During the Climb Cleveland construction phase we wanted to obscure the window glass so gawkers wouldn’t become too much of a distraction as we built our climbing walls. This is a photo story about the storefront windows at Climb Cleveland. Our building was built in 1920 and we have a few photos showing the windows in 1940 and 1950. Then we fast forward to 2015 when we opened up the side of the building to renovate the windows returning them to their original 1920 window sill height. This lets us, in the gym, see out onto the street and lets walkers see into the building. Inside linked with the outside. Just like we play and get strong inside the building, which allows us to climb outside. 

      Most of the photos are the results of window painting with yogurt. Yes, we bought a couple of pints of plain Greek yogurt and home depot paint gear. We dumped the yogurt into the paint pan and smushed it back and forth with the paint roller until the roller was yogurt covered and ready to coat the glass. We rolled out a thin layer on the inside side of the glass, while the rollers gave the white yogurt a slight texture of micro waves and bumps. Over the next 24 hours of drying, the room smells intensely sweet as the yogurt solidifies to a thick white sheet. Light glows through the yogurt without people being able to see the other side. After that, you can touch it, sculpt it, color it; it is essentially permanent, lasting for years.

      Mathias began the sculpting process by using a razor blade to shape the upper edge into a mountain scape, then we invited Anna and Ben to join us with the possibilities of window art. Each artist got a window – three windows and three artists. Ben in the middle, Anna on the north, and Matthias on the South. Each had the freedom to create over the months of construction inside the building and Chick memorialized the creations with photos. Photos inside looking out and other photos outside looking in. Lots of the pictures also show houses and buildings across the street as well as showing the glass and yogurt and reflections off of the glass. Lots of the photos show our own brick building’s sandstone, and its construction in the process of becoming climbing space. Sometimes the photos catch walkers or cars outside our building. The photos hold the magic of the work because eventually all the yogurt must come down to bring the outside and inside back into each other’s full sight. A 5 gallon bucket of warm water and a sponge is enough to remove a whole world of magical characters, cliffs, sunrises, and patterning. All gone. The yogurt is temporary but that’s part of the coolness of the project.