Interpreting sound in an unlikely location
Soundwaves Mural underneath the BQE
What would you to to help revitalize the dead space around and underneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway? Artist Ellie Balk, with the help of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project and a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, decided to paint it. After nearly a year of preparation, Balk began painting under the BQE at Steuben Street in Clinton Hill in mid-September. She got her inspiration for the mural, called Soundwaves, after painting a piano for the Sing for Hope Pop Up Piano installation earlier this year. After weeks of painting with help from members of the community, the mural was finished and dedicated earlier this month.
After the dedication ceremony, The BK Buzz sat down with Ellie Balk and two of the pianists who contributed to the piece. Hear what they had to say.
Balk thinks that the mural will be just the beginning of looking at the area around the BQE differently and hopes that the community will work to reclaim the space created by the highway. We think mural is quite a sight to see but don’t take our word for it, check it out yourself!
City Councilwoman Letitia James and Artist Ellie Balk cut the ribbon at the mural dedication ceremony
The BK Buzz 