billboard house hosts an artist for a 10 day mural project

on the corner of one of the most active and upscale streets in mexico city stood an oddly blank billboard backed by a boxy protrusion. often referred to as the ‘5th avenue’ of distrito federal, avenue masaryk was to house the unified characters of some of the 20 million city dweller’s ideas. the mural began with a red bird that quickly developed into a surrealistic sky, with fantastic creatures borne of tweets sent to local artist cecilia beaven. the in-process mural became a harbor of the country’s collective imagination, while every morning the artist would wake up in her prefabricated home and decide which tweets would come to fruition on the monumental 9 meter by 4.5 meter urban canvas. groups of people gathered around the billboard to watch the fantastic creatures and scenes materialize. celebrities, comedians and even musicians joined the collaboration.

when she wasn’t working, the illustrator-turned-muralist resided in a corrugated plastic and steel frame home that used the billboard itself as the primary structural wall. designed by local architect julio gomez trevilla, the modest dwelling used lightweight modules and industrial materials to weave seamlessly with the architectonic makeup of the city center. the billboard itself was fitted with an ample walkway so as to make the platform workspace as comfortable as possible. for thermal control, a slatted wooden roof was offset from the primary orthogonal form so as to provide shade and an pleasant upper deck. a retractable bed and wheeled furniture optimized flexibility and movement, while almost all spaces served a dual purpose. a small tower contained the bathroom which doubled as a shower, while the closet became a dresser. above the small desk and workspace was a horizontal window that could open to the billboard front thereby allowing the artist to afford views of her living space through her painting. of living in her work, the artist said:

they were 10 amazing days that I’ll never forget. If you ever have the opportunity to live in a billboard, take it.

the billboard home in context image © julio gomez trevilla

art object and living space were one
image © julio gomez trevilla

exterior view of the building
image © julio gomez trevilla

view of the interior
image © julio gomez trevilla

the mural as it nears completion
image courtesy of agencia VIVA

the completed mural
image courtesy of agencia VIVA

rendering of the interior space
image © julio gomez trevilla

rendering of dwelling as it attaches to the billboard
image © julio gomez trevilla