containR Youth Mural Project: Blog Post # 2 by Jenin Ahmad
Photo by Jenin Ahmad
Image Description: Muralist Daniel - a young Filipino man - is wearing a white graphic tee with a Super Mario World design. He is also wearing a face mask, ripped black jeans, and light blue converse. He stands outside in front of his mural with a spray can in hand. The mural is grey with orange and red flames. The sky is clear.
The Tuesday heat is oppressive. When I check my weather app before leaving for the containR site, the forecast says that there will be rain. A quick scan of the sky shows that there are no clouds nearby, so I opt out of my raincoat. Upon arrival, I know that my choice to ditch the jacket was right, but otherwise, I am totally overdressed. The clouds are moving away from the sun, which is beating hard on our backs. Daniel chose a container that conveniently gives no shade whatsoever. I enviously stare back at the organizers, who are relaxing in the shade. Nevertheless, I sit down by Daniel’s work and start recording on my phone.
Fittingly, Daniel starts the day by painting flames. The outline from the first day is rather vague. Admittedly, I don’t know what to expect from this part of the sketch. So I decide to ask Daniel about his plan for creating the fire.
“I don’t know yet how I’m going to add the red and the orange to this, but what I’m doing right now is laying out the golden base colour for the spots that are obviously going to be yellow. Afterwards, I’ll experiment with the red and the orange.”
He is applying a golden-orange colour to the container. I ask, “When you were creating the sketch, what drew you to make fire?”
“I feel like I’ve thought about my piece a lot more, and I think it’s about inspiration and dreaming. Thinking in your mind without putting it out into the world and keeping it to yourself. So I think the fire and the shoes, well - when I did my original sketch… this is hard,” he laughs to himself. I tell him to take his time thinking of his response. Listening back to the audio recording, I can hear him paint for another twenty seconds - the aerosol sound I have become so accustomed to taking over the silence - before he starts talking again.
“Initially, it represented passion and [drive] and wanting to do something. But then, how does it connect to the rest of the piece? I don’t know.”
“Would you say you’re someone with lots of drive and ambition?”
“Yeah! I feel like I am, but I don’t act upon it. I feel like that’s what this piece is about, because half of it is the fire and the other half… is meaning, dreams, and ideas but not knowing how to put it out into the world. This is a representation of my head.”
Photo by Jenin Ahmad
Image Description: The photo is taken outside and the sky is blue with no clouds. Muralist Daniel - a young Filipino man - is wearing a white graphic tee with a Super Mario World design. He is also wearing a face mask, ripped black jeans, and light blue converse. He sits on a black-and-green rolling bench with a spray can in his hands. Behind him is a stage made out of a yellow platform and multi-coloured shipping container. A band plays on this stage.
I’m eager to help Daniel out in any way I can - anything to get my mind off the scorching heat. When he brings out the ladder, I jump on the opportunity to spot him. Leaning my entire body weight onto the ladder, my eyes climb high to the sky. No clouds and not a single breeze in the air. My outfit is not weather-appropriate. Ten minutes in and I tap out, grabbing my purse and heading to Kensington in search of a change of clothes.
When I return twenty-five minutes later - wearing something lighter - the fire is completed. I can’t contain my shock. It’s bright and vibrant, demanding attention. The organizers join in my awe, no one imagined it to look so electric. Daniel is unaffected. It takes less and less time for him to jump into the zone. He’s working on the pants, right above the lime green and neon yellow shoes. There’s no hesitation as he steps up the ladder and makes large, broad strokes in a light blue. “Are you doing any measurements when you paint?” I ask as I stare up at him.
“No,” he laughs. When he comes down from the ladder, he moves it to the side and stares at the cuffed jeans. I stare with him. For me, this is the moment where the mural clicks. Suddenly, the character of the piece bursts through. It has motion, like the feet are actually moving through the space and leaving a gasp of flame trailing behind. We marvel at how it looks so 3D, as if one of the shoes is kicking out of the container.
