Fourth Arts Block (FABnyc) closed out Lower East Side History Month with an unveiling of their latest FABLES mural project yesterday. Just off the Bowery, hidden among the brick and glass buildings at Extra Place, is artist Raúl Ayala’s new piece, La siembra del hogar//Sowing Homes.
The mural was created in collaboration with Fernanda Espinosa, a fellow member of the the art and oral history collective, Cooperativa Cultural 19 de enero (CC 1/19), and Amy Starecheski, Associate Director of Columbia’s Oral History program. The installation tells the story of the Lower East Side’s squatting history.
To help develop the concept behind the overall piece, the artists utilized interviews conducted by Starecheski, who is a former squatter herself. The interviews are included in her upcoming book, Ours to Lose: When Squatters Became Homeowners in New York City.
La siembra brings to life one side of the plain white pavement in the Extra Place alleyway, circling around lampposts and subway grates. Each detail is meticulously illustrated, giving the piece a life of its own. Although the ground mural is best seen from above, the impact of the image under your feet is quite powerful.
Ayala is still adding highlights to the piece, but La siembra is on view at Extra Place (1st Street between 2nd Ave & Bowery) through the fall. The artists plan to add a walking phone tour for visitors to access commentary on the piece. Find out more about the artists on the FABRIC blog here.
