Nick Brief:

All throughout the world and especially cities we see graffiti or street art all throughout the buildings, alleys, and other places, these works of art give these cities character and a more urban feel to them which they may have lacked in the past. In Cambridge MA, this creativity is celebrated in a place called Graffiti Alley in Central Square. This alley is the only place in New England where people can legally spraypaint whatever they please on the walls. Many people feel inhibited by the open-ended invitation to create; The Spray Paint Mount allows them to express their creativity within certain parameters. Spray paint cans are positioned on a platform that moves on a track system to allow the user to paint freely in a controlled environment. 

This project works in tandem with Grafitti Alley. It will enable the user to position the spraypaint cans and paint freely on the wall in a horizontal fashion. This project came from, looking at the alley for the first time and seeing all of the different creations all over the place all throughout the alley and thinking about how ordinary people walking through the alley could add to this historic location in Central Square positively. The overarching goal of this project is to help local people become more creative by giving them a jump start into the world of spray paint.

Max Brief:

The world of art is one of beauty, but not everyone is given the opportunity to participate. The spray paint mount opens up this possibility for people in Graffiti Alley, an alley in Cambridge, Massachusetts where it is legal to spray paint on the walls. The project brings people to the world of art by giving a free opportunity for anyone to spray paint a creation. To do this, it has to be taken into account that most people using the project are not well versed in spray painting techniques.

 The final prototype attaches to a pole using circular clamps. At the highest clamp, there is a rail system attached horizontally. The spray paint canisters are within an open-topped cylinder, which is connected to the rail system so the canisters can move horizontally. The project can teach people how to express themselves in different ways. Finding new hobbies can be hard, especially since it sometimes feels difficult to find one that may be enjoyable, but with this creation, people are given the opportunity to stumble upon a possible hobby. Art supplies are expensive, and a lot of people do not have that kind of money to spend on them, so being able to give back to the community by installing this tool is a great way to give new opportunities to those who are less fortunate, but want to enjoy the art of spray painting.

This project is an example of how people can make more interactive art throughout the whole city. Those who will enjoy this project the most are people who need to release some energy, as painting is a great coping mechanism for many. The technology of the project is innovative because visual art does not usually incorporate manual and mechanical work together.  The colors of the mechanism have a soothing effect on them, and blends into the alley well: making sure that the alley’s culture does not get damaged.