Wake Up With Marci x BournRich Interview

Street artist, Bourn Rich, joins the show to discuss confronting fear and isolation of the moment through art. Bourn also discusses his street mural project celebrating kindness and connection within the community!

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  • 0:00, Marci Hopkins, Next up I speak with artist BournRich, welcome to the show Bourn!
  • 0:05, BournRich, Thank you for having me!
  • 0:07 Marci Hopkins, it's great to have you and, I love what you're doing so I want to talk about the film born kind and I love that this is a kindness act and you are trying to make a huge difference so let's talk about yeah let's talk about how this came about
  • 0:26 BournRich, well I'm part of a a lot of people were called the black Jewish Alliance here in Hollywood a lot of entertainers and movie makers, so we had a basically a meeting. I was on a meeting Rachel actually saw me on the meeting. She contacted me after a meeting said she was writing a script for, you know, a feel-good, basically a short film. She said I was perfect for the role so we merged together we talked about it, and we made magic!
  • 0:57 Marci Hopkins, you did so let's talk about the the message of the film because it's an incredible message I love it
  • 1:04 BournRich, yeah well during the pandemic uh in the middle of the pandemic a lot of people were scared to interact scared the hugs the handshake things like that. so uh we're getting like distant and kind of fragmented as a people and I wanted us to come together uh with harmony and love again and touching and hugs and things like that. So we want to put warm messages on people's masks and just bring them ogether and let them know that it's okay to embrace it's okay to hug uh as long as you do it a safe way
  • 1:33 Marci Hopkins, so let's let's talk about the kindness part of it like are you trying to change, the world and bring us together and is this through acts of kindness?
  • 1:44 BournRich, I feel like a little bit of kindness or a tiny bit of kindness can go a long way, and you know each one can teach one. If I help someone throughout the day I feel like it can snowball effect and help someone else and someone can see my good act and do something else along their day. So I feel like a little bit of kindness can go a long way especially in the world that we're in right now we're really divided we need to come together and I think kindness does that and honestly when we're kids we're all born kind, so you know we kind of fragment and go away from that as we get older.
  • 2:17 Marci Hopkins, Unfortunately we do it's so true, we are born kind we're born happy and growing up happens.
  • 2:26 BournRich, Yeah growing up, you get jaded, things happen. But this film is definitely about bringing us together with warmth and kindness
  • 2:34 Marci Hopkins, I love it. so you you are an artist and one of the things that you have said is that art saved you and your mother. How is that?
  • 2:46 BournRich, Primarily just changing our outlook on life you know when you come from the inner city you don't see a lot of colors a lot of murals you don't see things like that. So leaving Chicago coming to California, bright vibrant city a melting pot a lot of different races a lot of different religions. You know i saw it all i saw the graffiti scene i saw the art scene and the sports scene so it kind of changed my life and my outlook on life um and yeah it got us to california and uh it's kind of like my promised land.
  • 3:18 Marci Hopkins, that's wonderful so let's talk about your art and your murals you have one in LA and New York, let's talk about them.
  • 3:26 BournRich, well the one that we did initially for the project uh came about with you know the film taking pictures of people with masks, and messages on their mask. And then I created a silhouette of America, filled it with a lot of different colors and designs, put people's faces on each you know corner of the map. Basically saying that we're all together with with love and kindness and color we can do this and we can all be kind to each other. So yes that's the one that's in LA and then recently we just did a a #BournKind mural, it's uh it's like 30 feet long it's about a block a New York City block, a lot of vibrant colors: pinks, blues, yellows...uh yeah and a lot of silhouettes from people throughout the neighborhood. So it kind of brings the community aspect into play.
  • 4:15 Marci Hopkins, Awesome where is that one?
  • 4:18 BournRich, That one is on the Lower East Side, it's the the name of the building is East Village Pharmacy, so if you google "east village pharmacy", you can go directly there to the wall and you'll see the #BournKind mural
  • 4:33 Marci Hopkins, All right so where can we see the film #BournKind?
  • 4:37 BournRich, Right now has been premiered in Tribeca. After that we'll have it on digital platforms where you can you can catch the link and you can view it personally in your comfort of your home or wherever you like.
  • 4:51 Marci Hopkins, Wonderful! So one last thing when someone comes to your mural what do you hope they walk away with?
  • 4:59 BournRich, Initially I hope they smile, they see the message that I'm trying to convey. That through kindness and a community we can all get through pandemics or anything that that arises. And just walking away knowing that art can change just the outlook of a community. um You know it can look like run down graffiti, stuff like that, and you can change the whole outlook and the feel of the community. So I just want them to have a good time smile enjoy the art and pass it on
  • 5:29 Marci Hopkins, That's wonderful so just touch one another and bring one another together just one little act at a time I love it, Bourn thank you so much for coming on Wake Up With Marcy
  • 5:41 BournRich, Thank you Marcy, thanks for having me!