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Detroit gets a 'Human Atlas' through portraits and DNA ancestry of 100 people – Detroit Free Press

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Julie Hinds
 
| Detroit Free Press

Wearing a “Black Girl Magic” T-shirt and jeans, Crystal Bernard looks straight at the camera in a photograph, right hand on her hip, a keychain dangling from her wrist that seems ready to open doors to better, more equal worlds.

“I knew what being Black, or a Black child in America was before society could define it for me,” said Bernard, a Michigan State University student, in comments printed on the page opposite her portrait in “i.Detroit — A Human Atlas of an American City.”

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Bernard’s words share her passion “to educate others of color, and beyond, on what the racial dynamics really are, what it is to be Black, how do we define it … putting the power back into the people.”

Powerful art. Powerful thoughts. Describing the emotional impact of British artist Marcus Lyon’s latest project is relatively easy. The heart and soul of the Motor City comes alive in “i.Detroit” through the pictures and comments of 100 men and women who represent an American city known around the world as a symbol of resilience. 

There are photos of first responders, community organizers, entrepreneurs, ministers, poets, storytellers and educators. There are well-known names like founding Four Tops member Abdul “Duke” Fakir and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. There’s a parent advocate for the deaf community, a social justice warrior and a certified nurse midwife.

But what exactly is a human atlas? And what was the process behind this three-year art project that combines photos, oral histories, ancestral DNA, maps and music in an attempt to understand Detroit on a deeper level?

You can find out directly on Thursday during a free virtual book launch for “i.Detroit — A Human Atlas of an American City” that is being hosted by WDIV-TV (Local 4) anchor Rhonda Walker. Lyon will be appearing from London for an online panel discussion that includes Shirley Stancato, the leader of the project’s curatorial committee; journalist and Detroit historian Ken Coleman; entrepreneur and genealogist, Kenyatta Berry; and educator and activist Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera.

“At every step of the way, the spirit of Detroit has always been its residents; from the retired woman who volunteers as a school crossing guard to the business mogul who’s worth millions,” writes Coleman in an introductory essay for the “i.Detroit” book, which tells the stories of its 100 participants through the portraits, app-based image-activated oral history and ancestral DNA.

The goal of this human atlas is to reflect the people of Detroit and encourage others to think about their own lives and obligations to the places and people who make up their own towns or cities.

More: Notable Detroiters to star in I.Detroit: a Human Atlas of An America City

As an art project, “i.Detroit” has produced a massive, limited-edition art book that would be at home on coffee tables in affluent pockets of the region in and around the city. But the overarching goal is to reach everyone possible, regardless of income.

Lyon said he used his own money, about $20,000, to build a website for “i.Detroit” that will contain all of the photos and more. And he wants to incorporate “i.Detroit” into future curriculums of Detroit schools.

A celebrated artist whose works are part of museum collections (including the Detroit Institute of Arts), Lyon has photographed Queen Elizabeth II, four British Prime Ministers and enough famous people to fill a shelf of magazines. But it’s his massive Human Atlas projects that have occupied him in recent years. Lyons has done human atlases on Brazil and Germany and is slated next to tackle Silicon Valley.

To make a long, three-year story short, the Detroit project was sparked by a random meeting at a 2017 leadership conference in England between Lyon, who’s been interested in focusing on the Motor City since the mid-1990s, and Mark Davidoff, the CEO of the Fisher Group. When Davidoff heard about Lyon’s human atlases, he felt instantly that Detroit would be an ideal location for one.

That led to a June 2018 meeting at the Detroit Athletic Club with 50 local leaders who would be key to the six-month nomination search for 100 people.

“There was an unwritten agreement that if we couldn’t make it fly with a group of community leaders, then what was the point?” recalled Lyon, who vividly describes the healthy skepticism that greeted him. 

“It was very Detroit. They really gave me a grilling. I mean, I was like, whoo! I was in the spotlight and I was being asked some really difficult questions about race, and why you, and why a white man from England was a relevant person to tell this deeper story about the change agents of Detroit.” he said.

