Under the dark grey clouds that blanketed the sky, the streets of Coney Island seemed empty. The collection of murals I had always visited during the summer was closed and tucked away (but I was able to sneak a picture anyway).
For many, Coney Island offers the antithesis to the seemingly bleak modern landscape of Manhattan with a colorful and vibrant collection of old buildings and a serene beach next to them. One of these colorful streets contains a collection of public murals. Similar to the format of a typical art museum, this open space contains huge walls as canvases: each one disconnected and scattered between the gate that encloses it.
Among the sounds of amusement park rides, screaming children, and squeaking trains, there is a certain serenity to these murals located in a small lot behind the infamous Nathan’s. I would love to visit these murals under the heat and try to understand what the artist is conveying.
One of the first murals visible, once you enter the lot, is a large depiction of a futuristic Coney Island. This mural, titled “Untitled”, stands apart from the rest as it is painted and decorated with very delicate black stenciling on a white background. The absence of color in this mural caught my eye immediately as it contrasted heavily with the color of the neighborhood. At the center of this mural is a behemoth chimera, that seemingly floats above the grey monotonous ocean, with the outline of Coney Island in the background. This creature is a strange mixture of an elephant, a giant squid, and maybe even a whale. While seemingly terrifying and confusing this creature seems almost welcoming and peaceful.
Its head is shaped similar to an elephant’s. The trunk is replaced with 3 large tentacles. Each tentacle twists and turns in a different direction. As if three tentacles from an elephant’s face wasn’t horrific enough, the artist depicted four more smaller and seemingly useless tentacles that jut out from just under the chin of this creature. The body of this creature is similar to a spiny dinosaur, as dozens of little spikes poke out from the segmented torso. The segments give the illusion that this animal’s skin is rough and coarse. Under the torso are two pectoral fins, resembling a humpback whale. To complete this monstrosity, the artist painted another set of tentacles, instead of legs, that most likely move this creature forward. And under this creature is a note that reads, “Coming Soon 2038!”.
This piece by Alexis Davis, a Puerto Rican painter and muralist, is a good example of Kwon’s idea of “art in a place”. This piece is not meant to be interacted with and its sole intention is to be gazed at. While, this piece of art does pay homage to the neighborhood it resides in, the central subject does not represent any issue or topic within the neighborhood. Last time I checked Coney Island did not have problems with giant elephant squids. Furthermore, this piece and most of the murals around it were curated by a real estate company (Thor equities) that has been working to revamp Coney Island into a tourist destination. These murals are meant to beautify the neighborhood and entice visitors to come and pay at one of the many attractions all around. For this reason, the art does not represent the community as it is curated to generate further profits for a real estate company.
The second piece of public art is much more serious and does not fit the traditional mold of public art in NYC. However, this piece of art plays a large role in my community. Located at the corner of the Sheepshead Bay canal, the Holocaust Memorial Park is a commerative monument to the atrocities commited by the Nazis during World War II. Unlike the previous piece, this memorial is very site specific as the neighborhood immediately surrounding it contains thousands of Jewish people, many of whom were immigrated shortly after the war. Just on West End ave. alone (the street where the memorial is located) there are four synagogues within four blocks.
This park serves not only as something to gaze at but something to interact with and learn from. The architect George Vellonakis, who is not Jewish, sought to create a monument that not only respects and commemorates the lives lost but serves as a beacon of hope and light for the future. The park is very small; it does not even take up a whole block. This park is covered in small trees and shrubs as well as short manicured grass. Before Hurricane Sandy, this park was covered in huge powerful trees that seemed to evoke the strength of the message found in the memorial itself.
The memorial consists of a symmetrical amphithere-like layout. At the center is a large beacon made out of granite with a bronze “flame”, ever lit, at the top. The granite structure is hollow and usually filled with flowers, tokens, and candles put there weekly by residents. The structure is reminiscent of the crematoriums found in many concentration camps. Around the side of the granite is carved a single word: “Remember”. This beacon stands on three granite rings that extend outward into the ground. The names of the countries where the victims of the Holocaust were orignally from are carved into these rings. Outward from the beacon is a long slab of granite which extends towards the canal and describes the history of this tragedy. The beacon and the slab are flanked on either side by trees and manicured shrubbery.
On either side of the beacon is a series of markers with a gravel path between them that leads back out to the canal side of the park. Each marker is a different height, shape, and many are purposely cracked and eroded. This is meant to resemble tombstones and to commemorate the different backgrounds of the victims. The gravel pathway is shut in by more shrubbery. The markers have inscriptions, in Hebrew and English, about many events of the War, the different groups of persecuted people, as well as quotations from survivors. Walking on one of these pathways separates you from the city around and immerses you into this horrific past. Fresh flowers and candles are always accompanying these markers so that the victims are never forgotten.
As tragic as the piece is, it provides a space for the community that immediately surrounds it. Many Jewish holidays are celebrated here. Congregations meet here for Chanukah, Tashlich, and Passover. It is central to the community around it. Even though it was funded by a non-Jewish mayor and built by a non-Jewish architect, it is a space that is enjoyed by many in the community. It fills the “art as a space” paradigm, as it is a piece of art that is meant to be used and interacted with by the community and requires that the community is socially conscious about the message the piece is trying to convey. The purpose of the memorial, as shown by the word around the beacon, is to remember what had happened so many years ago, but also for future generations to learn and support the Jewish community that lives in southern Brooklyn today.
“Untitled” by Alexis Diaz in Coney Island and the Holocaust Memorial Park in Sheepshead Bay are two very different examples of public art. “Untitled” is part of an outdoor museum for public murals in a neighborhood that is meant to attract tourists instead of residents. This piece of art, while very interesting and thought provoking, is not site specific and does not serve a purpose to the community around it. On the other hand, the Holocaust Memorial Park is a tribute to the community around it and is very site speicifc. The memorial is purposely designed to pay tribute to the victims of the past while complementing the canal waterway in front of it. It is designed as a community park where many Jewish residents come to pay their respects to their ancestors. Public art can be found in many forms throughout NYC but some of these forms are much more community oriented than others .
