A Child Of Atom

This is the Pope at Ground Zero. I did a lot to help with this little production. Sketches, research, drafting... the design choices that I got to make early on were eventually cut by the archdiocese (because they were too "designed"). But one very tangible thing that I can call my own here is that yellow square just above and to the right of the Pope's head. That is a gun barricade that the Secret Service asked to have in place. Basically an inch thick piece of steel that they could throw the Pope behind if someone started shooting. On Friday the designer in charge of this load-in called me frantically because the barricades were ugly, and needed to be covered. My job was to hit the fashion district and find 25 yards of yellow velvet. I was given the Pope's PMS number, (yes, there is an official Pope Pantone Color) and sent shopping.

In case you ever wondered 25 yards of bright yellow/gold velvet is not actually easy to find. After exhausting the fashion district I hopped a subway to Chinatown, and to some closeout type fabric stores that I know there. In the third or fourth I found what I wanted. The small Hispanic lady who helped me asked why I needed so many yards of such an unusual fabric. After some language difficulties I pointed to a picture on the front of the paper she had laying on the cutting table. She screamed in delight, "Il Papa! Il Papa!? My fabric for Il Papa!!" She gave me two dollars a yard off, and a huge smile when I left.