* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Molly Dilworth is a painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Since earning her MFA from NYU in 2003, Dilworth has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally. Her most recent project is Cool Water, Hot Island. This five block, 50,000 square foot painting covers the surface of Broadway from 47th to 42nd Streets in Times Square. The concept of Cool Water, Hot Island, references the urban heat-island effect, where cities tend to experience warmer temperatures than rural settings. Cool Water, Hot Island’s striking blues reflect more sunlight and absorbs less heat, thereby making them more calm and comfortable for pedestrians and contrast with the reds and yellows of the neon billboards. The color patterns evoke water and suggest a river flowing through the center of Times Square, an allusion to the original topography of the area, through which a stream known as the Great Kill ran. The project was installed in June 2010 and will remain for 18 months.
Since 2009 Dilworth has also been creating a series of rooftop paintings, entitled Paintings for Satellites to be photographed by the Google Earth mapping satellite. This project uses materials from the waste stream, including discarded house paint, to mark a physical presence in digital space. All of Dilworth’s work begins a series of rules derived from existing conditions. Paintings for Satellites are specifically concerned with the effects of the digital on our physical bodies. The color palette of the rooftop paintings is made from the discarded paint available on a given day; the physical surface of the roof determines the shape of the painting. As this project proliferates, it will take two forms – a community model, using local volunteers and paint from the waste stream and a design/build model, using solar-reflective paint, solar panels and green roofing contractors.