Reconstructed Silo turned into an art mural?!

While exploring the artwork of Marela Zacarías, I was particularly struck by her mural  “Azimuth” located on Willowell Foundation land in Monkton. Its title reflects how we position ourselves in nature, and the mural itself. What caught my eye in this artwork of hers is that the first thing I saw was a large S-shaped wall in a seemingly remote area, which instantly grabbed my attention. According to Addison independent article, It was 1,024 square feet of reconstructed silo and Zacarías turned it into a permanent sculptural mural installation. If I’m being sincere, I had no idea what a silo was at first but I immediately looked up what it was and I recognized it. For those who might not know as well, a silo is a tower or pit on a farm used to store grain, so typically those large metal circular buildings in the middle of nowhere that you typically see when going through the countryside.

While making this, Zacarías expressed that this piece was meant to work as “a meditation on transformation and an offering to nature.” The major source of inspiration for the “Azimuth” is pre-Columbian architecture but more specifically the pyramid at the archaeological site of Xochicalco in Morelos, Mexico. While she was observing this pyramid she admired the connection of the pyramid with nature which spiked the inspiration for “Azimuth”.

Zacarías's goal was to relate to its environment in shape, placement, and color. I feel as if it brought life to the silo, in a way. I think it was interesting that the silo caught her attention and wanted to do something with more meaning. That she even created more meaning to the shape, she mentioned that the S-shaped that it’s in could represent the ups and downs we may go through in our daily lives. She also mentioned that as people view her piece, it leads them to walk in a figure-8 pattern, symbolizing infinity and relating to the life cycle. As for the painting and design process, Zacarías's wanted to go for more of a feminine organic shape within the piece and abstract patterns to represent the changing of seasons. 

Every piece of Zacarías's work I have observed and looked deeper into just increases my admiration for her as an artist. For example, she took a plan to reconstruct the S-shape silo into a mural that has lots of meaning put into it. Her thought process and how she connected it to nature and life was very impressive and incredible. I travel quite often and if I drove past a mural like that, I think I would be so amazed because when traveling you see the same thing depending on where you are going but for that to stand out compared to others will catch my attention and as well those who pass it. Through her artwork, I feel like Zacarías gives that push for us viewers to continue to dig deeper into the meaning of certain art pieces and to always create our own as well.

Reconstructed silo turned into art - Addison Independent