project overview
Levitt Shell Mural | Overton Park
“The Levitt Shell lets the lights and sounds from its concerts leak out and travel through the trees of Overton Park and down the streets of Midtown.”
Eric Clausen designed this colorful cosmic mural at the Levitt Shell. He was inspired by the architecture of the shell, sound waves, and space. The mural has curves that mimic the beauty and simplicity of the Shell, like sound waves emanating from the center of the amphitheater. A simplified planet and stars reference not only the shells location underneath the sky, but also the future performances of musical "stars" that take place there. Community members helped with the final painting process.
About the project, Clausen says, "Outdoor pavilions are special spaces. They give a home to exciting performances, but they don’t contain them. The Levitt Shell lets the lights and sounds from its concerts leak out and travel through the trees of Overton Park and down the streets of Midtown. Shortly after the Shell was built, the Space Age and birth of Rock ‘n Roll were in full swing. Elvis Presley performed at the Shell underneath the very stars we were pointing our telescopes and rockets towards. There have been countless memories made in that very spot. While we think of these events as temporal and long gone, they’re actually still happening. As you read this, radio and light waves from every event ever held at the Shell are still traveling through space and time, making our temporal experience of a concert forever new to distant worlds."
about the artist
Eric Clausen
Eric Clausen is a full-time artist in Memphis, TN, who considers himself to be more of an illustrator than a painter. He received an MFA from Rutgers in 2009. He has been drawing as long as he can remember. Currently, he divides his time with work for Amurica Photo and freelance illustration. He has traveled the U.S. via bicycle, sampled science, vacated the desk job life, and plunged the depths of tandem drinking and drawing. Fascinated with how line creates form, he has brought a passion for illustration, painting, and art to the public.
