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Obey. Consume. Repeat.

The satiric message of a popular Shepard Fairey mural is being obscured by, of all things, upscale retail. The giant eye stares forever into a blank wall.

One might assume the developer is opposed or oblivious to art. In fact, Carleton Management manages and partly owns both the property under construction and the mural’s building on Fifth Avenue between University and Washington in Hillcrest. Carleton CEO Jeffrey Silberman offered the wall to Fairey, a previous tenant of his.

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Silberman said he likes “Obey,” but it was intended to be temporary. It’s printed on paper wheat pasted to the wall. “To remove it, they literally hose it off,” he said. “Just with sun and weather and being outdoors, it was starting to degrade.” The mural’s removal was originally scheduled for January, but with Fairey’s permission, Silberman left it up.

He explained: “We thought it would be cool to leave it on the wall, so it would almost be a time capsule, if you will. It would always be there at least in our minds and hearts; we’ll just not be able to see it.”

Leaving some access to view the mural was impossible, according to the architect, James Brown. “It’s a fire issue,” Brown said. “You have to have a fire separation between property lines.”

The gap between the buildings will be sealed along the front, back and top, he said. “The mural will stay exactly as it looks today.” The new building opens later this year, and the first tenant is Snooze, specializing in trendy comfort food.

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The satiric message of a popular Shepard Fairey mural is being obscured by, of all things, upscale retail. The giant eye stares forever into a blank wall.

One might assume the developer is opposed or oblivious to art. In fact, Carleton Management manages and partly owns both the property under construction and the mural’s building on Fifth Avenue between University and Washington in Hillcrest. Carleton CEO Jeffrey Silberman offered the wall to Fairey, a previous tenant of his.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Silberman said he likes “Obey,” but it was intended to be temporary. It’s printed on paper wheat pasted to the wall. “To remove it, they literally hose it off,” he said. “Just with sun and weather and being outdoors, it was starting to degrade.” The mural’s removal was originally scheduled for January, but with Fairey’s permission, Silberman left it up.

He explained: “We thought it would be cool to leave it on the wall, so it would almost be a time capsule, if you will. It would always be there at least in our minds and hearts; we’ll just not be able to see it.”

Leaving some access to view the mural was impossible, according to the architect, James Brown. “It’s a fire issue,” Brown said. “You have to have a fire separation between property lines.”

The gap between the buildings will be sealed along the front, back and top, he said. “The mural will stay exactly as it looks today.” The new building opens later this year, and the first tenant is Snooze, specializing in trendy comfort food.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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