The Public Art Project: Billboard
The Public Art Project: Billboard addresses Detroit as a city in transition. It contrasts the economic boom and urban beauty of the late 19th century with the rejuvenation of the late 20th century. The billboard map starts at Nine Mile Road, and reaches southeast to the Detroit River. It is created out of late 1800’s to early 1900’s construction materials. To keep the weight to a minimum, It is carved and painted from high-density foam to create a facade of the exterior materials. At a distance, the billboard looks similar to a large-scale ceramic mosaic. The rich tradition of ceramic mosaic work that Pewabic Pottery has contributed to the city of Detroit is an added reference to this project. Motorists driving by the billboard first notice it as a pattern, then connect the image to a map of Detroit, and finally connect the materials to its history. The billboard has a relationship to the site that it exists on, and also connects the viewer to Detroit’s architectural past.
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