Artist Spotlight

Fahamu Pecou
Rising Sons Lounge


The artist works within a storefront space, September 23^rd to October 30^th, on a new series called Rising Sons. Artist will work to reach out to the area demographic hopefully receiving an assistant from the area whom will help him complete his series. Artist will host artist talks, djs, and other kinds of programming throughout the entire process.

Artist Spotlight

Allison Rentz
Donorcycle
A performance of one central performer (Allison) and 10 supporting performers. Allison combats radiation with her physical movements while the supporting performers “dust” the crowd for the affected. Stickers are distributed to those who are contagious.

Artist Spotlight

OlaBad


The (S)mile is a long meditative walk, marked by the letter “S”. Bring a memento on paper that is personally important and focus on its meaning, your gratitude, and love for that memento during the walk. The memento will then be added to a collage on display in an advertising box in 5 Points MARTA station, thus creating a collectively shared memento of life. The collage will be updated weekly and curated by the artist.

Artist Spotlight

Chris Chambers
A rudimentary analog of the internet using obsolete technologies. In a storefront window, multi-channel tv displays play looped images from donated VHS tapes- donated through a slot in the door. Video loops wills be updated weekly. 

Artist Spotlight

Lillian Blades
Memory Totem


An outdoor photography based mosaic seating area that will be a snapshot backdrop and seating for pedestrians. The photographs incorporated into the mosaic will feature historic images of ‘Old Atlanta’. The surface will take on a ‘Memory Jar’ textured surface above the seating area of various mosaic materials ranging from ceramic tiles, glass, mirrors, found objects and embellishments.

Artist Spotlight

Loose Change for WonderRoot

5 Photographers + 5 Writers X 2 pieces each = not 20 pieces but 10 really awesome ones. Tour the area of Elevate to see the 10 pieces - each visually capturing an individual moment in time and gracefully placed with an accompanying poem or short story. 

Artist Spotlight

Zygosis: A video collective of Savannah College of Art and Design
Micro Macro

Within 10 minutes of entering the warehouses of Underground Atlanta, Zygosis begin the plans to revamp a large scale diorama of the beloved Underground and incorporate it into their video production which will be on view August 26th at Upper Alabama Street.

Artist Spotlight

Lelavision Physical Music Ensemble

Art & science collaboration to spotlight the need for renewable energy 
innovations, alternative vehicles and alternative transportation 
modes. Artists perform on 
2 kinetic sculptures which ride and make sound simultaneously. The Sculptures will be housed in a storefront with Emory (NASA) displays before and after performances.

Soundcycle and Rumitone will be performed on August 26th at 7:30pm

50 Alabama Street. 

Artist Spotlight:

SARAH EMERSON

That's a pretty cool shot

"Zero Mile" 

Zero Mile is a site-specific window installation of colored translucent vinyl covering. Titled after the first post marking the city limits, this piece is a vision of the imagined past of the Atlanta territory built up, burned, and built again. It includes imagery inspired by the post-civil war landscape of Georgia. In the day, the image appears opaque and colorful, at night the image is illuminated with interior lights.

Artist Spotlight:

CARLOS EGUIGUREN

"NYC", one of Carlos' prints. Crazy awesome.

"Untitled"

  

Carlos Eguiguren's photography is a fusion of architecture and music exposed through a lens, the result of which is an abstract image of both. His award-winning work has been shown in Santiago and Paris and published in two books. Carlos resides in Santiago, Chile but he flew all the way to Atlanta to be a part of Elevate! He arrived in Atlanta about a week ago to photograph the city and is currently in NYC putting the final touches on his images. He will be exhibiting two large prints on plexiglass. You don't wanna miss this one. More of his work can be seen here.

Artist Spotlight:

LISA TUTTLE & ALICE LOVELACE

It's beautiful and educational!

