iheart public 002

iheart public 002 reflected on gentrification, lockdown and capitalization of space in the Meatpacking District.

 

The building's owner originally agreed the mural could stay up for one month. However, the day after its completion, a notice arrived signaling a change of plan. He had leased the wall space to an ad company, leaving resolution on the fate of the mural to be negotiated.

 

Work was meanwhile rushed across several sleepless nights on the central concept for the project, a time-lapse film film capturing a meat processing work shift, with the mural as backdrop.

In negotiations, the ad company offered to repaint the mural themselves, to the immediate right of the original mural, using vinyl stencils and spraypaint. This made no sense whatsoever, but was accepted, on condition that its removal and remake could be recorded.

 

This low grade commercial clone of the original mural became the perfect conclusion to a project in a neighborhood undergoing the same transition.

A few months later, the Atlas meatpacking company, myself, and all tenants of the building were evicted, amid rumors of luxury real estate development on the site.

 

Then the economy crashed at the close of 2008 and the building sat vacant for years.

THANK YOU

To the Romanoffs for the wallspace, Mike&Chris for their window to shoot the films, David Sebastian Buus, Cynthia Fetty, Jennifer Lee Kim, Brenda Buck, Tania Ogullukian, Kelly from Hogs & Heifers, Enok Holsegard, and the random Cooper Union sign painter veteran for his paint brush tips.