The Metro: VHF Project bringing solar-powered street art to Corktown
Detroit-based artist Cary Longchamps has been placing public art in abandoned buildings around Detroit.
A photo of Boris the Burglar in North Corktown, one of the many installations a part of The VHF Project.
While Detroit’s abandoned houses are dwindling, they still dot many neighborhoods in the city.
Detroit-based artist Cary Longchamps spent his childhood exploring abandoned places in New Hampshire. His latest project is making Longchamps feel like a kid again and also exploring public art in a new way in Detroit.
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Longchamps has been placing public art in abandoned buildings while boarding them up in Detroit’s North Corktown neighborhood and on the east side. WDET’s Jack Filbrandt recently spent a night running around North Corktown with Longchamps.
VHF, or very high frequency, is a radio channel used by the police, Coast Guard, other first responders and neighborhood watch programs before cell phones. While Longchamps is the brains behind the project, the star of the show is Boris the Burglar, the neighborhood watch program’s mascot.
“I remember seeing him on street signs when I was a kid. I grew up in the ’80s, I was on my bike all the time, and you know, the big thing back then was get home before the street lights come on, or the boogeyman will get you,” Longchamps said. “It could be the Sandman. It could be anybody. But I always thought that Boris the Burglar was my version of the Boogeyman. So I just thought it would be kind of fun to play with that image and kind of just turn that irrational fear on its head.”
The VHF Project is a simple set up that really allows the art to shine, Longchamps said. A small solar panel placed on the outside of the house makes the stencil shine.
“I mean the stencil is made out of chipboard, we got butcher paper, we have a $17 landscape light from Amazon,” Longchamps says. “You know, it’s not anything crazy extensive, but it does have a big impact.”
It’s not just Boris the Burglar that Longchamps is lighting up. You can also see his crosswalk creation at the Humboldt Forest Graffiti Park, which uses the same technology.
Longchamps’ first solo exhibit will be at Corktown Studios in January.
More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 28, 2024:
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