Whistling Down Wissahickon with Artist David Guinn

Carly: You’re fresh off the beautiful Percy Street mural, The Electric Street. Can you talk about the intersection of place and art in your work?

David: I studied architecture in college and it informs my approach to mural painting. I always think about the site and how the mural works with the larger physical and social context at the site. At the Wissahickon mural, we have a wall that thousands of people see everyday from the Schuylkill Expressway, but if you had asked me, a lifelong Philadelphian, where the Wissahickon neighborhood was, I couldn’t have told you. So the mission of this mural was to identify the neighborhood at a distance, and at the same time create a detailed work of art that resonated with the people that use the train station and spoke to what is great about the neighborhood.

I also loved the mural application from Sara Sequin and Janis Chakars – their excitement made me excited about the project. They wanted something contemporary for the train station that was still rooted in the specifics of the neighborhood. I began by making a big wavy brushstroke that symbolizes the path of the Wissahickon creek. In the spaces that that created, I placed scenes from the neighborhood, including the original train station, no longer standing, that was designed by Frank Furness.

Carly: How do you think about community engagement on a project like this, where the community is mostly in transit?

David: The design was informed by a series of community meetings. It’s a tight neighborhood and it was great to work with a group of people who were really excited about a mural coming to the neighborhood. We painted the mural directly on the wall, so people getting on and off the train had a chance to see the process and get to know me and two great assistants, Marah Carpenter and Josh Smith. And we really got to know some of the SEPTA employees, who probably see this up close as much as anyone.

Carly: So what’s the next project you’re excited about?

David: I’ll be having a show of paintings and a wall painting installation at Marginal Utility Gallery opening on First Friday, November 4th. 

Carly: Sounds great. Thanks again, David!