Music
drifted through the air of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery Sunday afternoon,
attracting throngs of curious onlookers armed with cameras or smartphones, as
artists turned the fresh canvases of the graffiti park into scenes of eclectic
imagination, inspiration, and beauty.
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| Paint particulates in the air can severely damage respiratory functions, so it's important to use a mask |
The
Foundation, so nicknamed because of the graffiti park’s origin as a failed
condominium project, is nestled on a hill on 11th and Baylor Street.
The prime real estate location makes some wonder if the park will thrive as a
tourist attraction or be used for another purpose. Jules Aboloff, an ambassador
for the gallery’s art trailer, said that the message they want to send is embedded
in the name of HOPE itself.
“Helping
Other People Everywhere is the name and the official goal,” said Aboloff. “Hope
though, man, that’s what it’s really about, giving people hope.”
About
eight yards away from base wall, Victor Ayad, a founding principal of Castle
Hill Partners and alumni of the University of Texas, chatted and watched the
over twenty artists create things ranging from large sugar skulls and aliens to
green hedgehogs and quotes. More than a decade ago, Castle Hill Partners
demolished a condo project due to unstable groundwork. The private investment
firm was scheduled to rebuild, but instead worked with the HOPE campaign in
2011 to use the western walls for an open art gallery.
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| The scenery changes about every two weeks, meaning there's always more to see |
“When
this thing took on the life that it has, I stopped the condominium project for
the next two years, because I absolutely love this,” said Ayad.
CanLove,
the alias of street artists Paul Ramirez and DJ Neff, presented their project
for The Foundation Sunday: a set of checkered fences converted from recycled
aerosol cans. Some wore elaborate masks to protect their eyes and noses from the
particles and overpowering smell of paint that hung around the lowest level of
The Foundation, said EMD1, a local Austin artist. Unlike the camera crew that
accompanied CanLove, the local artist came alone.
"I've
got a deviated septum from doing this," said EMD1. “But this is my
relaxation, this is my art.”
Dressed in a white wife beater and khaki
shorts, EMD1 walked to a secluded corner with a few cans of All City
spray-paint and a ladder. His colors of choice consisted of various shades of
blue and a neon green, with a black outline because he liked how the paint
feels, he said. The look on the graffiti artist’s face was a mix of curiosity,
frustration, and resolve, as if seeing something in the wall he brought out over
the course of the afternoon. Paint particles intermingled with the sweat that
dripped from his brow as he worked, at times causing a stifled yelp when it
would burn his eyes and nose. Masks got
in the way, he explained, and would not work well once you started sweating.
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| Graffiti artist EDM1 works on his piece as property owner Victor Ayad explains a bit about The Foundation |
In
recent years, graffiti culture has become more of an accepted form of artistic
expression. The Foundation has won the Readers Best Public Art award twice, according
to the Austin Chronicle. In Austin, business owners have worked with graffiti
artists and muralists to create appealing works on the sides of brick and
mortar shops and restaurants, such as those on Guadalupe Street.
Two
weeks later, the scene at The Foundation is thematically different. Gone are
many of the cartoon creatures, replaced by realistic birds. EMD1’s work is now
covered by a dozen tags of different colors and messages. Two men with spray-paint
cans use the border of the once-large sugar skull to create another skeleton
figure. Things don’t begin or end as much at the graffiti park, they just
change.