After an hour of fielding questions, Lyon said, “I must have said something right. I just answered as me. I didn’t try to be clever about anything. I just spoke my mind, spoke from my heart, spoke about what I’d done in other places. They came back and said, ‘We’re in, Marcus.’”

The idea was to narrow recommendations down to 100 people who would depict a cross-section of diverse people dedicated to the city in their own unique ways. Knowing that there inevitably would be gaps of who wasn’t represented, Lyon and his team spent time poring over Excel spread sheets and looking for who had been excluded.

Once 80 people were chosen, he says they were put metaphorically around a table with 100 chairs, to answer the question “who is missing from those 20 chairs?,” according to Lyon. 

Lyon and his crew spent six months in a studio in the former Durfee Elementary-Middle School, which has been repurposed into the Durfee Innovation Society by the nonprofit group Life Remodeled.

“There’s a lot of emotional work that goes into the beginning of those portraits,” explained Lyon. “We probably spent between half an hour and an hour with each of those people before I asked them to step in front of the camera. And then most of them were probably not in front of the camera for much more than ten minutes at a time. I don’t really over-egg that bit. I feel like if I’ve got it, I’ve got it. I say I’ve got it , that’s it, great, let’s carry on with our conversation.” 

The project also involved tracing DNA ancestries with the help of Family Tree DNA in Houston, Texas, in order to create some of the graph and maps that accompany the portraits. Each participant’s DNA ancestry is charted on a graph accompanied by a map outlining DNA origins.

“I believe that what the DNA really effectively says is we’re all interconnected and we’re all human beings and we all share some common ancestors … If you just go flip, flip, flip, you see that we’re all interconnected.”

But in a predominantly African-American city like Detroit, the DNA ancestry of contemporary Black men and women — and its links to countries in Africa and Europe — also speaks to the brutal reality of America’s original sin of slavery. 

“There are deeply disturbing back stories to almost all of the African-American DNA you witness,” Lyons said. 

The photo profiles also use maps to show an individual’s place of birth, Detroit neighborhood and intersection — a geographic tracer that goes from a world map, to a U.S. map to a city grid to a closeup of streets.

To honor the musical history of Detroit, each participant chose what’s called “an inheritance track” featured on a 100-track Spotify playlist. And Lyon collaborated with Brian Eno and Detroit’s own techno music trailblazer Derrick May to create a 45 rpm single that’s include with each of the “i.Detroit” books. 

It’s a bittersweet irony that this deep dive into the human experience is coming out at the same time that safety measures for the COVID-19 pandemic are limiting physical contact. Lyon had hoped to be in Detroit for the “i.Detroit” launch, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to a virtual celebration.

”Right now, I’m crying inside the whole time,” said Lyon about life during the pandemic. On Thursday, at the virtual book launch, “I’m going to be here, sitting in my studio, everybody else will be there.” His consolation is that the online launch can accommodate hundreds of guests.

Lyon and his family spent a summer in Detroit and lived in a rented loft in Eastern Market. “My kids support the Tigers, they love the Lions.” he said says with a laugh. “My wife was like, ‘wait a minute, why don’t we move here? I really like this place.”

The “i.Detroit” project has made Lyon proud to be accepted by Detroiters. “I felt very connected to people (there) as a Brit and very understood, which is a lovely feeling emotionally,” he says. 

And that, ultimately, is the best way to think about a human atlas. When it works, it’s a map of people that promotes more understanding.

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

Virtual book launch for “i.Detroit — A Human Atlas for an American City”

11 a.m. Thursday

Panel discussion with artist Marcus Lyon and others hosted by WDIV (Local 4 News) anchor Rhonda Walker

To register for the free online event, go to Eventbrite.

For more information on the project and the book, go to the “i.Detroit” website.

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Banksy Goes Green With New Street Art That's Like An Optical Illusion – HuffPost

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Banksy is back with his first confirmed installation of 2024.

The anonymous British street artist posted on his Instagram account on Monday that he was behind a mural that was first spotted in Finsbury Park in London over the weekend.

