The story of iheart public 002's creation and "destruction" reflects the looming lockdown and capitalization of space in the Meatpacking District. Completed on July 4, 2008 in NYC's Meatpacking District, this is the second iheart public mural.

In its original form, the mural was hand-painted and measured 24'X8'. The building's owner originally agreed to a month-long run for the mural. The day after the its completion, he revealed a sudden change of plans; the space was to be leased to an advertising company, with the looming removal of iheart public 002 to be determined between myself and the company.

After some negotiation, the company delayed painting over the mural for a few days; I rushed to finish the original plan - a time-lapse movie recording of the meat processing work shift. Meanwhile, the ad company made a goodwill offer beyond the delay, to repaint the mural on a smaller scale, to the right of its original location. I accepted.

The day after the film's completion, the advertising company painted over the original mural, quickly remaking iheart public 002 with vinyl stencils and spray paint. The resulting product is a different painting than the original, yet it is a fitting end to this project's story, a cloned creation in a place where original culture is replaced by its commercial shadow.

Below are two films documenting the life of iheart public 002. The first film features the energy of the meat facility at work. The second film shows the original mural painted over, replaced by an ad for a hip-hop dance DVD, then quickly remade to the right side of its original location.