I visited Detroit’s Packard Automotive Plant in April and it’s haunted me ever since. It felt like being in ancient ruins. It was heartbreaking and yet still beautiful in a very unusual fashion. I wanted to play around with a few of my photos and see what parallel universes I could create.
This Detroit Free Press article is hopeful. A portion of the plant is now being used by The Display Group, an event props and design company. This is how creatives solve problems. Nice work.
“In 1986, artist Tyree Guyton returned to Heidelberg, the street where he grew up on Detroit’s East Side, and found it in shambles, riddled with drugs and deepening poverty. Bruised by the loss of three brothers to the streets, Guyton was encouraged by his grandfather to pick up a paintbrush instead of a weapon and look for a solution.”
It’s understandable that everyone would have a very different reaction to seeing this ever-changing installation. It’s a passionate artist’s answer to the the streets, the poverty and the violence. ART CAN BE A GAME CHANGER. I was amused, saddened, awakened, sickened, inspired and so much more during the time I wandered around. That’s what art is all about to me. You can’t help but be moved by the spirit and mission of the Heidelberg Project. It had a profound impact on me. I’m uncertain how to explain it exactly. You will just have to see it for yourself on Detroit’s East Side. Thank you Tyree Guyton.
Frequent Questions
http://www.heidelberg.org/who_we_are/frequent_questions.html
MISSION + VISION: The Heidelberg Project (“HP”) is a Detroit-based community organization designed to improve the lives of people and neighborhoods through art. Our mission is to inspire people to appreciate and use artistic expression to enrich their lives and to improve the social and economic health of their greater community.
