Dennis RomeroThis defunct structure is known to locals as the Bates Motel because it's on Sunset Boulevard and Bates Avenue and because it just might channel some of the creepiness embodied by the Bates Motel in the 1960 classic movie Psycho.
The building, more properly known as the Sunset Pacific Motel, recently was covered from top to bottom in lime wash by artist Vincent Lamouroux. The visually stunning result is a piece of art he calls ProjectionLA.
Even a billboard and the adjacent palm trees got the white-out treatment.
The official public unveiling of the artwork was slated for Sunday but, as you can see, it's hard to avoid getting a stunning eyeful before its proper debut.
In a statement Lamouroux describes his temporary paint as “an ecological safe lime wash.” He goes on to describe the transformation:
The urban space is disrupted. An abandoned space is transfigured and enhanced, perhaps eluding its last glory. The motel's intriguing aspect is accommodating an imagery drive away from our habitual quest for sameness.
However you describe it, ProjectionLA appears to be an improvement.
Credit: Michael Locke/L.A. Weekly Flickr pool
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