Colors of the City

Inspired by Pittsburgh’s vibrant public art scene, "Colors of the City" focuses on showcasing various murals across the city—representing Pittsburgh as an intersection of cultural history, art, and technology. By extracting the colors of the murals, the installation represents each art piece in an abstract, tranquil, yet dynamic manner. As visitors arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport and are walking through the atrium, they are welcomed by the “colors of the city”. The installation resembles a "wall" that the murals are typically painted on. Placed in the center of the atrium, it aims to invite, intrigue, and inspire travelers to the center of the atrium before dispersing—though it does not inhibit their paths if they are in a hurry.

Each mural is showcased for about 10 seconds, which is timed specifically so that visitors can pass by, or stop and stay to view the full loop of the installation. As the murals transition from one to another, visitors can notice the change in hue and saturation. 

Curious visitors can also walk around to the side of the installation to see the specific murals represented. Additionally, by scanning the QR code at the side of the installation, visitors can access a Google Map with the murals’ locations—and can visit the sites in real life. 

Details of the Murals:

Remembering Workers, Remembering Veterans
Artist(s): Lucas Stock and Douglass Brunner
Address: 2417 E. Carson St.

Neighborhood: South Side Flats

Organization: MLK Community Mural Project

The Two Andys
Artist(s): Tom Mosser and Sarah Zeffiro
Address: 628 Smithfield Street
Neighborhood: Downtown Pittsburgh

Greenfield Connected
Artist(s): Will Schlough
Address: 4301 Murray Avenue
Neighborhood: Greenfield
Organization: Sprout Fund

Rebirth
Artist(s): Gregg Valley
Address: 301 West Main St
Neighborhood: Carnegie
Organization: Sprout Fund

The Strip Mall Mural
Artist(s): Carley Parrish and Shannon Pultz
Address: 1907 Penn Avenue
Neighborhood: Strip District
Organization: Sprout Fund 

Process of Building "Colors of the City"

Motion/Animation Developed

The animation in the installation was created by selecting murals in Pittsburgh and "pixel sorting" the colors of each mural into a gradient map. From here, we animated the gradient into fluid movements, that seamlessly flowed from one mural to another. The intention of this animation is to highlight and emphasize the colors used in the murals in a simple and calming way—allowing viewers to appreciate the art-pieces in a unique way.