ReadysetDC A CREATIVE URBAN ENTERPRISE

Daily Inspiration: Art Installation At Marvin

I came across this video from the ToolBoxDC.

Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation commissioned ToolboxDC to build, design and create an installation piece for his new Washington DC (U St, NW) restaurant and lounge “Marvin” in the form of a large mixed media mural of Marvin Gaye, now prominently displayed as the restaurant’s centerpiece. The beautiful piece measures 6 ft by 10 ft, and is actually for sale. Please contact us directly.

This is a timelapse film documenting the lengthy installation process as done by Brian Liu and Nick Pimentel of ToolboxDC in October 2007.

People have been asking why Marvin is selling the painting. They arent actually “getting rid” of the painting. It’s just that TOOLBOXDC owns the actual piece, and it’s technically for sale! However, we aren’t actively seeking a buyer, as we would be sad to see it ever leave the restaurant, but if it sells it sells!

As for prints, I’m not sure we’d want to do them since the beauty of the piece is in the subtle textures of the mixed media (ie: reflective silver spraypaint, wood texture, vinyl transfer, etc). It’s pretty subtle, but it looks awesome in decent light or up close. To answer some production questions that we have been asked:

We designed the art based on an old photograph, then we outsourced the vinyl transfer outputs. In addition to the actual design time on the computer, it took about 10-12 hours total combined installation time, not including paint drying time, etc.

The layers of varnish were applied to keep the wood underneath stain resistant, yet still allow the wood texture to show through in the knocked out areas, separate from the reflective spray paint showing through the knocked out stars. It’s much more complex than it appears in the end.

Source: ToolBoxDC

I’m not sure how much it weighs. Maybe a couple hundred pounds.