In the artwork, a stenciled figure of a woman appears to have sprayed green paint over a white wall behind a pollarded tree, thus giving an optical illusion effect of foliage.

Banksy, who has never been officially identified, shared before and after images of the art on Instagram.

See the post here:

The artist didn’t caption the post, prompting multiple theories as to the meaning of the mural.

Some people thought it was a message of hope amid the climate crisis, of which Banksy, who originally hails from Bristol in southwest England, has used his artwork to highlight on multiple previous occasions.

Others suggested it was a pessimistic take on the environment or a commentary on greenwashing, the tactic the United Nations defines on its website as “misleading the public to believe that a company or other entity is doing more to protect the environment than it is.”

Banksy confirmed he was behind the mural in Finsbury Park, London. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)

Banksy confirmed he was behind the mural in Finsbury Park, London. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)
Jonathan Brady – PA Images via Getty Images

Documentarian James Peak, the creator of the BBC’s “The Banksy Story” radio series, said the message is “clear” that “nature’s struggling and it is up to us to help it grow back.”

“When you step back, it looks like the tree is bursting to life, but in a noticeably fake and synthetic way,” he told the broadcaster. “And it’s pretty subtle for a massive tree, I’d say.”

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Banksy: Artist confirms new London tree mural is his own work – BBC.com

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Banksy: Artist confirms new London tree mural is his own work  BBC.com

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Banksy artwork appears on side of flats in north London – Sky News

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The artist Banksy has confirmed he is the creator of a large green mural of a tree with apparent environmental overtones which appeared in north London over the weekend.

Residents said they woke up on Sunday to the massive painting on the side of a block of flats in Hornsey Road near Finsbury Park.

Pic:PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Pest Control, the official body that authenticates Banksy work, confirmed to Sky News the painting was indeed Banksy’s latest offering.

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The elusive artist – who shares his work on his Instagram page – also posted a picture of the site on his official page on Monday, showing the wall before and after the work was completed.

The large-scale painting is a green splatter-effect shape, painted behind a cut-back tree – giving the appearance of adding a halo of leaves and foliage to the bare branches.

The green paint drips down to the floor, where a figure of a young girl painted with a stencil in green and black is looking up at the work.

She appears to be holding a pressure sprayer.

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The shade of bright green paint used in the piece matches the colour of Islington Council branding, and also seems likely to be a nod to St Patrick’s Day, which was on Sunday 17 March.

Local resident Amy, who lives in the building said she could never have predicted Bansky would have chosen her flat wall to paint on.

She told Sky News: “We’ve lived here for three years, so we’ve seen the tree as it was when it was full of leaves and now it’s been chopped down.”

She described it as “a big willow tree” with “layers of leaves kind of over spilling”. She went on: “I suppose that’s what he’s tried to capture with the green. And then I think about a year or two ago, they chopped it down because it was getting too big”.

She described the unexpected painting as “really exciting” adding, “I’m really happy for the community that something so cool happened here“.

MP for Islington North, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also visited the site, sharing pictures on X and writing: “Banksy has come to Islington! What wonderful artwork, proving there is hope for our natural world everywhere.”

Islington councillor Flora Williamson shared images of the art on X, and said she was a fan of Banksy’s work.

She wrote: “By far the most exciting thing to happen on today’s canvass session on Hornsey Road was seeing that Banksy had come to Tollington overnight. Lots of local interest – I’m a fan of it.”

Lidia Guerra, another Hornsey Road resident, said: “The way it’s been done with the paint spraying down reminds me of a weeping willow, so there’s perhaps a message about the struggle of nature with the dead tree in front.

“It’s just great – when we read about it last night, we knew we had to come and see it as soon as possible.

“We feel so proud to think he chose our street.”

Ahead of his latest creation, Banksy’s last confirmed work was a stop sign in Peckham, south London, with three military drones stuck across it, and was shared just before Christmas.

However, that work was removed less than an hour after it was confirmed to be genuine on the artist’s social media, with witnesses reporting it was taken down by a man with bolt cutters.

Two men were later arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.

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