To get a sense of the way citizenM merged hospitality and art to create a special vibe for the property, this publication interviewed Oakland-based painter and muralist Alexandra Bowman, whose gigantic 60-by-40-foot artwork adorns the fa<0x00E7>ade of the building.
It all began about a year ago, when Bowman responded to citizenM's open call for art.
"They wanted a lively piece that referenced community," said the 33-year-old artist during a Zoom call, talking about what prompted her to create an image that represents abstract notions like togetherness and human connection.
She also wove in aspects that characterize the city, like diversity and technological innovation.
"After reading what they were looking for, I started to brainstorm different ways to incorporate the culture of Menlo Park," she said. "You see smart, intellectual people from all over the world gravitating towards working in these spaces."
However, technology can sometimes widen the chasm between the very people it is built to connect. And that's the gap Bowman was looking to acknowledge through her art, which is hinged on concepts like travel, freedom of movement and empathy.
"I feel what Menlo Park (Meta) really needed was a space outside of the workplace, which is why the hotel is a great addition," she said. "It reinforces the fact that we need physical human reaction."
Bowman's artwork is also an ode to the natural beauty of the city.
"Every time I drive to Menlo Park, I always pull off (to) the side of the road and just look out onto the nature reserve. You see so many cool birds that you don't normally see in an urban cityscape," she said, about the different elements that made it to her mural.
"There's a slight reference to wind as well; the hair of some of the figures is flying. ... I wanted to incorporate the feeling of being in that place, right at the edge of the bay, which wouldn't necessarily be the same if you were more inland or in a different city."
Packed with all these symbols, the mural which hugs the hotel's flank today was originally an 8-by-11-inch piece of art, which was later scaled up digitally using Adobe Illustrator.
"Initially I drew out the artwork by hand but then rendered it using technology so that it could become bigger without pixelating," she said.
This kind of work is called vector art.
"I've heard that the term vector in mathematics means infinity. To see my drawing on a small scale and then to all of a sudden see it as a huge part of the landscape is mind-blowing," she said. "My drawing turned to infinity."
This is the first time Bowman dabbled in this kind of work. Usually, she paints large murals by hand, using a scissor lift that affords elevation of up to 50 feet.
"This was different, because I had to really envision the end result before I even got to that point," she said.
The process involved collaborating with the team at citizenM. People who work for the city and the hotel occasionally weighed in on her art.
"I had to work with a larger team to make sure everybody was happy," she said. "There was some back and forth with the printers but all in all the project went smoothly."
The biggest challenge with public murals is ensuring the art fits in with the surroundings and doesn't look intrusive.
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"I wanted to incorporate the colors that existed on the side of the building," she said. "There's that red staircase, so I color-mapped that red and added it into the piece."
Her approach to her work has a beautiful philosophical touch.
"It's important for people to be able to see themselves in public art. I've left enough ambiguity in this piece for that," she said.
"Somebody who might be coming into town and staying at the hotel may pick out one of the figures in my work and say — 'Oh that kind of reminds me of myself.'"
The citizenM brand aims to be "affordable luxury" (a room costs about $130 per night). Earlier this year, citizenM launched a property in Miami. Other properties across the country are located at Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Chicago.
The Menlo Park property is a five-story, 79,400-square-foot hotel with 240 guest rooms, designed by citizenM's architecture partner Baskervill. It also includes the canteenM bar.
The hotel is located at 2 Meta Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
For more information on the hotel, go to citizenm.com.
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