Photo by Jenin Ahmad
Image Description: The photo is taken outside and the sky is blue with no clouds. Muralist Daniel - a young Filipino man - is wearing a white graphic tee with a Super Mario World design. He is also wearing a face mask, ripped black jeans, and light blue converse. He stands in front of a mural while holding a spray can and facing the camera. He gives a thumbs up. The mural contains a pair of dark green and lime-green shoes. Connecting to the shoes is an outline of cuffed pants, giving the appearance that the feet are moving. From the shoes flames arise. There is a ladder beside Daniel.
We talk about plans. Plans to finish every base colour by Tuesday, to create a bright colour palette, to create “eye candy,” as Daniel puts it. In his own words, his art style is cartoonish, inspired by the video games he grew up on. Today he’s wearing a Super Mario World graphic tee. “I’ve always been into gaming, especially Nintendo. Ever since I can remember my art style has been influenced by the video games I played like Pokemon, Mario, and Kirby. Just super vibrant. And I really appreciate that.” He remises about arguing with his sister while playing Mario Kart and watching shows like Steven Universe and Voltron. Daniel is always tapping into parts of his youth for inspiration.
The next day we arrive at the site, I opt not to interview and rather just watch the process. It isn’t as hot as the previous day, but the sun is still menacing. Daniel is as busy as a bee, hopping from one end of the mural to the next. I help Kate - another muralist - paint the background of her mural entirely blue. My hands are drenched in blue paint and stick painfully to the nozzle. The work that muralists do is difficult - the days are hot and the metal containers even hotter, the paint fumes make one lightheaded, and constantly pushing down on the can paralyzes the fingers. On top of that, there is the constant pressure to make good art that will be seen by thousands of people.
When I return to Daniel, he has added details like shoelaces and soles to the shoes. Daniel smiles like a proud child showing off his latest creation. There’s so much to be excited about when it comes to this piece, but so far my favourite thing are the shoes. The shoelaces bring even more electricity to the movement of the feet.
Photo by Jenin Ahmad
Image Description: The photo is taken outside and the sky is blue with no clouds. Muralist Daniel - a young Filipino man - is wearing a white shirt. His back is turned to the camera as he looks back at his mural. The mural contains a pair of feet that wear dark-green and lime-green sneakers. The feet are connected to light-blue cuffed jeans. The feet are facing the right and look as though they are moving. To the right of the legs is a red flower. Under and to the left of the shoes are red and orange flames.
Throughout the day, a group of dancers and sound technicians have been setting up for the evening’s events. There’s a fundraiser including performances and workshops - all in the hopes of securing a space for Sunnyside Studios - Calgary’s first minority and immigrant based dance studio. The organizers are all young and impressively dressed. We leave for dinner and come back with our food just in time for the program’s start. Plans to continue work soon get abandoned as the performances begin. The dancers are magnetic and their work is frequently applauded. Members of the audience shout out in encouragement as these young artists showcase their talents. We sit on the ground and watch in awe. When the workshops begin we all place money into the donation bin. Daniel insists that he’s too embarrassed to dance and watches by his container. But as soon as it begins, I am able to call him over.
“This looks interesting,” he says. We spend the next forty-five minutes learning to break. We groove, we step, we try out moves meant to show off our outfits. It’s a great time, and by the end of it, we are both red in the face and exhausted. We agree that it’s time to go home. What the event on Saturday taught us more than anything is the magic of the containR site to inspire and teach.
Photo by Jenin Ahmad
Image Description: Muralist Daniel - a young Filipino man - is wearing a white shirt and black pants. His back is turned to the camera as he paints blue onto his mural. The mural contains a pair of feet that wear dark-green and lime-green sneakers. The feet are connected to light-blue cuffed jeans. The feet are facing the right and look as though they are moving. To the right of the legs is a red flower, tan clouds, and undefined shapes of different colours. Under and to the left of the shoes are red and orange flames. Daniel is currently outlining the shoes and their laces in blue.