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New Dockweiler State Beach Murals Also Made For The Night

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[UPDATED 10/31: Now with more photos and an animated GIF!]

Anyone who had a true California coastline experience will know of the glow that comes when the night arrives along the shore. If you are lucky enough to be on a beach that allows a warm fire to ward off night time chill, allowing you to see amber spots of light coming from the sand, and there is a moon floating above, the Pacific Ocean has a soft healing light after an active day in the water, sand, and sun.

That seems to be the site-specific story with new murals at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey -- a 385-foot painted stretch of glow-in-the-dark art on buildings and a break wall that were dedicated on October 10 by the L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors, and the L.A. County Arts Commission's Civic Art Program.

Courtesy of L.A. County Arts Commission
Courtesy of L.A. County Arts Commission

Created in collaboration with Mobile Mural Lab's artists David Russell and Roberto Del Hoyo, and Civic Art Collections Manager Clare Haggarty, the murals carry a visual subtext of graffiti that "echoes the ocean and sea-beach life." The beach experience comes directly from visitors sharing their thoughts, making the walls a collage of conversation between beachgoer and environment.

The text content was gathered during a free public event, Nite-Write, held on May 26 and June 23. Once the thoughts were collected, Mobile Mural Lab artists worked it in with "Bernard Isadore Dockweiler," the names of neighborhoods where Dockweiler beachgoers live. They then added textured patterns and a third layer that shows a secret of the beach -- ammonite fossils. Those are visible at only after dark.

The mural is also designed to reach young artists -- who may be interested in graffiti art -- and show that there are ways to express beyond tagging, according to organizers.

Young artists were invited to participate in the making of the mural | Courtesy of Man One
Young artists were invited to participate in the making of the mural | Courtesy of Man One
Courtesy of Man One
Courtesy of Man One
Courtesy of L.A. County Arts Commission
Courtesy of L.A. County Arts Commission
Courtesy of Mobile Mural Lab
Courtesy of Mobile Mural Lab

Top: Courtesy of L.A. County Arts Commission

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