Boulevard Tunnel: MOMO

In April 2014, New Orleans artist MOMO completed the massive Boulevard Tunnel in Historic Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta, Georgia.

The Boulevard Tunnel sits in a literal no man's land - between the district lines of Old Fourth Ward, Cabbagetown, and Grant Park under the rails. The noise and darkness discouraged people from using the tunnel as a natural thoroughfare between three of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. The Boulevard Tunnel Initiative was born out of this discouragement - and we jumped at BTI's invitation to paint it.



The production logistics were baffling. The tunnel wavers from eighteen feet high to four inches high. The sidewalk narrows from seven feet wide to barely four feet. Never mind the sheer length of it - four hundred and fifty feet on both sides, plus the interior staircases and wall, and the extra two hundred and fifty feet on the south end. There was no room for a lift, barely enough room for scaffolding.

MOMO, from New Orleans, more than met this challenge. His work, a dazzling array of vibrant colors, finely detailed lines and patterns were a perfect fit for this project. 

This exhibit begins with the blank wall, and follows the gradual build of the project to the final frame - a video which spans the entire project.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO untangles his paint sprayer in the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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Emily Fisher assembles MOMO's scaffolding in the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO, Edward Smith and Emily Fisher assemble scaffolding in the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO sprays to blend color in the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO blends colors in the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO examines progress in the tunnel.

MOMO : Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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MOMO cleans the paint sprayer on the west side of the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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East side of the tunnel in progress. 

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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Finished southern most end of the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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Detail of southern most end of the tunnel. 

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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The tree on the east side of the tunnel. 

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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The east side of the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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A view from the Dekalb Avenue overpass of the tunnel.

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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A view from the sidewalk. 

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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A view from the top of the tunnel, with views of Dekalb Avenue and the freight rails above it. 

MOMO: Boulevard Tunnel, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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A view of the tunnel from Dekalb Avenue.

LW x BTI: MOMO, Living Walls: The City Speaks, MOMO, 2014-04-20, From the collection of: Living Walls, The City Speaks Inc.
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The video narrative of the Boulevard Tunnel project.

Credits: Story

Producer—Jasmine Amussen, Communications Director

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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