South Philly Installation Protests ‘Luxurious’ New Construction
July 8, 2016
I know very little about this installation, other than what can be implied by the photos I took this week (above): namely that the artist/activist who installed this piece seems to be taking issue with new construction at 4th and Reed streets in South Philly. This construction, it should be mentioned, is taking place in a neighborhood with a fair amount of low-income housing. Maybe that’s got something to do with this installation?
Another thing to note is that this piece originally contained a noose hanging from it. The noose, however, was quickly removed while the rest of the piece remains…
(Photo by Wesley Kays-Henry via Facebook)
Please feel free to comment if you think you can help add context to this story, I’d appreciate it!
2 Comments
leave one →
Streets Dept 
Low income housing and fair amount? Where? Feel this art would present best in Point Breeze.
So, some context for what I wrote in the post above: I walked to photograph this installation from Center City, and right around this new construction there are several blocks of suburban-style housing (detached homes with grass all around them) which I generally associate with low-income housing, but perhaps I’m mistaken… Here’s a link to what I’m talking about:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/39°55'53.1%22N+75°09'08.8%22W/@39.9314111,-75.1535503,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d39.931409!4d-75.152456
Either way, just a couple of blocks away there’s a stretch of low-income housing that starts at 4th and Washington.
I don’t know, I was just speculating on why, of all the new construction in so many neighborhoods around Philly, why this site was chosen for this installation.
If anyone from this neighborhood has more insight, please feel free to comment!