As guests to Costa Rica, Alison Hamil and I found it necessary to implement conceptual references that are meaningful to Costa Ricans, and to evoke feelings of familiarity and personal identification. With the help of two Costa Rican art students, the group was able to decide on a specific approach.
The floral designs in the mural were derived from a typical Costa Rican style of painting found on wagons. The color scheme and the symmetry within the design are very similar to this style of painting.
The Pre-Columbian images serve as a reminder to all that there was indeed a rich culture before colonization. Each stylized animal represents a belief of that culture. For example, the serpent signifies a seasonal change from winter to summer.
Although the design has historical references, as contemporary artists, the final product is very much a modern interpretation of its cultural and historical significance. After being exposed to the culture and learning of Costa Rica’s struggle to maintain its rich ecosystem in the midst of globalization and modern techonology, Alison and I realized how important it is to preserve the culture’s traditions in the mural, rather than introducing a foreign visual language from the United States. Just as Costa Rica continues to find its balance between cultural modernization and historical and/or natural preservation, the mural was designed with the same goals in mind, to ultimately mark the beginning of a new relationship between Georgia State University and Costa Rica’s Universidad Nacional.
Ivannia and Alison began to paint after projecting our designs onto the wall.
The texture on the pre-Columbian images were created with Costa Rican earth mixed into the acrylic paints.
After 12 hour days painting in the scorching heat, sweating non-stop, we finished the mural.
Here is a glimpse of what the other three murals look like.
