Mural at The Max
The developers of a luxury residential building on West 57th Street commissioned Karlssonwilker to solve an ugly problem: 400 apartments in the 1000-unit complex would directly face the concrete wall at the back of the sanitation department's truck depot. Our solution was to turn this eyesore into a painted mural that features a futuristic rendering of a three-dimensional cloudscape with morphing winged creatures floating above the city. Hidden throughout the cyber clouds are tiny poems about New York. We collaborated with The Poetry Society of New York, which helped identify local poets who were commissioned to write 25-40 word poems that celebrate their neighborhood, paying particular attention to its history and architecture. Each resident who has a view of the mural can explore these lyrical easter eggs through complimentary binoculars as well as a permanent telescope in the courtyard.
- Environmental Graphics
- 6 painters worked 12 hours, 7-days a week, for 5 weeks
The mural’s height is the equivalent of an 11-story New York building, and its length is roughly one-third of a New York City block.
The Department of Sanitation requested to have the word “Sanitation” added to one of the buildings in the mural. A garbage truck was also integrated into the artwork.
