Bethesda Row adding new mural, and it's designed with Instagram in mind (Video + Photos)

Artist Kelsey Montague is adding a new mural to Bethesda Row. It's taking shape on Hagar Lane, and should be completed by tomorrow, weather-permitting (although some showers are expected today). The good news? Unlike most of the godawful new public art over the last year in Bethesda, at least it won't look like someone vandalized a wall during the night. And the wing-themed art is designed to be interactive, to be posed with on Instagram.

One of the most fascinating things about new urbanism, is how people ultimately interact with these artificially-created urban landscapes. A specific aspect I like to look at is, what facet of a development becomes "Instagrammable." What is the unique spot, object, building, sculpture, wall, etc. that people arbitrarily decide is the identifying element that tells their friends, "I'm here at [insert name of place]."

At Bethesda Row, it is Bethesda Lane, and to a lesser extent, the mural along the side wall of Nando's. In Langley Park, immigrants pose at the fountain at Langley Park Plaza. It instantly communicates to relatives back home, "I'm here. I made it to Langley Park." I'm curious to see what ultimately becomes the spot at Pike & Rose that people pose in front of. No matter how much planning or thought goes into the design, the people decide for themselves.

Now, this wings mural kind of turns this organic idea on its ear - it is explicitly designed for the very purpose of enticing people to pose with it for social media photos. In that respect, it won't be as fascinating of a sociological experiment as Pike & Rose will be. There's a strong element of democratization in leaving these decisions up to the patrons, a small way of asserting public power over what are ultimately privately-owned public spaces.