COMM22
Commercial + 22nd
San Diego
2015
So many components to the art elements of COMM22. Here is the back, the side facing the old neighborhood. Mario Chacon painted this mural. The key hole is a place for people, short people to feel scale. Student paintings, appropriate landscaping by Harry Mesteyneck. This area is outside of the laundry, a place to wait.
Notice the bench, engraved and infilled. They are modified off the shelf benches.
There are sidewalk plaques that can be read coming and going. Nina Karavasiles was both arts administrator and artist on this project. Creating the Portal Gallery in the breezeway as well.
Sizable round sidewalk pavers set a stage for the bench images. 8 benches, 25 word phrases. A walking poem if that’s acceptable to say, but the cool thing is that everyone got the chance to vote on both the graphics and the word play. A Facebook voting page was established and accepted the curating votes to mold the neighborhood feel.
The de la Torre brothers, Einar and James created this giant 16 foot tall robot like a toy with carvings in a Mayan style, COMTRON2000 can be seen from the trolley, is a Geocash site and is delightful to encounter.16 foot tall robot. Not just any post ww2 toy robot, but one that is clad in carved stone with a cross between Mayan glyphs and contemporary image. What? So picture this classic Mayan profile of a guy who is watching TV, like that. “COMMTRON 2000” has a backpack, gauges, lights and a feeling of forward, innocent movement. The optimism of that time gone by is back. We collectively reboot. er robotted, pardon me.
Mario Chacon (artist) and Jeff Williams (Project Manager) from BRIDGE Housing pose in front of “Flowers for My Loved Ones”. Many gatherings happen in front of this art.
The Portal Gallery is for the residents. They make the art that is reproduced with an exterior finish. The older pieces are sold at the MAAC (a partner in this project) auction and the funds replenish the art making supplies and teachers.
There are two plaques in the exterior spacethat read; “Everything good that has happened to me is a direct result of helping others” Danny Trejo, Actor and “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” African Proverb. They are on a wall that complements the student work and then there is something else. There is a keyhole shape cut through the wall. Kids go through it and when they do, their entire dimension changes, they become tiny. Their mothers see it too, by the exuding joy. Okay, so maybe it's the joy of doing laundry, which is really close by. Mums sit on what looks like tumbled concrete cubes and wait for the tumble to finish. A flash of orange paint flickers through the cluster.
In the high foot traveled area by the trolley on Commercial and 22nd, San Diego, a pedestrian will notice pavers in the sidewalk with words that cause that walker to think. One will also see benches augmented with graphic designs that link to the surroundings and to the pavers. Hence sitters are thinkers as well. The words and images in juxtaposition are like a walking poem.
In the sprit of community involvement, options for both the words and graphics were given to the neighbors. This voting was done on a Facebook interface (as well as old world paper). In this way everyone who participated in the voting can feel a direct connection.
Coordinated by Nina Karavasiles for Bridge Housing at Comm22 San Diego, CA 2015
Heredar / Tradition
Opportunity / Strive
Choose your direction / You’re on the right track
Teach / Listen
Just passing through / Wish you were here
Pensamientos / Viejo
Timeworn / Nuevo
Panorama / Smile
Power / Knowledge
Generations / Heritage
Serenidad / Respirando
Laugh / Play
Dignity / Full of Life
Vivacious / Gay
Loosen boundaries / Proximity
Entrada / Generosity
Community / Familia
Discover / Explore
Navigation / Distinctive
Compassion / Empathy
Where Communities Meet / Comm22
Dinamico / Andando
Dream / Inspire
Change/ Future
Jamex and Jeff and COMITRON2000