It wasn’t King Kong climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, but a set of magenta and orange PVC monkeys making their way up the side of 1051 Broad St. Friday.
“Monkey Business” is a temporary art exhibition from the imagination of Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman, most known for his Happy campaign.
Zimmerman watched from the sidewalk and laughed as employees of Keen Signs and Graphics put up the five four-foot tall by eight-foot wide monkeys. There are two different monkey designs – one is a robot and the other resembles a sock monkey.
Their curved arms overlap on the walls as if they are holding hands.
Lane Keen, president of Keen Signs and Graphics, said this project was different than anything the company had ever helped create. Originally the pieces were supposed to have been made from several layers of materials including aluminum, but because of COVID, they weren’t able to get one of them, he said. Instead, they were made from PVC.
Keen said he was pleased with the production end of the project and how the installation went.
“It will be nice to drive by and look at,” he said.
Zimmerman had received a Porter Fleming grant, but his original public art idea was too cost prohibitive. Instead with it, he’s put up two James Brown-inspired designs on buildings on Ellis Street as well as the monkey exhibition which is a collaboration with Westobou.
Zimmerman said downtown buildings have a lot of interesting features especially on the upper levels. He pointed out the 1051 Broad St. building has brick accents that were incorporated into the design. He hopes it will encourage people to look up.
Designed to be a fun addition to the burgeoning downtown public art center, Zimmerman said the monkeys also shared a simple message.
“There are two completely different sets of monkeys, getting along together and hanging out,” he said. “We can all learn from a barrel of monkeys.”
The display is temporary, but it can be reused elsewhere after it’s taken down in a few months.
Events are planned in conjunction with the exhibit including a scavenger hunt. For more information, visit Westobou’s Facebook page, facebook.com/westoboufestival.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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