Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

All over the world, spaces have been claimed for ongoing, interactive installations called Love Locks. The idea is that you decorate a lock in some way, then permanently attach is to the structure as a gesture of everlasting love. There wasn’t a Love Lock in Baltimore, soย I decided to start one!

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

The fist lock I added to the fence was mine, on one side it has my and Joe’s names, and the other side says “life is better here”. It felt pretty powerful to add that lock to the fence, and I hope that you can have that same feeling, too.

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

Weeks prior to the eventย date, I collected locks from people who wouldn’t be able to attend the initial install. I loved the way people chose to decorate them, all very creative! Some people chose to represent a romantic relationship, some made a claim to love themselves. There was love declared for babies we never met and baseball teams. The love you share on this fence has no judgment or prerequisites. We’re all here to celebrate.

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

This is an ongoing, interactive installation, and by that I mean that you can always come to add your lock. The fence is at the other end of the parking lot across from the giant smiley face mural. It is located on 21st Street, between Charles and Saint Paul. Please come by to add your lock any time, the sooner the better! I think the quicker we can make this really look substantial, the easier it will be to get media attention. Speaking of which, your lock can go wherever feels right to you, but as we get this going, please stick to the three center panels of the fence. Thanks!

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

Taking photos of you making this gesture is a wonderful keepsake, and I hope that Susan’s kids grow up remembering that evening they added locks in a row for each of their siblings.

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

If you aren’t able to hang your lock up yourself, feel free to send it to me in the mail. If you need a lock, I can mail you one for $4 (including postage) if you’re in the US. Please e-mail me if you’re interested in that. (Contact page for address and e-mail.) Keep in mind, you would also need to get it back to me, or install it yourself. And no, you don’t need to be local to participate! Locks are already on their way to me from other states!

If you’re interested in checking to see if your city has a local Love Lock, try this map. Feel free to also start your own if your city doesn’t have one yet!

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

In coincidental timing, Baltimore’s Love Lock has started as the famous one in Paris wasย taken down. I want to make sure it’s clear that the reason that the Paris installation had to be demolished was because it was on a bridge, locks are heavy, and the thousands that were attached to it was compromising the structural integrity of the bridge. The only call is to take the locks down. Safety comes before art, always.

My installation is on a fence that is connected to concrete in the ground. The worst thing that could happen is the fence fell on the sidewalk, and that won’t happen. Not only am I going to monitor the fence, but we’re also in Baltimore, not Paris, which doesn’t exactly attract millions of tourists. Everything is going to be fine.

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

No, this fence is not my property. It is north of the Station North Arts District, which is up and coming and supportive of art movements and installations. It is also attached to a parking lot I very rarely see utilized, and hope that this will eventually bring more positive attention to this neighborhood. Remember that guerrilla art is always technically vandalism unless you’re doing it in your own front yard. I always try to make sure that the potential negatives are outweighed by the beauty of what has been created and the message behind it.

Baltimore Love Lock | Uncustomary Art

Thanks to all the people who have already decorated a lock! I’m so excited you got to be a part of the roots of this project. If you have any questions about Baltimore’s Love Lock or how you can get involved, please e-mail me!

You can also check out past eventsย of mine and stay tuned for new ones!