Immortality is a Team Effort | Jim Bachor | TEDxColumbiaCollegeChicago

How do we leave our mark on this world? How do you let people in the future know that you existed, and that you left a unique presence? Street artist Jim Bachor addresses these questions with stories of potholes and art. Chicago artist Jim Bachor adapts the mosaic, an art form that dates to at least the third millennium BC, and applies it to contemporary American life. From junk food to potholes to breakfast cereal, his vibrant work permanently locks into mortar unexpected concepts drawn from the present. Using the same materials, tools, and methods of the craftsmen of antiquity, he creates mosaics that speak of modern things, but in an ancient voice. By harnessing and exploiting the limitations of this indestructible technique, Bachor’s work continually surprises the viewer, while challenging long-held notions of what a mosaic should be. Jim’s work has been included in juried shows throughout the country and his pothole art project attracted world-wide attention since 2013. Recent public art commissions include “thrive”, a 700+ sqft mosaic recently installed at the Chicago Transit Authority’s Thorndale Red Line station and “RUN CHI” located within Niketown in downtown Chicago. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx