“Take Flight”
by Winfred Hawkins (AKACHI)
Innovation, exploration, caution, and togetherness, these are the main ideas that permeate this mural. Artistically the goal is to create an engaging work that is captivating and beacons passers by to ask questions. However, beyond the eye candy, deeper conversations arise.
In short this mural is about aviation and how this new world of AI technology affects society. As with all technology, it is up to us to become good stewards of this great invention. We all play a part in how technology can advance society or destroy it.
“If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together”
References in the mural
Eagle
= AUiX mascott/logo
Red Shoes + Red tipped feathers
= Tuskegee Airman
Tweety/Basquiat
= Canary in a coal mine / Warning / Artist
Samo shoes
= Basquiat / Experimentation / Courage
Stars
= Freedom
Space Ghost Bands
= Futuristic Weaponry
4 dots on collar
= Star Trek/Exploration
Hand gesture
= Aviation plane
Round bot
= Star Wars droid/AI aid
Rebel Alliance logos
= Star Wars / Togetherness
Shoulder Pads
= Macross Plus Pilot
Rectangle headed bot
= AI / Macross Plus (Sharron), Fooly Cooly (Conte)
Remote controller
= Drone technology
Colors
= Red, Yellow, Blue, Green
Eagle
= AUiX mascott/logo
Red Shoes + Red tipped feathers
= Tuskegee Airman
Tweety/Basquiat
= Canary in a coal mine / Warning / Artist
Samo shoes
= Basquiat / Experimentation / Courage
Stars
= Freedom
Space Ghost Bands
= Futuristic Weaponry
4 dots on collar
= Star Trek/Exploration
Hand gesture
= Aviation plane
Round bot
= Star Wars droid/AI aid
Rebel Alliance logos
= Star Wars / Togetherness
Shoulder Pads
= Macross Plus Pilot
Rectangle headed bot
= AI / Macross Plus (Sharron), Fooly Cooly (Conte)
Remote controller
= Drone technology
Colors
= Red, Yellow, Blue, Green
About Winfred Hawkins
Winfred Hawkins, is a multidisciplinary artist living in Montgomery Alabama. As a child he copied his father and drew from nature books. “I became a copying machine. By the time I got to high school, I could reproduce almost anything.” His artistic practice focuses on drawing and painting, but also includes music production, design, and poetry.
In 2012 Winfred developed ulnar nerve entrapment in both his arms. He spent the next five years reteaching himself how to draw with his opposite hand. “Those five years were very difficult and forced me to focus on what is most important. Drawing something to look real is impressive, but ultimately, it’s just vanity and eye candy.
Due to his injury, Winfred has developed two different artistic approaches. His left-hand works combine graffiti and anime to tackle more nuanced, often complicated, subject matter. “The goal is to create work that just looks cool and at the same time has a lot of substance.”
His right-hand works focus on communication through the lens of dyslexia. Having dyslexia himself, Winfred has always been interested in understanding the various ways in which we communicate with each other. “We all understand the world differently. In many ways, my right-hand works are a commentary about the breakdown of communication.”
For more information, visit https://winfredhawkins1.wordpress.com/ or follow on Facebook or X.
About MAP360
MAP360 is a Montgomery-based nonprofit that creates arts programming to revitalize public spaces, bridge divides, and expand opportunities for artists and arts organizations. Since 2017, MAP360 has produced or supported more than 175 projects and events, worked with over 100 artists, and reached 1.6 million people — including bringing arts programming into schools for over 800 students.
For more information, visit map360.org or follow us on Instagram.