Monday, July 15, 2013

Heaven



"Heaven" is the informal name for an out-of-the-way park at the edge of Hartford's downtown.  It is a barren concrete space used by skateboarders (and vagrants).  The City has unfunded plans to spruce it up and install a real skateboarding facility.  Meanwhile, there is a tussle between "legitimate" street artists, who paint authorized murals, and vandals  taggers who spray paint junk.  Currently just about every surface is covered with graffiti.  Expensive downtown offices overlook the park, and the owners of these buildings are not happy with the view.

The City is proposing to permit "art" only on two of the big, formerly blank walls.  In my opinion, it is too late to put the cat back in the bag.  But, I would like to be wrong.

This post is linked to Monday Murals.

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27 comments:

  1. Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.comJuly 15, 2013 at 5:55 AM

    In Phoenix the solution to two open urban spaces that did not seem to work as plazas for downtown workers was to wipe them out in favor of high density buildings and to give up on attempting to use them for public space.

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  2. Cezar and LéiaJuly 15, 2013 at 6:09 AM

    I love the composition with the beautiful yellow flowers, my kind of composition indeed, I love to try it!
    Léia :)

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  3. BirdmanJuly 15, 2013 at 7:34 AM

    Maybe the city fathers will rename it "Hell". Just thinking...

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  4. KateJuly 15, 2013 at 8:18 AM

    Hope the city fathers do not go the way of Phoenix, as Dave describes it. Perhaps it's an opportunity for the surrounding community (the landlords and businesses) to step in and pool their resources to redesign the place as an upscale park with different facilities that would discourage these roaming "artists" and vagrants. Is that possible, I wonder?

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  5. Tanya BreeseJuly 15, 2013 at 8:59 AM

    some of it is nice and colorful...while some is just trashy...can't stand taggers for the most part...such disrespect for other's property

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  6. UnknownJuly 15, 2013 at 9:38 AM

    Lets hope it is transformed. I abhor graffiti taggers, they are nothing but vandals.

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  7. PerthDailyPhotoJuly 15, 2013 at 10:00 AM

    Thank goodness for the flowers :) you'll have to keep us up to date Jack.

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  8. Sylvia KJuly 15, 2013 at 10:22 AM

    I agree with Grace, thank goodness for the flowers! I hope they're more successful at controlling the graffiti, but that seems to dominate more and more places every day.

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  9. SharonJuly 15, 2013 at 11:26 AM

    I think your first word "vandals" was the right one. I hope they can figure something out.

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  10. LowellJuly 15, 2013 at 12:09 PM

    What a shame that a nice place get despoiled. I truly hate graffiti!

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  11. MalyssJuly 15, 2013 at 12:14 PM

    Less walls , and more trees and gardens could be one of solutions..

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  12. LOLfromPasaJuly 15, 2013 at 12:34 PM

    I going notice those beautiful flowers and the splendid buildings and hope that the graffiti is removed some time soon.

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  13. VPJuly 15, 2013 at 2:13 PM

    If all these guys were true artists we would be living a new Renaissance, but it looks more like the Middle Ages...

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  14. hamiltonJuly 15, 2013 at 2:46 PM

    We have a large empty space that has been taken over by a group of graffiti artists who change their art every couple of months. I hope it works here.

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  15. RedPatJuly 15, 2013 at 3:02 PM

    This is not my favourite kind of street art at all. I suppose they could try commissioning some murals and then taking care of them for a while by cleaning off any tagging. It doesn't always work as my post of today shoes.

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  16. cieldequimperJuly 15, 2013 at 3:50 PM

    The Middle Ages, the dark ages, the bubonic plague...

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  17. jennyfrecklesJuly 15, 2013 at 3:53 PM

    Not my idea of heaven!

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  18. AnonymousJuly 15, 2013 at 4:37 PM

    st pete encourages murals in some places and i have yet to come to a conclusion if that is a good thing or not

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  19. Taken For GrantedJuly 15, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    Street art can be great, but taggers not so much. Looks like taggers have dominated this park. It could be good open air urban space. Interesting photos showing a real problem.

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  20. William KendallJuly 15, 2013 at 7:11 PM

    That depicted there looks like junk, which is a shame... in the right hands, the space could be used better. Taggers clearly have too much time on their hands.

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  21. RandyJuly 15, 2013 at 11:23 PM

    The flowers make it look much nicer.

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  22. MoJuly 16, 2013 at 4:10 AM

    I think if the kids are going to use the place for their activities then they cant be told what they can or cant do in the space. It's theirs or the authorities. Maybe that's why no one is using it in your photo?

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  23. UnknownJuly 16, 2013 at 6:04 AM

    This looks so familiar! At least it's all concentrated in just one spot.

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  24. CaTJuly 16, 2013 at 4:18 PM

    this is not very pretty... just tags indeed.
    in amsterdam there is really a lot too! beeehh... really notice it now after boston where there isnt much graffiti.

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  25. KayJuly 16, 2013 at 10:32 PM

    I can only add that at least you put some lilies in the corner of the first shot.

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  26. Oakland Daily PhotoJuly 16, 2013 at 11:32 PM

    Not my favorite kind of street work either. But I've learned that "pieces" like these are often the entryway to more painterly street art. I'm just saying...

    Thanks for contributing to this week's Monday Mural.

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  27. EG CameraGirlJuly 17, 2013 at 11:12 AM

    Yep, I fear tou are correct about it being too late. Even in my village we're seeing spray=paint "art." It's the price of living so close to Toronto and also the price of East Gwillimbury growing , growing, GROWING.

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