Timeless Rhythm

  • The benches are located in the courtyard of the Hugh Gilroy Senior Center, in front of one of Groundswell’s previous mural projects.
  • The group study color and form before mapping out their mosaic design.
  •  The unique shape of the benches is created by casting cement in a mold.
  • The mural team presents the benches to the senior center at the dedication ceremony.
  • The artists’ design concentrates on color and movement.

Project Description

“Timeless Rhythm,” Groundswell’s first mosaic bench project, was created in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Hugh Gilroy Senior Center in the historic Weeksville area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The team designed four benches, adjacent to the “Weeksville Time Train” mural painted the previous summer by Groundswell youth. The design was inspired by the music enjoyed by the community’s senior citizens throughout their lives, including blues, gospel, and jazz. The youth artists experimented with color and contrast to create a sense of direction and movement. Different shapes present in the design are moved through space by the rhythm that the colors create. Throughout the project, the mural team focused on designing benches that would be comfortable to sit on as well as creating imagery that the senior citizens would like to see. The seniors were delighted with the benches and warmly expressed their gratitude. All attended a dedication ceremony, held in late spring to mark the enhancement of the senior center through the addition of the benches.

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Project Info

Fun Facts

Question about the Mural
What kind of design and theme would you create for your grandparents or the elderly people in your life?
Fun Fact
Weeksville is named after John Weeks, an African-American who bought a plot of land on the edge of the settled areas of Brooklyn in 1838, 11 years after the abolitiona of slavery in New York. Weeksville soon became a vibrant and self-sustaining community.
Fun Fact
Renowned jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt was known for his complicated, rhythmic guitar riffs. Reinhardt lost the use of two of his fingers in a fire and played his guitar solos with the remaining three fingers on his left hand.