New York, New York
In the winter of 2021, we worked with GID and Mural Arts & Consulting to design and paint five adjoining murals in the indoor skatepark of The Waterline Club in New York City’s Upper West Side.
The mural features familiar city icons and five distinct scenes from NYC. Framed by graffiti-styled broken walls, each scene is a window into the surrounding city. Utilizing a combination of graphic details and photorealistic, trompe l’oeil landscapes, we adorned the space with a creative spirit that visually emanates the skatepark’s youthful and vibrant energy.
We paid a tremendous amount of attention to every feature. Check out the meticulously painted windows on the skyline’s buildings. Or the soda cans on the Sabrett hot dog cart. We took great care in painting the the street-art patina of the encapsulating walls as well. Look for the mischievous street art mice up to no good, and the Converse sneakers hanging on wire. And don’t forget about King Kong. On top of the Empire State’s spire — high above classic city icons like an Anthora Greek coffee cup — you can see him roar.
It's all in the details.
The centerpiece of the skatepark is, of course, the panoramic view of the city at sunset. Landmarks like the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and the Brooklyn Bridge are collaged together to create a blockbuster vista of the island of Manhattan. There are other grand views as well – Through the windows of an MTA subway car, you can catch a glimmering nightscape of the city illuminated by the moon, the stars, and the gridded windows of the city’s skyscrapers.
The finished mural is an alternate and internal reality where youthful exuberance and imagination can reign free. Call it “punk,” if you so choose. The grandiosity of the greatest city on earth is not something to be feared, but to be explored and enjoyed playfully. We believe this work of art will inspire the youngest skaters and creatives that come across this “secret” underground clubhouse. Some of whom we delightfully met on the job will no doubt grow to become the creative leaders of their generation!
Acknowledgments — This project could not have been completed without the professional assistance of artists Ariel Parrow and Sean Hamilton, as well as Casey Bolding and Timothy OSullivan. Special thank you to Sean Smith for documentation as well!
