How and Nosm to Create the World's Tallest Mural on First National Building

**warsaw7** · March-24-15, 10:33 PM

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...nosm/70400028/

This is really BIG news for the city and the art community. These guys are the best 1-2 punch in the world right now. Having them bless this building with their art is a godsend! Extremely excited about this, kinda the same excitement as Brazil gets when Os Gemeos creates one of their massive murals.....

**AarunFast** · March-24-15, 11:05 PM

Really cool. Of course people are getting mad that it isn't a local artist.

**mikeg19** · March-25-15, 06:15 AM

I guess I'll need to see the finished product prior to passing judgement, but I'm not a huge fan of putting murals or signage on historic buildings. But, if done right, it could be pretty cool.

**Mackinaw** · March-25-15, 08:40 AM

Cool as a novely, but I guess this means we'll be parking cars on the corner of Cadillac and Bates for a couple more decades

**Chris Rohn** · March-25-15, 10:02 AM

Does anyone have a picture of the 1970s mural?

**southen** · March-25-15, 10:15 AM

i would much rather see a building there but ill take the added visual interest. if it makes business sense i doubt that this thing would prevent gilbert from development that spot. hell, he may even incorporate it into any building that ends up there.

**Mackinaw** · March-25-15, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by southen

i would much rather see a building there but ill take the added visual interest. if it makes business sense i doubt that this thing would prevent gilbert from development that spot. hell, he may even incorporate it into any building that ends up there.

Well I hope there is something other than a car-park there, but I would bet it's a very low building that gets built. I'd surely take a four-story glass box on that site and hope for taller infill on the other open spots along Cadillac Square.

**Jason** · March-25-15, 11:21 AM

I really like all those murals from the 70s initiative, and it makes me sad that they're slowly being removed. This one was removed so long ago that I didn't even know it existed until recently.

http://infinitemiledetroit.com/rubel...and_lauri.html

http://onemorespoke.blogspot.com/201...seventies.html

**scooter** · March-25-15, 11:28 AM

There was a building here back in the late 80's they tore it down to make the parking lot, the building had a restaurant in it that was called Ham Heaven, had the best Piggy cakes in town-[[ chunks of ham in pancakes)

**stinkytofu** · March-25-15, 11:53 AM

Not related to the mural planned downtown, but I was walking the High Line in Manhattan last year and undoubtedly the coolest mural I've ever seen was this...

**Mackinaw** · March-25-15, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by scooter

There was a building here back in the late 80's they tore it down to make the parking lot, the building had a restaurant in it that was called Ham Heaven, had the best Piggy cakes in town-[[ chunks of ham in pancakes)

Don't know what the building looked like but I think I'd like all of this re-created

**SpartanDawg** · March-25-15, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Cool as a novely, but I guess this means we'll be parking cars on the corner of Cadillac and Bates for a couple more decades

do not fear mackinaw... i thought this too... but looking at what they're planning it seems it own't start until about the fifth floor or so. I think gilbert always has wanted to put a building there, in fact in some of his renderings of campus martius last year there was about a 5 story building that was rendered at that corner. this mural would respect that space and also fill up that empty block of cement. Gilbert I think also only wants a 5 story building there because he wants to respect the windows of the first national that are on the side facing east as well.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...l-building.php

"Painted in the 1970s, a geometric design from Detroit artist Alvin Loving Jr claimed the same facade until being erased in 1989. How and Nosm's mural is expected to pay tribute to the original"
won't be exactly like this, but i think we can expect something similar

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**Enduro** · March-25-15, 01:26 PM

I love the geometrical 70's stuff too... but it's a little bit funny to me that those girls from Grosse Pointe get the riot act by the same guy who is commissioning the biggest piece of graffiti in the world.

I'm not against it, even though I'm not too enamored with their portfolio, but I couldn't resist commenting.

**G-DDT** · March-25-15, 01:49 PM

Wish I could state more [[on lunch break) about how much I love some of the geometric, fat, monolithic minimalism [[like Tony Smith's sculptures or Milton Glazer's illustrations) or modernism [[Barbara Hepworth or Naum Gabo) we all saw a lot of in the '70s [[Heck! ditch the guys in Statue of Liberty costumes, let's get some MUMMENSCHANZ up in here! We can hire them round the clock to dress like pistons and spark plugs, doin' the contortions and dancing and stuff). It's a shame that one giant mural got scrubbed [[thanks for the links Jason). There is a similar one in Cincinnati called "Allegro"
http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/artic...rals_past.html

I don't mind outside artists [[or artists who once lived here, moved, came back, etc.). Yet, as I said before, the "California splatter art" stuff is wearing a bit thin. That stuff begins to look like Lisa Frank getting her first visit from her Aunt Flo.

How about some stuff by Douglas Bulka [[the guy who does empty freeways at night)?

**Ray1936** · March-25-15, 06:28 PM

More graffiti is all it is. If you want to look at murals, head for any railroad underpass in the city.

**canuck** · March-25-15, 10:57 PM

Their stuff is pretty tight, and impressive. I guess they will be shooting for their masterwork because this is a once in a lifetime shot I suppose. I wish the original mural could have been saved for posterity, that is; as long as the building stands. lol.

**archfan** · March-26-15, 12:12 AM

Based on a quick google image search of their work, I predict it will be black, white, red and busy.

**canuck** · March-26-15, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by archfan

Based on a quick google image search of their work, I predict it will be black, white, red and busy.

How can you be sure? lol.

**warsaw7** · March-26-15, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by canuck

How can you be sure? lol.

Because that is their typical color palette.

**canuck** · March-26-15, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by warsaw7

Because that is their typical color palette.

Yep, I knowthissed. lol.

**canuck** · March-26-15, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by warsaw7

Because that is their typical color palette.

Yep, I knowthissed. lol. They are pretty damn good. It's a street art with style and they are skillful kids. It's not graffiti or tagging per se but it comes form taht general haze of trying to fit in a round peg into a square hole again. Their stuff looks like a gigantic transposition of comic styles, which is somewhat predictable in a way. I like that these guys were chosen.