Monday, October 22, 2012

Re: PSFS Mural Outrage. Keep Yer Fuckin' Pants On.

PSFS Building

12 South 12th Street


               I've always hated the humongous blank party wall on the PSFS/Lowes Hotel Building. I know its just the back of the elevator bank, but fuck... they couldn't think of something better? When I first moved to Philadelphia in August of 2003, I lived at the Arts Tower (originally the Sylvania Hotel, now called the Arts Condo) at 1234 Locust. I had a great view of the ugly-ass Interpark Parking Garage, the butt-fugly Holiday Inn Midtown, and that shit-ass blank party wall.   
               That big black party wall really fucking irked me... it was the worse thing I saw out my window that year besides that time I saw a guy shot in the chest at point-blank range in the middle of the night. Just recently, the dude at Streets Dept made the SUGGESTION that the huge blank wall on the PSFS should have a mural on it... not just any mural, but the nation's largest. That little 150-word post made the entire Philadelphia blogosphere and media LOSE ITS FUCKING MIND:

 
 
 
 
 
 

                ... and that's just a few of them. To add insult to injury, people who support the idea figured that the shitbird behind those buttsmack Love Letter Murals or this other fuckbag (whose stuff is not that bad) should be the ones that execute this theoretical mural. Some guy named Mike Meulstee then made a mock-up of what it would look like:
 
 
               Well, of course people didn't fucking like it... that looks like crap. That mock-up basically confirmed the fears of people that think the PSFS is too sacred for a mural. I agree that this building is iconic and probably doesn't NEED a mural. But that doesn't mean I should jump out of windows and flagellate myself over it... people are going fucking apeshit like they built the building themself. When's the last time you've heard ANYONE. EVER. mention the BACK of the PSFS Building? Half those articles I linked to above don't even show the back of the building.
                So, since everyone has been asking me lately what I thought about it... I'll say this: I don't hate the idea. I think it could be quite good if it was done right. Its not like they want to put it on the front of the building. As far as I'm concerned, the PSFS was ruined in 1947 by the installation of that 300+ foot antenna. No one seems to give a shit about that...
              I think we should all come up with ideas of what could go on the wall. Photoshit your best ideas and send them to me at rhaandarite@gmail.com. They can be by known artists, unknown artists, or yourself. I'll post a nice gallery of the ideas to show the possibilities of what could be done here. Here's how it would look if David Choe got a crack at it:
 
 
              Or maybe it should be kept simple:
 
Perfect.
               I guess the point of this post is to tell everyone: Calm the fuck down. It's not that big of a deal.
                 


8 comments:

  1. At least you know people are reading!

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  2. Should just be a mural of all the iconic Philadelphians in history. Ben Franklin, Billy Penn... Id even be cool with just a big Bill Cosby with a choc / vanilla pudding pop!

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  3. They could paint a mural of a building that didn't have a shitty huge blank "fuck you" to the city on one side.

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  4. Here's an idea: Get a developer to replace the monstrous 12th Street parking garage between Walnut and Sansom with a tall building. You'd never see the back of the PSFS from most angles. Problem solved!

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  5. isnt there some kind of high tech video hologram mural that could change constantly, 24 hours a day, for the rest of time?

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  6. Gor the record:
    --Philadelphia Slowly Facing Starvation
    --Philadelphia's Significant Famous Sign
    --Penny Saved, Franklin Said
    --Philadelphians Savor Fried Scrapple
    --Pastrami Sandwiches for Sale
    --Please Stay For Supper
    --Philadelphia's Sordid Financial Status
    --Philadelphia Sports Fan Suffer
    --Philadelphia Smells Funny Sometimes
    People have been playing around with this building for decades.

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  7. should read "yous" and perhaps be signed "with love philadelphia xoxo"

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  8. I like the "bleep you" mural the best. I got a saying about Philadelphia "that city isn't racist, they just hate everybody equally!"

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