LIKE WATER | COMO AGUA, CULLITON PARK, 2020

 The mural honors what was lost through colonization of indigenous lands and the resilience of historically marginalized peoples as they behave like water: adapting and transforming their environments. The hands are referenced from two of elders and long-time residents in the Southwest community Sandy Drakeford and Marie King Linares The botanical motif that the waves transform into would have been referenced from native plants and flowers, to engage the community and foster a sense of ownership, I connected with youth in the community (through Boys and Girls Club, Water Street Mission, and SDOL) and neighbors to collect their drawings of flowers and plants that represent growth and hope.We then photographed  the flowers and added them to the mural via projection and tracing. Images of the grand opening and progress shots can be found here. Zines outlining the project and ask from the community can be found here. The second phase of work (not pictured) involved using flags as a symbol of reclamation of the park. Reclaiming/Reclamando invites neighbors to write what they want to claim as the future of the park on white flags. Symbolically and literally staking the flags in the ground recalls acts of claiming land (rightfully or wrongfully) and claiming space. The act of many coming together to claim many different ideas, concepts, wishes, hopes, and/or dreams in one physical space complicates the colonial notion of land ownership thus recalling indigenous collectivism and community.