费城“沉默的守望者”巨幅壁画

Faith XLVII是一位来自南非、现居洛杉矶的国际知名视觉艺术家。她试图通过作品来打破国际权力政治的固有模式，并以此来促进个人真理的表达。在这种情况下，她的作品是一种内在精神的释放，揭示了人类处境的复杂性和人类历史的反常性。

Faith XLVII is an internationally-acclaimed visual artist from South Africa who is currently based in Los Angeles. Through her work, she attempts to disarm the strategies of global realpolitik, in order to advance the expression of personal truth. In this way, her work is both an internal and spiritual release that speaks to the complexities of the human condition, its deviant histories.

▼项目概览，overview

▼项目全景动态图，dynamic panorama of the project

《沉默的守望者》是Faith XLVII为Mural Arts Philadelphia（费城壁画运动项目）创造的一幅1.1万平方英尺的壁画，它占据了费城大学广场一栋19层建筑的整面东墙。该壁画现已成为从大学城到西费城区的视觉门户和地标。

The Silent Watcher is an 11,000 square foot mural on the eastern wall of the University Square building, which is 19 stories high. The mural has become a visual landmark and gateway from University City to West Philadelphia.

▼项目概览及周边环境，the project overview and the environment

“我来自一个充斥着暴力、虐待妇女、仇外心理、阶级和种族歧视的国家。而现在，我又搬到了一个灵魂深处似乎存在着根本危机的国度。我们都知道这片土地上的痛苦，也清楚每个人的难处，于是我们挣扎着生存，默默地忍受。因为我们肩负重担，所以必须富有同理心，也学会敞开心扉。”

In the words of Faith XLVII: “I come from a country that is seething with the frustration of uncontrollable violence and woman abuse, xenophobia , class and racial divide. And have moved to a country where there seems to be a fundamental crisis in the very soul of the nation. We know this ache of our lands, and we all know personal ache, everybody has their struggle to bear. And with the weight of the world on our shoulders, we must still be able to live with empathy. We must somehow keep our hearts open. “

▼壁画近景，the close shot

“墙上的文字引用了费城的城市宣言，它呼吁着无私的爱。壁画中还用‘乐观是为了创造更好的未来’这句名言来向出生于费城，今年91岁高龄的诺姆·乔姆斯基致敬。生活的艰辛很容易使我们陷入消极的世界观或导致内心的抑郁。但每个人都有能力把这种知道注定要受折磨的消极，转变为对更好生活的渴望。”

” The words on this wall are a reference to the City Seal of Philadelphia with calls out for brotherly love. This is no small commitment. It also references a quote  ‘Optimism is a strategy for a Better Future.’ Paying tribute to Noam Chomsky who was born in Philadelphia and is 91 years old this year. The harsh experiences of life can easily make us fall into a negative world view, or inner psychological depression. But we each have the ability to transform this base metal of knowing suffering, into the gold of higher aspiration. ”

▼壁画制作过程中悬挂的巨幅标语，large slogan hung during the mural

“这幅壁画的名字叫‘沉默的守望者’。而实际上，我们人人都可以是这样的守望者：知晓万物，懂得去爱，学会忍耐。”Faith XLVII说道。

” The name of this mural is  ‘The Silent Watcher’. We can be the silent watcher, who knows, who loves and who endures.”Faith XLVII said.

▼街头视角下的壁画，the street view

▼夜幕下的壁画，the mural at night

Photos by @chopemdownfilms and @steveweinik