BroLab public art project in Jamaica

BroLab public art project in Jamaica

BroLab artists Adam Brent, Jonathan Brand, Ryan Roa and Rahul Alexander assemble the plywood base for their upcoming installation “Humps and Bumps.” The project will be displayed at the corner of Archer Ave. and Union Hall St. in Jamaica for a year, starting on April 26.

A group of New York City bros are getting ready to show off their Humps and Bumps on the corner of a busy Queens intersection.

Dont worry, its not as obnoxious as it sounds.

The artist collective known as BroLab is putting the finishing touches on a 4-foot high sculpture that was commissioned by the city Department of Transportation Urban Art Program and the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning.

The Humps and Bumps sculpture, which is an abstract representation of the common speed bump, will be officially unveiled on the corner of Archer Ave. and Union Hall St. on April 26. It will stay there for about a year.

Its been an outlet for us to put something out in the world thats accessible to the public, said BroLab member and artist Ad am Brent. Were really excited to see what it adds to peoples every day commute.

The DOT, through its Urban Art Program, partners with city

nonprofit groups to install temporary art works to enhance these streetscapes and make them more attractive and inviting, an agency spokeswoman said.

The artists chose a soft, malleable surface known as PlayTop to coat the sculpture, which they hope will invite passersby to touch it or have a seat. The frame is made of plywood.

BroLab artist Ryan Roa said he hopes the project, which took about eight weeks to complete, will encourage passersby to be more mindful of and perhaps reinterpret their surroundings.

We generally try to focus on things that are very apparent in an area or are very subtle, but have a big influence, he said.

But dont look for a deeper meaning in the sculptures name, Roa said.

It really came from looking at the speed bump something that refers to that, but is als o very playful, he said. Something not too serious or influential or too directive for the viewer to really have to think about.

The artists worked with a $ 5,000 budget for materials. They donated their artist fees toward the project, Brent said.

DOT engineers assisted in the design phase.

Heng-Gil Han, curator with the Jamaica Center for Arts and Living, said he was drawn to

BroLabs proposal in part because they work as a collective. And a project of this magnitude would have been nearly impossible for one artist to complete in time, he said.

Since BroLab collectively fabricates the sculpture and they share know-how with each other, they save a lot of funds there, he said. Its a changing landscape in the art field, more artist working together.

vchinese@nydailynews.com