Coral Clouds (2018)
house paint, corrugated cardboard, paper, acrylic and colored pencil
Coral Clouds was constructed at the Thomas Jefferson Tower, a building with a history of innovation and modernization, named after a radical racist who profited off of the labor of enslaved people. The art collective Color Door was tasked with reviving an abandoned storefront space at the ground floor of the tower through installations and murals. The goal was to bring the community together with visual art, music, poetry, and expression, and to shed light on the historic location for the city’s benefit. Four shows were held in the space, featuring sets and readings by Birmingham-based musicians, DJs, and poets.
The wispy brushstrokes and illusory design of Coral Clouds remembers Birmingham’s violent past of Civil Rights in an abstracted manner. Memory and the mingling of different layers are important to this piece because people cannot rid of any component of history. These histories stick around and accumulate on top of one another. Colorful wispy brushstrokes are spirits of the city. Cast shadows from the installation elements contrast the artificial shadows that have been painted directly behind each object on the wall. Little circles form their own sense of motion, symbolizing communities flowing in and among each other, together and apart. Scribbled pencil lines add mischievous color. The black raindrops falling over the city contrast the almost camouflaged houses to foreground the community's human components over its architecture. An abundance of life overlays the inanimate substrate.