the artistic repair of streets and side walks. Kits, with proper mastic and a well-chosen palette of tiles, designed to cover varying amounts of space, could be provided so that aspiring artists – might add serendipitous bits of color to their neighborhoods.
This street art reminded me of another project from long ago – mentioned either by William Whyte or Jane Jacobs, but I think it was Whyte – called Dance Steps. This featured bronze footsteps set into cement; there were multiple installations, each a different dance: a waltz, a rumba, &c.., so it would not work for crowdsourcing, but still it was a lovely idea. The article I read – and now I think it was perhaps yet a different source than those I’ve mentioned – said that occasionally people would stop try the dances, much to the entertainment of passersby. I was so taken with this idea that I sought them out when I was at a conference; they were in a suburb of either Seattle or Portland. I found them, but was sorry to see that they were ignored, though perhaps because it was the gray end of a work day.
Later: Dance Steps, indeed the right name, is in Seattle Washington. It was funded by Seattle’s innovative ‘1% for art’ program, and Dance Steps itself was created by Jack Mackie, who went on to have a career in creating public art. A bit more on the project can be found here: https://www.kuow.org/stories/what-s-with-these-bronze-footprints-in-the-sidewalk
