There Is Trouble ‘Til The Robbins Come

There Is Trouble ‘Til The Robbins Come by artist Dennis McNett (aka Wolfbat) is located in Philadelphia’s Callowhill neighborhood. Installed with assistance from participants in Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Rec Crew, the mural is a tribute to fillmaker David Lynch, who passed away in January 2025. While a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in the late 1960s, Lynch lived in the neighborhood, which he used as inspiration for his first full-length film, Eraserhead.

Lynch’s filmography includes: Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Dune, Mulholland Drive, and the TV series Twin Peaks. Elements from these works can be found in the mural and are described in McNett’s Artist Statement:

“The loss of David Lynch leaves a huge void to those he effected with his work and wisdom. As a young artist, I saw Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks in 1991 when I was 18 and it changed my perspective on what art could be. It made it ok to be weird and feel out of place. It was one of my first introductions to art outside of an art history book and contributed to my development of becoming an artist. I still revisit his work almost yearly. When I was talking about doing a small mural with [Mural Arts Philadelphia], David Lynch had just passed and I was rewatching his films and a documentary. I really wanted to do a mural dedicated to him.

“Philadelphia was his biggest influence. 1965-70

“The character played by Jack Nance, Eraserhead, had a very memorable head of hair that stood straight up like he had been electrocuted. I put this head of hair on David Lynch’s portrait. Eraserhead was David Lynch’s first film released in 1977.

“In Blue Velvet (1986 film) the character played by Lauren Dern, Sandy, describes a dream of Robins. In her dream the world is dark and all there was [was] darkness because there was no love. Suddenly thousands of Robins flew in and created this blinding light and the light was love. At the end of the movie when all the turmoil is resolved, there is a Robin on the windowsill. The Robins in the mural are from Sandy’s dream. There is also a drape of blue velvet in the bottom part of the mural. The ear is also from Blue Velvet and is the ear the Jeffrey finds.

“The iconic zigzag patterned floor and deep red curtains are from Lynch’s 1990-91 Twin Peaks and later in 1992 Fire Walk With Me. They are the setting of the Black Lodge.

“The symbolic blue key is from the 2001 movie Mulholland Drive and is tied to Camilla’s reality.

“The edges or the mural are not cut straight but intentionally extend past the edges like Lynch’s unbound imagination and subconscious mind.”

Location Note: Mural is located on the rear of the building and is visible from Buttonwood Street.