Multimedia artist Mike Perry is leading a team of creatives in a community-preserving quest for Brooklyn. As an artistic and subtle jab at new condo developments, neighborhood residents are turning to art to maintain the area's vibrant culture.
A massive 22-acre land near the newly built Barclays Center will be home to two new residential complexes, which fueled Perry to start this project. The construction site's 820-foot fence is now home to a series of murals painted by Brooklyn's artists.
The murals, which took a few days to complete, are artistic and creative ways of reclaiming the space, but not are not destructive or negative at all. Instead, the murals are meant to be community-preserving. More importantly, they act as a reminder to future occupants to respect and absorb the well-established culture.
Community-Preserving Graffiti
Brooklyn's Finest Artists Collaborate on a Purposeful Mural Project
Trend Themes
1. Community-preserving Murals - The use of murals to preserve cultural identity and community in the face of new development and urbanization.
2. Creative Reclamation of Urban Spaces - The repurposing of construction sites and urban spaces through art, rather than destruction or gentrification.
3. Subversive Art as Social Commentary - Artists using their craft to make subtle, yet powerful statements on the effects of development on marginalized communities.
Industry Implications
1. Real Estate - Opportunities for developers to incorporate community-driven art projects as a means of preserving the cultural identity of the areas they develop.
2. Art and Design - Growth in demand for community-based art installations and murals that reflect the identity and values of the local population.
3. Activism and Social Justice - Growth in subversive art forms as a means of social commentary on the effects of development on marginalized communities, which in turn will lead to increased demand for such art and initiatives.