//COVER
“There are a lot of artists who come on their own terms just to participate,” Alexandra Parrish, Director of Communications for Living Walls, said. Together Ever, who hails from Argentina, and Freddy Sam from South Africa created a masterpiece of combined cultures, styles and influences.,
Living Walls brings street art to Decatur FROM BRICKS TO BRILLIANCE
BY KIRA HYNES
kirahynes@csdecatur.net
walls dance into residents’ memories as they wander about the city. Tis is the impression the Living Walls
T
Conference intends for the murals found throughout Decatur and Atlanta. Tey hope not only to bring street art to the front of viewers’ minds, but to entice creative conver- sations between the people who see them. In 2008, Blacki Li rudi Migliozzi, an avid
follower of street art, traveled to Barcelona while studying new urbanism. Taking in Barcelona’s rich culture of street art and graf- fiti, Migliozzi began thinking about public spaces, art and urban development. After returning to Atlanta, where Mi-
gliozzi resides, he and Monica Campana, who is largely involved in Atlanta’s street art scene, created the proposal of Living Walls to give to local art gallery, Eyedrum.
24 CARPE DIEM • OCTOBER 2011
he swirls of color, waves of move- ment and thoughtful phrases cast upon the faces of Decatur’s city
After the proposal was accepted, with the help of more than 20 businesses, the start of Te Living Walls Conference began – right in the heart of Atlanta. Once the logistics were covered, the next step was to find reputable street artists who were willing to participate, a task which turned out to be surprisingly easy. Director of Communications and Development for Living Walls Alexandra Parrish was a big part of this process. “We read a lot of blogs, we pick up on who is who in the movement and try to invite the best. Tey say yes, and we move from there,” Parrish said. Te mural painting process can be a cul-
ture shock for the artists because of Georgia’s customs and laws. “A lot of artists from around the world live in an environment where graffiti and street art are accepted – many, in fact, paint during the day,” Parrish said, “When a city spends so much money on buffing walls, and we are trying to do quite the opposite, it creates a challenge.” Tere are many people throughout At-
lanta who don’t like the style or ideas of the murals. Te Living Walls crew often has to attend neighborhood meetings in order to gain approval from a community. “Tere are many people who don’t particularly appreciate the art. Tat’s a big challenge [for us],” Parrish said. Tere were instances where residents got mad because a business hosted a mural without the consent of their neighborhood. Te murals that caused the most discon-
tent were either abstract or on older build- ings. Of the latter, residents thought they were defacing historic buildings, but all of the murals are completely legal. Despite the occasional road bump, Liv-
ing Walls gathered their artists, the artists grabbed their spray paint, and together they successfully completed their first conference in fall of 2010. Tis year, they have expanded their conference to Albany, New York, where they are currently hard at work. Tey also hosted their second conference in Atlanta this past August, and even expanded to
Photos by Kira Hynes
Photos by Kira Hynes
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