The Mural in the Computer Science Parking Lot at the Technion
One fine day, the Faculty and students of Computer Science at the Technion arrived at the decision that their parking lot, located in the heart of the campus, should adopt a Florentine appearance. Students employees and faculty students were requested to submit their ideas for a mural.
At first I told them that I'm not the person for the job.
I create landscapes with oil paints on canvas fabrics through observational painting. What has one to do with the other? I nevertheless accepted the challenge.
I began by choosing a motif: Which wall should be used to display the artwork? How shall I choose from the myriad of colors that suffuse our world with beauty, and which technique should be applied so that it best presents the artist's intentions?
This was new and uncharted territory for me, so right away I consulted with the painters in my group for graduates of Aram Gershuni, and one of the members, Haya Pascu, immediately offered to help.
The process was thoroughly challenging, even as early as the sketching stages at home. There were all kinds of decisions to make. I even carried out a small color test alone one morning, to assess their appearance on the wall. I prepared and mixed the paints in advance at home and then conducted the test in the manner of a feasibility study, or as we say in computer science – POC (proof of concept). I learned a lot from the test.
The photos reveal only a part of the process.
Maintaining simplicity of the colors and developing a color map in advance facilitated the process just like a coloring book.
My dear friend, Haya, came from far to help, and was even delayed because of a train strike. Yet we were able to complete just about everything that same Friday morning, there being no traffic in the parking lot. The following day I returned to provide balance between the colors and the front, and my final time working on the mural, Sergei, my colleague in the computing team, helped coat the mural with lacquer.
The project was now finished and complete, and I was left contemplating the many insights I had gained.
I hope everyone enjoys the result, despite that any process always proves far more significant than the result. That said, I cannot forget my experience: There was a tension accompanying me throughout, hinting at the wonderful personal growth I was encountering.
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