Ugly is What Ugly Does

This post is about another of the giant Sprout Fund murals that is to be going up on a Pittsburgh building-- Brian Holderman's design for a piece on a giant downtown parking garage. It is not a review. The piece looks like a very well concieved if too self consiously hip work by a good artist. I have followed Brian's work with some interest since coming to town. There is also no doubt that the mural will help "pretty up" an ugly spot.

But, to anyone who follows the history of this town, it looks like another of a long series of attempts to slap a thin smiley face on something rotten. Ugly is what ugly does. This rather tragic a campaign "of oh so cool" and hip smiley's, whether painted on buildings or inflated will not be fooling many of the truely cool.

A massive block long garage, ( don't bug me with this ones exact size ) wasting space and creating a hole in a nice downtown is the most ugly, anti urban and non "cosmo" thing there is-- All the more so, since this one is one of so many of these things in the downtown. When I am choking on the Hummer filfth from the things parked inside I will not be thinking about what a cool and urbane city Pittsburgh is. A cool city would tear the garage down. Ugly is what ugly does.