After checking out the website of Specter, the street artist whose mural now appears on Parkside Avenue, I thought I'd contact him to learn more about the project. His personal street art has a wonderfully offbeat--and often hilarious--sensibility, from guerilla "NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE" stickers to accessories for urban buildings and gentrification-themed signs on abandoned storefronts. In one of my favorite projects, Spector created large posters and a fake storefront bearing the slogan, "Eat fruit and die"--a sort of slyly demonic advertising campaign.
His new work, a three-sided mural, appears in front of the subway station on Parkside and Ocean Avenues. I talked to him on Monday, when he was installing thick netting inside the top of top of the piece to prevent passersby from throwing trash inside. (Current count: a couple of water bottles, a Bill De Blasio flyer, and a few bits of debris - not bad!)
How did the artwork come about?
The Department of Transportation put out a call for artists. They were looking for people to create public art in a number of city spaces, and this intersection was on the list. I know it pretty well because I live around here, in Crown Heights. ISCP NYC, an artist residency in Brooklyn, teamed up with me to propose the project to the DOT and have facilitated the project from it's inception. Matt Craven, a metal worker, built the frame.
I moved to Brooklyn about a year ago and have been wanting to learn more about the area, so I thought I'd do a historical project that would allow me to learn about Brooklyn and make art at the same time. Senior citizens tend to be overlooked in many communities, so I decided to focus on them and their stories. I interviewed people at Saint Gabriel’s Senior Center and a few other places, as well as talking to people I met out on the streets.
Each of the four people on the panels represents someone I talked to in depth. In some cases I incorporated things taken directly from their memories, but I also used bits and pieces from other people. This seal, for example, is from Erasumus Hall High School, which is just south on Flatbush. That guy is an Italian guy, Tom [image above], who I talked to for a while. Many years ago, he worked for a dry cleaner and delivered to homes just south of the park. This blue house here is his next door neighbor. It was built by Guggenheim for his daughter. I think it may be in an historic district now. I know they're trying to expand the historic district in that area.
A lot of people remember Bohack's. Apparently, it was the first supermarket around here to sell not just one type of thing: they had packaged goods but also deli meat, pastries, and other stuff.
Who is the guitar player?
That's Mighty Sparrow. This woman talked about him. He was one of the early pioneers of calypso music.
I thought he lived in Trinidad...
He was in New York for a while, though I'm not sure where or when. He's been very involved in the annual West Indian parade. He has a song called "Labour Day in Brooklyn," for example.
How long will the artwork be up for?
The DOT has said at least another 11 months. After that, it depends on how well the structure holds up. It could last another 2 or 3 years, who knows.
Do you have any plans for what will happen if it gets covered with graffiti?
I have protected the mural with a graffiti barrier that makes graffiti
easier to wipe off, so hopefully it will work. But I wouldn't be so upset if
the mural became a target — it'd be more ironic than anything.
Have you had any interesting feedback from the public?
Mostly people have just been very enthusiastic and complimentary. A few people have even gone to get somebody to show them the artwork. I'll hear people saying, "hey, Bohack's!" One woman gave me a great quote. She said," Wow, life doesn't suck: We've got a black President and now there's art on Flatbush!"
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