PERCY STREET PROJECT IN PHILADELPHIA
If you enjoy shiny things and South Philadelphia, this illuminated neon mural is calling for you to pay a visit.
Local artists David Guinn and Drew Billiau recently teamed up with the Mural Arts Program and the Knight Foundation to complete the “Electric Street” installation just south of 9th Streetnear Pat’s and Geno’s (h/t Streets Dept.).y
Knight Foundation and Mural Arts supported the installation, which Guinn’s said is the first phase of the Percy Street Project.
Low-energy LED Neon Flex bend with the curve of the paint on the 30-by-15-foot wall spanning the backs of two residences. The installation uses more than 200 feet of light, hooked up to a program that Billiau can control from his computer.
Just the presence of streetlights can deter criminal behavior. A South Philadelphia neighborhood is trying something a little more innovative than that—using neon-lit murals to brighten the sidewalk and turn the area into a destination.