#mural fest

[sheltiechicago]

Tender Moments, Vibrant Plants, and Georgian Culture Adorn the Tbilisi Streets for the Annual Mural Fest

“Mokhevian” by Gera 1

[lucylyall]

Saw a whole lot of talented artists today at Swindon Paint Fest!

As well as these in progress works, I also took a ridiculous number of photos of finished street art - I'll be posting my favourites over the next few days!

[highway-stars]

The mento illness is winning tonight lads

[aryomengrande]

how uncanny my high school alma mater is here lmao also strange timing, my high school friends and i were planning go to this year's lsa fair (ㅅ´ ˘ `)

[suzannetownsend]

SHINE Mural Festival turns campus into canvas

A view of Fluid Structures from the University Student Center.

This year the SHINE Mural Festival is shining on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. At the intersection of Second Street and Sixth Avenue South you can now find the campus’s latest public artwork titled “Fluid Structures.”

The SHINE festival has been keeping St. Petersburg vibrant since 2015. It is produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance with the mission of “revitalizing areas, inspiring dialogue, and uniting our community.” This year visiting graphic arts Professor Jay Giroux and a team of eight students and two of Giroux’s team members were a part of it. On Oct. 14 you could find the group hard at work stenciling, priming and painting the road outside of the University Student Center.

One of the participating students is RJ Martin, an architecture major who helped out on the project. “It’s fun planning…I cut the stencils for it. It’s a good feeling to be able to point out to people, ‘Hey I worked on that,’” Martin said in a USF Newsroom video.

The oxymoronic title “Fluid Structures” is appropriate for the work’s modernist motif which includes abstract geometric and curvaceous shapes in green, orange, red and white. Giroux explains that these big shapes are simple and easy on the eyes.

“A lot of direction for all these street murals, as far as the way that we take, it is built with efficiency, so everything’s kinda gotta be on a grid, everythings gotta be relatively simple to not only draw out but paint.”

Giroux also points out that an added benefit of the artwork is that it is traffic calming. “Not only is it a beautiful mural but it will help calm traffic and prevent any kind of pedestrian accidents.”

“Fluid Structures” will now join the other campus murals that can be found on the Harbor Hall and Piano buildings.

[itscolossal]

Community, Traditions, and Resilience Ring Through New Public Works for Tbilisi Mural Fest

[witchcraftandbergamottea]

Okey so this is the mural I painted myself and dedicated to my deities 💖 that I was talking about in this post

(Everything is legal, I won in a mural fest competition)

This is me in the center aka also great for a size comparison

[miniyo]

Sfhir, en la I Edición del "Perla Mural Fest", Fene (La Coruña)

Obra reconocida como la mejor de entre otras 50 de todo el mundo, por la plataforma Street Art Cities, https://streetartcities.com/

[web]  [instagram]

[bellaaldamas]

"Trolls just wanna have fun", episode #109392893489. And somehow they always want to have fun on YouTube.

Now, I swear with a hand on my heart that I've abandoned any and all attempts at reasoning with them and it's the first time in my very extensive troll fighting career (which I've long retired from) that I ever decided to publish a comment on YouTube that wasn't about gushing over an adorable video of one of my numerous telenovela OTPs.

However, seeing this troll fest in the comment section for a short video of Angrboda vs Thrud's reaction to Atreus's wolf transformation made me realize - or rather remember - that trolls don't intend on citing facts, quotes or employing logic. They're goal isn't to appeal to the general consumers who buy the games (read: those who pay and who therefore matter to developers) or even to each other. Their goal is to throw out their purposefully twisted nonsense into the void for random by passers online to see. Because that's the only type of influence they can have and they know it.

Therefore my troll slaying armor had to be dusted off, if only for today.

