When you picture a temporary facade what comes to mind? Paper? Plastic? Cardboard? Did someone say sugar? I doubt it, but I didn’t want to wait all day! These murals by artist Shelley Miller are made of just that—the sweet goodness that makes our cakes and candy oh so good! The beautiful murals were applied to the sides of crumbling and decrepit buildings in the heart of Itaparica, Brazil. Buildings like these often get plastered with advertisements and political posters—layers upon layers of them that become weathered and faded with their expose to the elements and sun. The murals are no different they rapidly decompose and break as they become saturated with water or are picked apart by curious children.
Not only is piece of art a work of art, but they are also intended to be a social commentary on the economic imbalance that has occurred in countries that produce sugarcane. These industries have been built and now thrive on a foundation of slave labor.
What we build with can have a multi-faceted purpose. Masonry walls may serve as structure but they can also tell a story of what came before. The rainscreen of reclaimed barn wood can reference the agricultural importance that a plot of land used to hold.
Material Strategies 