Tim Simmons Lights-Up the City with the Urban Land Project

On Tuesday September 13th at the Urban Outfitters Headquarters, Anthropologie hosted a celebration with artist Tim Simmons to announce the launch of the Urban Land Project. The project, which is sponsored by Philadelphia-based Anthropologie, brings Simmons’ large-scale photography-based murals to Philadelphia’s public art sphere. Mural Arts helped identify key locations in the city’s Northern Liberties neighborhood for the placement of Simmons’ six murals.

The artist uses light in his photographs for focus the viewer’s attention on the most important element in each of his pieces. Each landscape he captures is designed to be a glimpse into his personal view of the land, a place that “just feels right” to him. His work is emotional and riveting; his use of bright colors and unexpected lighting surprises viewers, prompting a second look.

During the event, Simmons spoke about the need for art in the public realm in the United States. He alluded to the overbearing use of advertising in public spaces, utilizing graphics for promotion, but the lack of public art to beautify the same spaces. His participation in this project brings a fresh perspective to the mural culture in Phiadelphia.

If you haven’t seen the Philadelphia Urban Land Project’s public installations in person, they can be viewed online athttp://www.theanthropologist.net/#/UrbanLandProject. There, you can find pictures of the six murals and the three billboards, along with a map of their locations.