Transcript of my comment (because I went back and edited it a little):

The contrast between Angrboda and Thrud's reactions is rather telling and is as well written as everything else in the game. Angrboda already saw Atreus/Loki's transformation (after he witnessed the mural), at it's most formidable for her, when he barked at and nearly ate her alive. But she was able to comfort him and get him to turn back into human form through gentle touch and soothing encouraging voice alone (she was the only one who could teach him to control this power of his without using violence which even Kratos had to resort to). Here Angrboda directly prompts him to take a hold of his power and remain in charge of it which Atreus easily does thanks to her support. Afterwards Angrboda immediately gives him words of approval and admiration.

On the other hand, there's Thrud who always kept showing off her own physical strength to him (and doubting or blaming him every step of the way, like in the situation with Garm) yet somehow always needed Atreus to help her out or solve her problems (be it helping her with the "almost budging" door or working out her mommy and daddy issues which was absolutely not Atreus's place to do, giving he is only 15 himself; another contrast with Angrboda whom he could act his age around). Here Thrud doesn't help Atreus control his ability but just passively accepts the benefits of it because she enjoys seeing a stronger and more useful fighting partner. Hence her reaction. From the narrative standpoint even those details perfectly explain why Angrboda is Atreus/Loki's romantic interest as opposed to Thrud.

[kyndaris]

Small Town Murders

After traversing the ins and outs of Valisthea for quite a few weeks, I thought it would be best to play something short and sweet. Especially something more experimental than traditional video games. And though I bought this last year on Steam (frankly, I have far too many games on Steam and not all of them are as recent as 2022), Pentiment has seen a recent release on PlayStation 5. A decision Microsoft made before it shut down several studios and then tried to Jedi mind-trick the audience by providing one of their most impressive game showcases at their presentation following Summer Game Fest.

There are two things I want to say following the smorgasbord of games on offer: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks absolutely fascinating and I can't wait to get my hands on it. And two: thank goodness Obsidian Entertainment has not yet been shut down. Their work with Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds have been some of my favourites and I keep hoping they'll upend Besthesda with their superior writing and lovable characters.

But, this post isn't about Obsidian Entertainment. Rather, it's about their game styled as a point-and-click 2D adventure called Pentiment. With its unique art style and historical setting of 16th century Upper Bavaria, the game immediately stood out to me as something special. Especially as it contained mystery components!

Placed in the shoes of one Andreas Maler, a journeyman artist, Pentiment follows the story of him and the town of Tassing over the course of 25 years. During each act, the player must help solve the murder that occurs. The first is Baron Lorenz Rothvogel, a longtime benefactor of Kiersau but who harbours divisive views that go against Christian beliefs of the abbey. The second is that of Otto, the leader of a brewing rebellion due to heavy taxation.

And while Claus is not immediately killed when he is attacked in the privacy of his home, there is a certain tension there where Magdalene (the protagonist for the third act following a huge fire at the end of Act 2) must contend with caring for her father, finishing off the mural for the council meeting hall and trying her best to keep the printing press in her home running. What I appreciated the most, though, was Magdalene's chat with Brigita during the first half of Act III.

As someone who has had to care for a loved one following something a terrifying health scare, I appreciate it when people not only ask if my family member is all right but also enquire as to my wellbeing. There were moments during that week where I felt very overwhelmed. Knowing people cared - not just about my grandmother but for me too - truly helped me get through a difficult time.

What stood out to me as I navigated the town of Tassing and interacted with its characters, were the themes the game wasn't afraid to explore. Be they religion and the authority bestowed on the church from local lords to the plight of the peasants struggling to put food on the table. The game was also quick to put me on the back foot by showing two sides of each story when it came to the possible suspects (though it never confirms which, if any, of the suspects was truly guilty).

More often than not, I was led mostly by my gut (and who I felt acted most like an arsehole). And while the internet deemed Lucky the most guilty when it came to the death of the Baron, I still find it hard to fathom the means by which Lucky would have been able to sneak in the abbey to do the deed and then sneak back out. True, he has the strength and the motivation but there was a storm!

And while the archdeacon condemned Prior Ferenc after I'd presented most of the evidence, it does still puzzle me that Ferenc scribbled a note in his book prior to the Baron's death - implying he would have buried his ritualistic tools beforehand (the supposed murder weapon following an inspection).

