Inter | Urban

In creating the “The Space Between You and It Melt” murals for INTER|URBAN, we were inspired by both the architecture of the site and Jesmyn Ward's award-winning Sing, Unburied, Sing. The novel’s narrative weaves between present and past, life and death, and comfort and pain. The two bridge pillars underneath the Cleveland RTA Red Line train underscore these parallels and divisions, always in conversation but never touching. Franklin Avenue is the space between the pillars, while the arches hold secrets. The river bolsters one side, while the other slides down a hill.

We loved this challenging site for both the location and the structure itself. This abstract mural was influenced by Josef Albers’s color studies, as well as architectural typography. Our hope is that people will experience and discover it in many ways—driving or biking by, walking through, coming from across the river, or sitting on the back patio at Hoopple’s.