Nature's Heartbeat Inspires Street Art That Contemplates Human Connection

In an abandoned Cleveland theatre, a portrait of a nude’s back and legs marks the latest mural in a series which has already visited Cape Town, Dunedin, and Manchester, amongst other cities. South African street artist, painter, and mixed-media artist Faith47 has become renowned for her revitalization of abandoned or dilapidated buildings through beautiful and poignant murals. This latest portrait, 710-650 BC, like all of the other pieces in the series, takes its title for an important historical event that took place during an ancient time periods. This mural is likely named after the Lelantine War, a war between Ancient Greek city-states over the kidnapping of a woman.

This series of portraits is named 7.83 Hz, after the natural phenomenon in which thousands of thunderstorms each second create, according to the NASA quote of Faith47’s website, an “atmospheric heartbeat known as Schumann resonance,” the highest frequency of which is 7.83 Hz. For Faith47, this resonance symbolizes the interconnectedness and unity of humans, as well as our ability to destroy and be destroyed. Many murals display couples embracing, both sexually and platonically. In this case, the physicality of these connections is juxtaposed against the destroyed buildings that serve as their canvases.

Faith47’s Manchester mural, 722-481 BC, which lights up at night and displays a gay pride symbol, depicts two men kissing. With this piece, which was created in partnership with Cities of Hope, Faith47 hopes to create a conversation between Manchester-based Partisan Collective and South Africa-based Traingle Project. Faith47 has also previously teamed up with a South African nonprofit to help bring streetlights to Cape Town.

Click here to visit Faith47's website.

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