Of course, there is a possibility the actual murderer was none of the actual suspects. The inability to properly investigate and gather evidence meant players are forced to make decisions that they feel would most benefit the town and its people.

As for Otto, I discounted most of the suspects as the motives for Martin and Hannah were fairly dubious at best. Brother Guy appeared the most guilty, especially as he tried to insert himself into the investigation and point out how it was impossible for one of the monks to have murdered Otto.

But the reveal of the Thread-Puller right at the end was a surprise for me. Especially as there were other ways Father Thomas could have gone about hiding the town's history if he felt it was too scandalous. There was no need to leave such a trail of destruction, including inciting a revolt among the peasants, simply to keep the secret that the Saints worshipped by the town were actually depictions of Roman Gods.

Given my love for mythology, I've seen how the Gods of many different pantheons have been changed and adapted to reflect the culture or times they are needed. The Greek and Roman deities, after all, have almost a one-to-one equivalent. Stories, too, about the heroes of the past have been used by other religions and cultures to explain elements of their own mythology.

And while hindsight, along with agnostic and atheist beliefs, have allowed us to take a step back to study religion from a distance, I think it's important to realise this was not always the case. This was 16th century Bavaria, after all. Christianity was everything to most people in Europe.

Although, I must say, while Father Thomas was worried people would learn that the statue of Saint Moritz was actually Mars Pater and Saint Satia was actually Diana, I was more intrigued by the painting of Mithras. It was never fully touched upon but I just knew I had seen the God slaughtering a bull somewhere before.

Lo and behold: Mithraism.

Suppose it explains why the old Roman temple was named the Mithraeum. Too bad the cult of Mithraism wasn't fully explored in the game. It would have been more interesting if there was some additional exploration of these other more occult practices beyond what Prior Ferenc was up to, and the strange ritual Guy tried to enact.

Overall, I have to say Pentiment held my interest for a goodly while and made me ponder the choices I'd made. It also humanised many of the characters, giving me a glimpse into what life might have been like back in the 16th century - and given me a greater appreciation of how far humanity has come from those feudal times (although, let's be honest, we're still trapped in very tribal mindsets that's been fanned by the internet). Life might have been hard as a peasant, or for the normal tradesperson during this period, but somehow Tassing was able to make do.

Time to see how Ghost Trick plays out!

On a completely unrelated note: I AM SO EXCITED FOR ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS COLLECTION! Finally, I can play the second game of Miles' spin-off games.

The Ace Attorney franchise is finally getting the revitalisation it deserves and I hope there will be more to come. Especially with Mr Backstory himself, Apollo Justice. Or, heck, with another starry-eyed defence attorney in the land of Japanifornia.

[sheltiechicago]

Tender Moments, Vibrant Plants, and Georgian Culture Adorn the Tbilisi Streets for the Annual Mural Fest

“Grandma” by Sasha Korban

[lucylyall]

[backup-baby-backup]

Cruel Summer: the hit that was meant to be?

Pictured: dramatic reenactment of us waiting for Cruel Summer to be a single for 4 years.

Background

This summer is the apocalypse.

-- Lover Journal entry, dated 29 August 2016

We all know about the cruel summer in question, right? To be fair, technically the cruelty of the summer stemmed from "a desperate summer love that might be doomed from the start" and "some element of desperation and pain in it, where you’re yearning for something that you don’t quite have yet", and not whatever Kim Kardashian was doing on Twitter, but given how those two events occured basically simultaneously, it's not outrageous to claim both experiences informed each other.

In 2018, Taylor went on the Reputation Stadium Tour. Between shows, Taylor started working on Lover, getting into the studio with Joel Little, Frank Dukes and our favourite producer Jack Antonoff. For Cruel Summer, however, there was something special: Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, was a credited writer on the track.

