One day I went to Belmont High School to give a test for the ACT exam. Which was about a year ago before I started college and I remember seeing a huge mural painted across the high school. I didn't get to see what was painted on, clearly because I was in a rush but I remember seeing a lot of teal colors. I wanted to revisit this site to see what the mural symbolized this spring break. It is a mural name “Earth Memories” and the artist is Eva Cockcroft. The mural portrays the evolution timeline from the formation of planets, early mammals, and the people of today. The mural took up a whole street which was interesting to look at because it makes you think for a while how everything began and how advanced we are now. From the time where only dinosaurs existed to now where there is pollution everywhere. It makes you think if the world has changed in a positive way or not.
Location
The mural was in the Belmont area painted right on the high school on a steep hill. It was a bit sunny and the air felt polluted while cars were passing by this long street. There weren't many people passing by the area while I was there but after school there must be a lot of people walking to get home. The colors of the mural were very vibrant and there were a lot of earthy colors matching to the theme of the mural. As John Berger said in his Ways of Seeing film “art is better understood in silence.” Unfortunately there was no silence in the streets, I could hear cars honking from miles away, cars zooming in front of me which was distracting. The environment was just like a busy city where time never seemed to stop.
Looking at the mural you can see that it was carefully thought out and each detail tells a story. Each of the earth layers are connected and made into a specific time in history. There is a section on the mural where there are Aztecs which was a very significant piece to history. There is also a step by step demonstration on how early men were formed. There were extinct mammals, cavemen hunting and chiseling their way into the world. The modern people are shown walking in a crowd all together; it felt like they were all the finish product of different times in the mural. The people in the mural were diverse from all cultures to ages. One thing I found very interesting as I took a look from afar was how the volcanoes were letting out steam from one side transformed and became manufacturing towers giving out pollution. They were both doing something to harm the environment one from its lava harming animals other polluting the air harming humans. Each detail gave you a course of history and biology together.
The Aura
The aura of this mural was original as it was painted on the wall and is still there. The mural looks different from different angles upon where you are standing. If you go really close to the painting you can see specific details like the dust on the wall to the small cracks that have formed over time. As you look away from the wall from a farther distance those small details disappear and you see no flaws. However above the mural I saw there was a type of graphite spray painted on. This distracted me from the mural for a bit because I felt as if the beauty was getting lost.
Whoever is witnessing this mural will have flashbacks to their middle school years when learning about evolution and history about Aztecs and extinct animals starting with the Big Bang Theory. Also stopping here will make you realize that there was a long past that we derived from and our advancement in the present. It makes you wonder about nature and how pure it used to be and how it is now. It’s a mural that would make sense to everyone that has learned about how this world was formed and still kept in shape. In the film Ways of Seeing John Berger says that the environment can change the meaning of an art. In this case the mural was placed in a correct place where the environment helps you understand the meaning of the mural. It helps you look at the past and present all at once.
The mural was in the Belmont area painted right on the high school on a steep hill. It was a bit sunny and the air felt polluted while cars were passing by this long street. There weren't many people passing by the area while I was there but after school there must be a lot of people walking to get home. The colors of the mural were very vibrant and there were a lot of earthy colors matching to the theme of the mural. As John Berger said in his Ways of Seeing film “art is better understood in silence.” Unfortunately there was no silence in the streets, I could hear cars honking from miles away, cars zooming in front of me which was distracting. The environment was just like a busy city where time never seemed to stop.
Looking at the mural you can see that it was carefully thought out and each detail tells a story. Each of the earth layers are connected and made into a specific time in history. There is a section on the mural where there are Aztecs which was a very significant piece to history. There is also a step by step demonstration on how early men were formed. There were extinct mammals, cavemen hunting and chiseling their way into the world. The modern people are shown walking in a crowd all together; it felt like they were all the finish product of different times in the mural. The people in the mural were diverse from all cultures to ages. One thing I found very interesting as I took a look from afar was how the volcanoes were letting out steam from one side transformed and became manufacturing towers giving out pollution. They were both doing something to harm the environment one from its lava harming animals other polluting the air harming humans. Each detail gave you a course of history and biology together.
The Aura
The aura of this mural was original as it was painted on the wall and is still there. The mural looks different from different angles upon where you are standing. If you go really close to the painting you can see specific details like the dust on the wall to the small cracks that have formed over time. As you look away from the wall from a farther distance those small details disappear and you see no flaws. However above the mural I saw there was a type of graphite spray painted on. This distracted me from the mural for a bit because I felt as if the beauty was getting lost.
Whoever is witnessing this mural will have flashbacks to their middle school years when learning about evolution and history about Aztecs and extinct animals starting with the Big Bang Theory. Also stopping here will make you realize that there was a long past that we derived from and our advancement in the present. It makes you wonder about nature and how pure it used to be and how it is now. It’s a mural that would make sense to everyone that has learned about how this world was formed and still kept in shape. In the film Ways of Seeing John Berger says that the environment can change the meaning of an art. In this case the mural was placed in a correct place where the environment helps you understand the meaning of the mural. It helps you look at the past and present all at once.
Nikita Zaman is a student at CSUN and is trying to find her career in health care.