"Harriet Rising"

Harriet Rising is a visual arts project with a performance component, created in collaboration between Lisa Tuttle, visual artist, and Alice Lovelace, poet/performer. 8 columns of Upper Alabama Street are now beginning to be covered in repeated images of Harriet Tubman with aligning poetry pieces by Alice Lovelace. Harriet Rising covers the Civil War to Civil Rights, bringing renewed attention to Harriet Tubman’s historical importance while drawing parallels between Underground Atlanta and the Underground Railroad. It also lifts the visibility of courageous women and organizations working today for human rights, particularly those working on behalf of minorities and women. Using imagery, text and amplified by poetry performance, Harriet Rising is a dynamic visual, poetic, and educational experience to visitors and locals walking along Upper Alabama Street.  More views can be seen here and here and here.

Artist Spotlight:

DEANNA SIRLIN

"Celestial Flow"

This is where it's gonna be installed!

What? You think it’s too hot to go to Underground Atlanta for an outdoor art exhibit? Rests assure you won’t be feeling the heat once you see this art work. Celestial Flow is a painting of an abstracted image of water flowing over rocks, “flowing” down 5 sets of stairs near the corner of Alabama and Pryor Street like a cascading river. The colors are clear blues: cerulean, cobalt and ultramarine; making the area feel like an island of coolness in an otherwise hot urban landscape. The artist hopes that visitors will sit on the painting, eat lunch on it, read a book or otherwise enjoy the painting!

Artist Spotlight:

SUNDAY SOUTHERN ART REVIVAL

"Preacher"

SSAR began install this week of a large-scale layered mural on a two-story storefront on Alabama Street, right in the heart of Underground Atlanta. The image of the “Preacher” will be presented on the façade of the two-story building.  The image is a figure suggesting elevation, conjuring a rising up from the ashes; an iconic image for the current transitional state of Underground Atlanta.

Artist Spotlight:

RICHARD ARNOLD

 "Hidden Perception"

Hidden Perception is a series of pieces using messages that the viewer can only read with a mobile phone or digital camera. The messages will be produced by infrared LEDs and placed on boxes hung in store fronts throughout Underground Atlanta. The viewer will only know to use their mobile device by reading the signage indicating where a message is located. This experience encourages the participant to think about how the tactile world can have multiple layers of perspective. The use of a mobile phone or digital camera carries meaning as well; using technology to alter reality makes a statement about the future of the human experience.

Artist Spotlight

RUTH STANFORD 

"Promise"

Today's "spotlight" (haha...get it?) is on Ruth Stanford's Promise,which is a single vertical beam of light that will mark the location of Underground Atlanta. It will shine in a manner that lies midway between memorial and celebration. The light beam will be neither stationary like a memorial nor in the wide-sweeping motion of an event promotion. Instead, the beam projects upward and moves uncertainly- just enough to step away from “memorial” and hint that something just might be happening. The ambiguity of the motion when compared to two commonly recognized uses of light beams reflects the ambiguity of Underground Atlanta and suggests that although the area may be clinging to life, there remains hope for resurrection.

Artist Spotlight:

SIGNS FOR DIMES

Ooo, mighty fine!

"Window Shopping"

You may have seen Sign For Dimes’ old-school hand-painted advertisements appearing on the walls and windows of your favorite businesses around town. Well, add Underground Atlanta to the list because Signs For Dimes is installing a transformative display for Elevate//Art Above Underground! Window Shopping will transform vacant storefronts to display an alternate shopping experience: “Love Shop”, “Friend Emporium”, “Respect Store” and other items money cannot buy. The faux storefronts are a nostalgic reference to the way Atlanta’s shopping districts would have appeared in the early 20^th century. The project will be bright, colorful, compelling and humorous, and the viewer will be left reminded that the things we love the most can’t be bought in stores.

Artist Spotlight:

TWO KIDS & A DREAM

Wha Cha Don’t Wanna Tap Into

Two Kids And A Dream will present Wha Cha Don’t Wanna Tap Into, an exhilarating and thought provoking performance blending dance, live music and visual art. The performance asks questions like “What happens when emotions are exposed?” “What happens when we let go?” One answer: Come see what happens......

Two Kids And A Dream will perform September 23rd. If you're in the Underground Atlanta area  you will be ambushed by a healthy dose of performance art (20 mind-blowing performers) that will make you stop in your tracks!

The video speaks for itself. Dear readers, Wha-cha don’t wanna tap into???