World Trade Center Mural Project
200 Greenwich St. New York, NY 10007
I’m sort of bending the rules (that I made up) this week! This is less of a building and more of a free outdoor gallery. The World Trade Center Mural Project, unveiled in 2018, was an initiative to bring color & life back to downtown Manhattan. Over 20 murals and art installations were commissioned to cover up the fugly yet functional construction sheds near the World Trade Centers. Yes, plural centers! There are actually 7 whole World Trade Centers in New York, even before 9/11. I find that not to be a well-known fact but maybe you’re a genius and already knew that… in which case fuck off.
artist Todd Gray putting the finishing touches on “Flabbergast.”
Hey, what even is a World Trade Center? Do they trade worlds? Let’s talk about it. According to my lord and savior, Google, a World Trade Center is an apolitical (is that that one netflix show?) organization that supplies businesses with access to international trade services and facilities. Groovy! All I know is that Uber (shout out to my bestie Ceceli) and Spotify (please hire me, I have no credentials) are in two of the buildings.
mural by Brooklyn street artist Ben Angotti
This group of buildings is almost a neighborhood in and of itself. In between the various World Trade Centers are the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Oculus, a beer garden, and the Perelman Performing Arts Center (that I wrote about in week 5!). It’s a one-stop shop for tourists and selfie lovers alike.
Honestly though, I find the proximity of a massive shopping center to a solemn memorial a lil funky, but hey! That’s America baby!! The juxtaposition is heightened when you have a beer garden blasting Camila Cabello’s ‘Havana’ a stone's throw away from someone putting roses into the names of dead people who would’ve been celebrating their birthday today. Too much? Yeah I agree, that was a bit of a run-on sentence.
Artist Eduardo Kobra with his mural. It portrays five women, each representing one of the continents—Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania
I initially thought that these steel structures were utility sheds, AC vent coverings, or something along those lines. Finding out they are construction sheds leads me to question how long this installation will be around. I guess they’ll stay there as long as construction is happening in the area, which will be … forever? Much like Thanos and taxes, construction in New York is inevitable. And if we can’t avoid the insufferable nuisance that construction brings to our lives, we might as well get to look at some art in the meantime!
"Love is Love Hearts" by Hektad
Thanks to Local Law 163, programs like City Canvas arrange for public art to be displayed on temporary protective structures (i.e., construction sheds, fences, and scaffolding). In most cases, the artists chosen for these projects are local to the city, which is amazing! It doesn’t even matter if I like the art! I guess I just need visual stimulation in order to care about something - like a baby or a man.
One time I saw a mother lift her son (who had to be maybe 3?) onto one of these concrete planters, pull his pants down, and tell him to start peeing on the plants. Wildly important to note that there are ample bathrooms right inside any of the surrounding buildings. Call me insane but being accosted by the sight of a 3-year-old’s pearly white bare ass at eye level when I wasn’t expecting it shook me to my core a little bit. We were in a large crowd of people too and it felt like no one but me was stopped in their tracks. For a second I thought I was maybe hallucinating, but no. It happened. And now you all know about it too.
‘Everyone's Different And Everyone's The Same’ by Frank Ape
I especially love the ones with armpit hair
Anyways… I can’t imagine what this part of town would be like without these murals, so I hope this somehow becomes a permanent fixture. In a way, the girl wiping away the purple haze has become my Ana de Armas in Blade Runner and I’d grieve if she were gone.
"I can fix you"
will I ever take a confident selfie in public? anyways... hot girls wear masks in public when covid is spiking 💅🏼
Fun Facts
More than 300 miles of construction fences and scaffolding exist in New York City. While protective measures are necessary, they are ugly. It’s like, I get it! You’re saving my life, but can you please put a little bit of effort into your appearance? Turns out construction is a woman.
This city loves and values art and if you pay attention, you can find it everywhere. Most subway stations have themed murals and some subway cars are decorated with art. Maybe decorating the metal and concrete landscape with art is a way to make up for a lack of nature. Or maybe there is something innately human about decorating our spaces with artistic expression?
Examples of the Art Cards on subways
The way Thanos keeps sneaking into my writing…. there’s something about that man.
Anyways… see you next week! Toodaloo!
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