St. Vincent had worked with Jack for her 2017 album Masseduction, so much like how Lana ended up in the studio with Taylor, we can safely assume that Jack brought the two together. On 6 June 2018, St. Vincent mentioned that she had reworked one of her songs from Masseduction, Slow Disco, into a poppier production with Taylor's support. With this in mind, we can probably assume that she had cross passed with Taylor around this time. Taylor was papped recording at Electric Lady (Jack's stomping grounds) on 18 July 2018, which lines up with this theory. [1]

The failed single push

I’m not trying to blame the global pandemic that we had, but that is something that happened that stopped Cruel Summer from ever being a single.

-- Taylor Swift after performing Cruel Summer on tour in Pittsburgh, 17 June 2023

Cruel Summer had been a fan favourite from the get-go. When Taylor held listening parties for a select group of fans, it was the song that most people had positive feelings about. When Lover (the album) dropped in August 2019, it was the third most streamed track from the album, leapfrogging I Forgot That You Existed despite it being the second track. People started to lament the... poorly-received lead singles the album had. (I have nothing kind to say about those two tracks so I won't say anything.)

Then for a while, nothing happened. Taylor released Lover and The Man as singles to various degrees of success. The Man's disappointing (by her standards) chart run probably reignited discussion about how Cruel Summer would have smashed if it were only given a proper push and the GP had understood its talent. Then COVID came along, Lover Fest was delayed indefinitely, and it seemed that the Lover era was over, replaced by Taylor locking herself in with Joe Alwyn and drinking wine.

Then June 2020 came around, and...

Now how do we know that this is true? Apparently, Cruel Summer was added to AllAccess, a website where radio programmers download singles serviced to radio. While I can't verify this myself, I have seen numerous independent sources claim that Cruel Summer was uploaded to the site specifically on 17 June 2020. [2] Some radio website also ran with the story in early June, so I am inclined to believe this.

And it's not like there weren't any official hints...

Top to bottom: Spotify "enhanced album" promo mural, You Need To Calm Down music video, Amazon Music commercial, Lover music video [3]

The catch, however, is the Cruel Summer never got an official add date. An add date is "supposed to tell [radio] stations when to add a record to its playlist". Without an official add date, stations usually won't play your new song unless it's really hotly requested.

So the song didn't get a full label push and quickly died off, despite getting some radio play in 2020 (from anecdotal evidence), not appearing on the charts. And then in July folklore came out of the blue, and with it ended the Lover era, and seemingly all hopes for Cruel Summer world domination.

A music video?

While Taylor HQ is normally as hard to infiltrate as Fort Knox, over the years bits and pieces of information have leaked about her intentions for the rest of the Lover era. Chief among them was, apparently, to officially release Cruel Summer as a single to accompany her live shows in the summer of 2020. A music video was even filmed, before being scrapped when Taylor moved into the mythical forest of folklore. 

-- Official Singles Chart (UK), 27 June 2023

Well, would Official Singles Chart lie? They do say "apparently" though, maybe to hedge their bets a little.

The problem with this claim, however, is the timeline. On 27 January 2020, Taylor released The Man as a single. She dropped the music video on Feburary 28th. Assuming a similar rollout for Cruel Summer, the music video would've come out in July. Given how the pandemic had basically put all possible filming activity to a standstill in March, it seems implausible that a music video would be filmed that early in advance, especially without knowing that the pandemic was on the horizon. Or maybe it was fully CGI and filmed in the luxury of her LA house, I don't know.

But I think there's a different catch here. Note how the above source claims that Cruel Summer would have been a single to "accompany her live shows in the summer of 2020", namely Lover Fest. According to the planned Lover Fest schedule, by the summer of 2020 she would be performing in Europe, including headlining Glastonbury.

Now consider Taylor's usual single rollout. Fearless, Sparks Fly, Red and New Romantics were all the last or second-last singles pushed from their respective albums, all of which got tour videos. [4] It seems that given how Cruel Summer would be the fifth single pushed according to the original plans, it most likely would've gotten the tour video treatment as well. Which makes sense: imagine a music video with her performing under broad daylight to huge crowds at festivals!

