Seven Moon Junction, 2014

Shinique Smith

  • In Seven Moon Junction, I have used a detail from my 2013 painting ‘Seven Moons,’ because its circular composition and color palette and the geometry of the building felt as if they belonged together. I shifted the scale of the painting’s collage and counterbalanced them with a braided sculptural element to enrich the texture and create a composition tailored to the architecture of the Dewey Square wall.

    This particular work draws inspiration from various sources such as, alchemy, astrology, music and the mythology and art of indigenous cultures. By taking a small aspect of this existing work and enlarging it to the scale of 70 feet, this microcosm of materials is seen and experienced from a new perspective, becoming a distinct new presentation.

    I see this piece, as a mural that extends beyond the wall, as it attunes to the space in which it sits, radiating energy outward to the rest of the city and its occupants. Inspired by the flow of the environment, I will orchestrate a performance of music, art and dance on the green space that is an extension of the mural inspired by the spirals and color in the design.

    I’ve titled this work Seven Moon Junction in reference to the intersection where the mural resides, the merging of people and the joining of art and life. The field of view, Dewey Square Park is part of the mural.