beautiful ruins
bunny visits detroit and sees an imaginative and inspiring city spring up from this former gloried motown capital. the cityscape is a canvas for art and ingenuity. she takes us on a tour of some colorful and coming-up spots.
tree at the outdoor art project in the east-side of detroit
called the heidelberg project.
destination: detroit, michigan.
purpose of journey: meeting up with my friend WC bevan in corktown and visiting my family outside of the city.
never travel without: someone who knows where they are going.
favorite outfit you packed: a thin, cotton alberta ferretti striped dress and a vintage brooks brothers straw hat.
how many pairs of shoes: only one pair. a busted pair of green silk robert clergerie gum sole shoes.
favorite meal: my grandmother's lasagna.
highlight of the trip: visiting the new murals and painting studio of my friend who moved from nyc to detroit almost 2 years ago. i'm completely inspired by the introduction he gave me to detroit. after living in brooklyn, it’s a relief to know that there are still cities that are not overrun and over-developed like brooklyn has become. detroit is incredibly inspiring to me as an artist and a creative person with little room to work in. at a time where most people feel priced out of owning property in a big metropolitan city i found detroit to be an opening, a light at the end of the tunnel.
friend and artist WC bevan takes us to see some of the most recent
murals he has painted.
murals are appreciated and seemingly encouraged to bring people in and
show ‘this place is alive’.
detroit is a perfect playground for a street artist/freewheeler/doodling
addict like WC.
his massive art studio is a warehouse that once held raves. as a new yorker it’s hard to imagine he’s virtually alone in this vast industrial space.
detroit has its share of empty, unused spaces that have been discarded
and sometimes left to burn.
former automobile-manufacturing factory, packard automotive plant
lunch at bangladeshi restaurant, aladdin
the birthday cake house at the heidelberg project, an outdoor art project
in the city's east side.
the project is part environmental art installation and part protest
that started in 1986.
it is a constantly evolving work of art by artist tyree guyton
the entire block is full of altered homes and lawns that are constantly being torn
down by the city. there are also random acts of arson.
i love this motto. positivity is contagious and the people of detroit were warm,
and from my experience, very encouraging for more people from brooklyn to
make the plunge.
follow artist WC bevan on instagram, @wcbevan
more about the heidelberg project at heidelberg.org