Birmingham artist uses interactive mural to boost freeway discussion

“Art is one of the most powerful things on this planet,” said Birmingham visual artist Rob Clifton, who attempted to harness that power by putting up a temporary installation, a mural, at the Art on the Rocks event at the Birmingham Museum of Art on a rainy Friday night in mid-August.

The mural, which was installed in the BMA’s upper plaza, consisted of three large canvas letters — B, H and M, referring to the city. Within each letter, Clifton used his signature technique of clean, sharp, black lines to cut in the shapes or outlines of cars.

The mural, which has an iconographic feel, was unfinished; stormy weather prevented Clifton from having his attendees help him paint in the colors of the cars during the event.

But Clifton’s mural still managed to evoke a strong image of cars and traffic, and his goal was to use the installation to help boost vigorous public discussion of what he believes is a major issue in Birmingham: the potential social and economic drawbacks of the Alabama Department of Transportation’s plans to redo — but leave in use — the aging Interstate 20/59 overpass that slices through the heart of downtown.

He had wanted to do some work to the piece alongside attendees in order to break down barriers and “to really stimulate conversation” of the art and the I-20/59 issue, he said.

A nearly lifelong Birmingham resident and 2014 UAB art graduate, Clifton — standing on the wet plaza with crutches thanks to a recent bicycling injury — said the mural itself doesn’t advocate a particular stance on one side or the other, but that it’s meant for people to talk about and to realize that the freeway and its effects on neighborhoods is a serious topic.

“It’s about community, connection and awareness — awareness of the community around you,” Clifton said. “There are so many points of view. I started with very literal drawings of cars and trucks. As I worked it, I realized that I didn’t want it to say a specific thing. I wanted to bring up the idea or topic of it. I came up with (abstracts) of cars laid over each other in a chaotic manner.”

At the installation, the artist provided attendees with literature for the nonprofit group Move I-20/59, which would like to completely eliminate the elevated interstate, calling it a barrier between neighborhoods, a nuisance downtown and even a contributor to the segregation of poorer districts to the north. 

Art on the Rocks was a good place to attempt to raise awareness of the I-20/59 issue because it draws a lot of young, middle-class white people, Clifton said.

“I realized a lot of my friends are in that demographic and have never heard of the 20/59 movement,” he said. “A lot of the people who attend this don’t know about it. It doesn’t mean they don’t care, but they haven’t had the chance to experience or understand it. I wanted to provide a conversation piece.”

Clifton said he is hoping to take advantage of the canvas mural’s portability and present it at other public events and to allow for the audience to finally take part in painting in the car shapes.