UNITY: When Typography Becomes Philosophy on a Church Wall
Completed May 2025 | Omaha, Nebraska
There's something profound about returning home to paint a mural. When Unity Church commissioned me to create a piece for their space, I knew this wouldn't be just another typography project. This would be a meditation on perception itself, painted large enough for the whole neighborhood to see. Created with high-quality exterior spray paint and protected with UV varnish, the 20-foot mural transforms the church wall into a canvas for contemplation.
The Word That Became a World
UNITY started as five letters. Simple enough, right? But spend enough time with a single word, and it begins to reveal itself like a prism catching light from different angles. