Invisible Avenue: An Exploration in Color

Invisible Avenue: An Exploration in Color is a two-sided lenticular mural on the wall of the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym’s exterior event space. A cityscape of Frankford Avenue is painted on vertical panels protruding from the wall so that the image is only visible from the singular vantage point where all of the panels appear to be aligned. From any other angle, the mural breaks down into abstract stripes, becoming “invisible” as it recedes into a painted background of muted colors inspired by the neighborhood. When viewed from the reverse side, vibrant, glossy colors fill each panel and interrupt the subdued palette of the background wall, representing the energy that places like the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym bring to a community.

The mural was inspired by Italo Calvino’s novel, Invisible Cities, and was created by the artists in collaboration with students from the Mural Arts Art Education Department. In the novel, Marco Polo describes his explorations of cities to the emperor, Kublai Khan, who cannot actually see the cities for himself. Likewise, the students explored the Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia, creating contour line drawings of their observations, which were developed into the final design of the mural. The mural examines the idea of invisibility by presenting the overlooked and everyday elements of a city landscape in a format that requires the viewer to examine the work from multiple viewpoints and rewards those who enter within.

A poetic narrative, written in the style of Invisible Cities, was written by two of the student artists to accompany the mural:

Sunlight from the east guides the cyclists on their daily commutes to rapid waters unknown. The screeching sounds of the el rattle underneath doors, behind closed windows, within whirring bike gears, and in between slanted side streets. Cool, dark alleyways hide away new sub-species of plants that lie in wait to take over orderly gardens and move cobble and stone. An empty lot embodies a pile of bricks, crumbled into dust, a veil that suppresses the lavish beauties of a community. Like the Phoenix, they will rise again with a brighter passion. We are a vessel of many minds, building a foundation to influence ideas as one collaborative spirit. Throw your shoes up on a wire and walk barefoot through the streets. Feel the cracks in the pavement of our history. We are here to honor the past and bring into the future, this Invisible City.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (lost to demolition in 2016).