Image of a black and white surrealist interactive public mural, with a photomontage of realistic, disparate images. The large, complex assemblage is composed of almost imperceptible fingerpainted black and white dots against a black background. The assemblage is presented in multiple 2-D perspectives, with most objects fluidly morphing into one another. Beginning at the viewer’s right, a giant half of a lion’s head morphs into a hand drill skewering a clock on the left. Slightly below the lower left of the drill is an image of a large gear with human legs, like a diver’s legs, disappearing through the center. A cluster of five smaller human figures rests at the bottom of the gear. Two of the figures are seen from above and stand turned away from the viewer, the image rotated horizontally with their heads at the left. To the right of them, a smaller human figure faces the viewer in a leaping motion, appearing to jump over a larger image of a child hunched over with their face hidden in their crossed arms. Further to the right, the fifth and smallest figure wears a dress and stands with their head down similar to the child. This standing figure rests their head on an image of a streetscape that grows in height to the right, stopping when it hits the handle of the hand drill. A sixth figure stands in front of the streetscape further to the right before it hits the handle of the drill. The figure faces away from the viewer and wears a traditional high-necked, cap sleeved silk Chinese dress. Along the bottom of the streetscape, in the same angled perspective, is an image of a three-arched walking bridge, also growing larger as it continues to the right, then stopping when it reaches the handle of the drill. The handle of the drill continues downward and morphs into an image of an upside down clock tower. Separate from the photomontage, centered at the bottom is a six foot tall, spinnable dial, resembling a compass rose, flanked by two rows on either side each with sixteen small rectangles. The rows of rectangles with the dial at center act as a banner that spans the entire width of the mural at the bottom. Each rectangle contains one of the sixty-four I Ching hexagrams and an associated fable story. At bottom left are two light grey human silhouettes indicating the scale of the mural. The silhouettes overlap a small portion of the banner.

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Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
2014	Work on this object began.
2016	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. Work on this object ended.
2024	You found it!

Project, Atlas of Tomorrow, 2014–16

This is a Project. It was designed by Candy Chang and fabricated by New American Public Art and collaborator: Mural Arts Program Porch Light Initiative, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, City of Philadelphia and Broad Street Ministry. It is dated 2014–16.

Graphic designer Candy Chang collaborated with the Porch Light Initiative—which takes a public-arts approach to community healing—to embed an interactive mural promoting mental well-being in the center of Philadelphia. Three stories high, the mural reinterprets the classic Book of Changes (I Ching) as a tool for introspection. Sixty-four I Ching hexagram characters and related fable-like stories frame the wall. Text invites the public to consider a situation, spin the street-level dial to reflect on the selected story, and see the world anew.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2FZ4tk/
Accession Number Probject 02
Object ID 1108833173