Phila Trip

This past week, I was in Philadelphia for the first time. I made the trip because I had a ticket to see the fantastic Arcade Fire live in concert. Instead of going for the concert and turning my car around, I decided to spend a few days exploring the city with now good friend, Carrie. I say that she is now a good friend because before this trip, Carrie and I knew one another through mutual friends and had never actually hung out together. It was awesome to discover something new with someone new. The car ride out was a great time to get to know one another, seeing as I don't have a sound system in my car...or air conditioning.

After a lovely dinner with two good friends in Feasterville, Carrie and I headed to Manayunk where we would be staying with friends. We spent the next two days exploring the city--thrift store shopping, South Street exploring, and of course, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I have so many new inspirations after the few hours that we spent in the museum, but it was outside of the museum, on the buildings throughout South Street, Philadelphia that brought the most inspiration.

The mosaic art of Isaiah Zagar covers alleways and abandoned city lots throughout South Street. One area in particular cemented my reflections on this amazing public art. In one alleyway, Carrie and I bgan talking about the two parallel mosaics that we were standing in between. Each of the mosaics had parts of mirrors one of the materials, which created a sort of endless continuim of mosaic. Not only this, but the participant becomes part of the art through his or her reflection upon the mirrors.

The participant becomes the center of the artwork by standing in the center. I found this important because of the quote Zagar employed in most of his works "Art is the center of the real world." The orbiting, circular patterns in the mosaic mimic this idea, as does the participant standing in the center of the alleyway. In this way, the participant becomes the center of the real world, the art world, which backs up Zagar's idea that the viewer should decide the meaning of the piece.

Zagar's public art is brilliant in its ability to give whimsy to the urban sprawl. He gives the meaning of his pieces up for public opinion, allowing for true escape.