Cruel Summer 2: The Return of the Hit

With the advent of the pandemic something interesting happened: people started re-discovering old songs and making them into hits again. Catalogue streaming amounted to a whopping 70% of all streams in 2022. Running Up That Hill, a song from the 1980s, went viral again thanks to Stranger Things and this new ability that

Maybe it was because people wanted something familiar to go back to in a world where nothing was familiar anymore. Who knows. Many other music critics have written better articles about this phenomenon. What does matter, however, is that releasing singles from an album from years ago was now commercially viable. Sia, Lady Gaga and The Weeknd all did it to various degrees of success.

So when Cruel Summer, a song which had been among Taylor's most streamed songs for a while, acted as the tour opener on the Eras Tour [5], it would only further gain in popularity from then onwards, even re-entering the Billboard Hot 100 before it was even officially promoted to radio. And so her label moved to capitalize on this trend, and finally released Cruel Summer as a single on 20 June 2023, almost 3 years to the day after its original planned release date.

The million dollar question: would Cruel Summer have smashed if it was released as originally planned?

I'd say no. The general public had already moved on from Lover as the lacklustre The Man performance demonstrates. Besides, without the accumulation of popularity that Taylor had with folklore, evermore, the re-recordings, Midnights and the Eras Tour, who know where her career would've been?

(By the way, even if Cruel Summer had been the lead single there is absolutely no way it passes Old Town Road for #1.)

Timeline

Summer 2018: Cruel Summer is likely written around this time.

23 August 2019: Lover is released.

27 January 2020: The Man is released as a single.

27 February 2020: The Man music video is released.

5-12 March 2020: According to Steve from the IC, band rehearsals for Lover Fest took place during these days, with a whopping 32 songs.

19 March 2020: California enters lockdown due to COVID-19. Taylor was living in Los Angeles at this time.

17 April 2020: Lover Fest is officially delayed.

27 April 2020: Taylor writes cardigan, her first collaboration with Aaron Dessner and the beginning of the concept of folklore.

6 June 2020: Steve posts that cryptic message about folklore, signifying that the album was mostly complete by this time.

17 June 2020: Cruel Summer is uploaded to AllAccess, incidentally the same day as Steve teases cardigan.

20 June 2020: The European leg of Lover Fest would have begun on this day.

20 June 2023: Cruel Summer is officially released as a single.

23 October 2023: Cruel Summer hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Conclusion

Stream Cruel Summer.

[1] Cruel Summer is also the only Lover song to be registered on the US Copyright Office with a creation year of 2018, rather than 2019, suggesting that it was an early cut. (credit: @taylor-on-your-dash)

[2] Surprisingly, people have also claimed that I Did Something Bad was added to AllAccess in a similar fashion.

[3] That being said, if we take that hint in the Lover music video as hinting towards a Cruel Summer single push, this also means Afterglow was also meant to be a single...

[4] Do not quote me on this, Taylor herself didn't acknowledge that chorus of Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince either.

[5] Getaway Car should've been here...

[impermanent-art]

Continuing our much-delayed 2023 roundup, here are 16 honorable mentions for L.A.'s most memorable urban artworks last year.

1. Nychos in Boyle Heights 2. Kofie in Boyle Heights 3. Royyal Dog in Sunset Square 4. Dabsmyla in Hollywood Hills West 5. 'What Could Go Wrong?' - Robbie Conal pasteup in Los Feliz 6. Cleon Peterson in Altadena for the Unincorporated Mural Project 7. Spanto memorial tribute by Jonas Never in Venice 8. Ekohs in South El Monte 9. KRS-One portrait by Scrap at the Graff Lab 10. Alepsis at Secret Walls HQ 11. Woes in West L.A. for the West Edge mural fest 12. Asylm in Boyle Heights 13. Billboard takeover by SicKid in Hollywood 14. "From La Raza With Love" by Sloe in Highland Park 15. Scrap in DTLA 16. Deity in Silver Lake

[elpetitrossinyol]

Els CARGOLS i els DOFINS treballen les festes de la Mercè tot decorant els seus murals amb les imatges que ens heu portat!!!