Sign In

Bruce Willen

Founder / Creative Director at Public Mechanics + co-founder of Post Typography

Bruce Willen is a multidisciplinary designer, artist, musician, and writer who founded Public Mechanics, a design studio focusing on experiential projects for public and cultural spaces.12 He collaborates with civic, arts, and design innovators on projects that blend experiential design, public art, placemaking, performance, and civic design.1

Prior to founding Public Mechanics, Willen co-founded and led the acclaimed design agency Post Typography for over 12 years.2 His work has been widely recognized, with designs and illustrations appearing on covers of major publications like Time Magazine, The New York Times, and ESPN.1 He has received numerous design awards, and his work has been featured in books from renowned publishers such as Phaidon, Taschen, and Rizzoli.1

Willen is also an author, having co-written the book "Lettering & Type" and contributed to publications like the Washington Post and Design Observer.1 As an educator, he has spoken at institutions including Cooper Union, Minneapolis College of Art & Design, and Harvard University.1

In addition to his design work, Willen is active in music and sound art. He has composed and performed new silent-film scores, and was part of the instrumental duo Peals, which released recordings with Thrill Jockey Records.1 Previously, he was a member of the influential post-punk band Double Dagger for nine years.1

As of 2025, Willen continues to lead Public Mechanics, creating innovative projects that intersect design, art, and public spaces.3

Highlights

Jun 4 · linkedin

All 12 sites of my Ghost Rivers public art installation are now complete, including new sites in Wyman Park Dell!

Ghost Rivers is a 1.5-mile long public art installation that maps a lost stream buried below the streets of Baltimore. With the completion of the remaining sites, visitors can now follow this permanent installation and self-guided walking tour that visualizes the lost path and landscape of the stream Sumwalt Run.

When Baltimore built a new sewer system in the early 1900s, this creek was turned into a buried storm sewer, vanishing from the landscape and disappearing from memory. Sumwalt Run now flows hidden and forgotten through storm sewers beneath the Remington and Charles Village neighborhoods. You can catch echoes of its waters whispering from certain storm drains.

Before Sumwalt Run’s ignoble turn as concrete culvert, it witnessed eras of Baltimore’s urban history. Its frozen waters appeared in ice boxes across the city, cut from the city’s first commercial ice pond and a later artificial ice factory. Trolley tracks crossed its ravine, bringing workers home from downtown factories. The Olmsted Brothers landscape architects attempted to preserve part of the stream as a greenway, but real estate developers filled its valley (using debris from the Great Baltimore Fire of 1905, according to local lore). Ghost Rivers bring these hidden histories back to the surface, offering a glimpse into past and future city landscapes.

Check out these great new photos, including gorgeous aerial shots of the new sites in the Dell by Dave Cooper

Much more info at ghostrivers.com + more pics on Public Mechanics instagram: https://lnkd.in/egGSCCZC

——

Huge thanks again to Elemental Metalworks, Equus Striping, POWDER COAT FINISHES LLC, and Floyd Godsey II for their great work on the installations. And to Friends of Wyman Park Dell and Maryland State Arts Council for supporting this final round of Ghost Rivers installations, along with the many others who have made this project possible!

——

#ghostrivers #publicart #environmentalart #placemaking #buriedstreams #undergroundrivers #hiddenhistory #baltimorehistory #baltimorecity #walkingtour #conceptualart #contemporaryart #stormwater #stormsewers #placemakingweek #loststreams #hiddenstreams #urbanstreams #buriedriver #sumwaltrun #artinstallation #urbanwatersheds #environmentalart #publicspace #baltimore

Related Questions

What are some of Bruce Willen's most notable projects at Public Mechanics?
How did Bruce Willen's work at Post Typography influence his approach at Public Mechanics?
What inspired Bruce Willen to transition from music to design?
Can you share more about the interdisciplinary projects Bruce Willen has been involved in?
How does Bruce Willen's background in music influence his design work?
Bruce Willen
Bruce Willen, photo 1
Bruce Willen, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Baltimore, Maryland