Meet the Artist Behind Alton's First Augmented Reality Mural
ALTON - There’s a new mural coming to Alton with a techno twist.
Peat Eyez, a famous stencil artist known for their augmented reality murals, is working on a mural of Miles Davis at Hiram’s Bar in Alton. The mural will feature Davis playing the trumpet. On Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, the mural was nearing completion as Eyez painted in a suit. They explained that they tried to dress like Davis, complete with a trumpet and instrument case carrying spray paint.
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“I normally don’t paint murals wearing a suit, but I thought today this would be very appropriate,” Eyez said. “My medium is stencils. I work in stencils and spray paint. I’m not a graffiti artist. A lot of people think that because I use spray paint, but my motivation is really to beautify, not to vandalize. I’ve always been a huge Miles Davis fan.”
Eyez is one of the frontrunners in augmented reality art. They completed the first augmented reality mural in Kansas City and another in St. Louis, and this mural will be the first of its kind in Alton. Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, if you scan the Miles Davis mural with the app Artivive, it will come to life on your phone screen and play one of Davis’s famous songs.
“It should be pretty awesome,” Eyez said. “I’ve never done one this intense.”
Eyez and their intern, Nora Baumgart, thanked Michael “Kooliverse” Snyder and Sara McGibany for their support on the project. McGibany first reached out to Eyez about painting the mural about six months ago, and Eyez said they were “so honored” to recognize Davis in this way. Davis’s family also gave their blessing after seeing Eyez’s work in L.A.
Hiram Lewis, owner of Hiram’s Bar at 219 W. 3rd Street in Alton, expressed his appreciation after the bar was chosen as the site for the mural. He is excited to see more public art in Alton.
“I would like to thank the City of Alton and Sara McGibany, executive director of Alton Main Street, for spearheading this project,” Lewis said. “The City of Alton is a wonderful, diverse area. City officials continue to celebrate that with projects like this one.”
Baumgart added that she has enjoyed working with Eyez and learning more about the City of Alton. She said the two artists have a powerful friendship, and she has been “really happy” while working on her first-ever mural project over the past week.
“It’s been nice because we already kind of trust each other and help each other out,” she said. “The people and businesses around here have been super nice and helpful, so it’s been a really positive experience.”
Eyez is inspired by the work of street artists like Banksy and Keith Haring. Known for their drawings of eyes, Eyez couldn’t resist sneaking a hidden eye into the Miles Davis mural.
But they wanted the focus to be on Davis himself. Eyez noted that some people are “kind of forgetting who Davis was, and they hope the mural helps cement Davis’s legacy in the Riverbend region.
“Check out Miles Davis, my gosh,” Eyez added. “I was honored when they asked me, and I’m glad to leave a piece in Alton, and hopefully people enjoy this for many years.”
To learn more about Peat Eyez, check out their Instagram page. For more information about Nora Baumgart’s art, follow her on Instagram.
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