A strange thing happened on my way to Explore Detroit.
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| Umm...where am I?!? |
I was walking around the Heidelberg Project when I stumbled upon this very interesting backyard. I was beyond confused. I had just walked past another pile of shoes (that was definitely Heidelberg in origin), and then walked into metal characters and a naked red lady. The metal flower sculpture rounded out what I was experiencing. Where on earth was I?!?
Come to find out, another artist had set up shop in the immediate area of the Heidelberg Project. He had also suffered the loss of arson, but persevered. As I continued my walk across the house, I noticed the message repeated nearly everywhere I looked: THIS IS NOT THE HEIDELBERG PROJECT. Okay...
As it says all along the side of the house (and many other locations), the artist responsible for this work is Tim Burke. I imagine the artist here was frustrated to see his efforts end up under the banner of the (dare I say) more established Heidelberg Project. The work here is vastly different than what Tyree Guyton created. The bright colors and time theme were replaced by welded creatures and salvaged architectural elements. I never claim to be an artist, but the difference in style between these two areas of the same block were pretty obvious to me.
I was somewhat torn by what I was experiencing. While I liked the work (and it was giving my eyes a rest from the visual assault of the Heidelberg Project), I struggled to see past the labels reminding me I was seeing a different artist's work. I am a big fan of seeing objects recycled into art instead of being dumped in a landfill. As a historic home buff, I am happy some unique brickwork found new purpose in a wall rather than rest idle in a vacant lot. I really think I would have enjoyed this more with a few less "reminder labels."
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| Seriously, I got it |
I definitely did get more bang for my buck with this Explore Detroit adventure. Two artists in the same area using recycled or salvaged materials to make a statement within a few blocks?!? The overload of signage did distract me from the works around the house.
I'll leave you with these two friendly sculptures. It's not often art offers its viewers flowers. Thank you for reading.
Until Next Time!
How interesting! Although this artist is very obviously trying to separate his work from that of the Heidelberg project, I wonder which had begun to display their work first and why one became so much more popular instead of the other. Despite the distinct styles, it seems like there could be an extensive history between the two different sites that prompted the need for the explanatory signs. Either way, I love that you were able to find such beautiful, interesting spots along your exploration of Detroit!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply to my post. From my research, The Heidelberg Project was first. Burke, in the bio on his website, mentions a date of 2000 as the beginning of his work on his home/studio. I'm not sure if this is his actual residence, a family home, or simply his studio space. I know of a few artists that established studios in "rough" neighborhoods in the city (Russell Industrial Center, a blog post waiting for me to find the time to finish it). I understand that artists need to be protective of their work. It just bothered me to see the message repeated over and over again! Why not emphasize the name of your gallery? I tried to contact the artist about this but haven't received a reply. If he's in ArtPrize this year, I'll try to find him there too. Both sites are great (and worthy of a drone fly over, if permitted). I just believe there is more to be gained from cooperation.
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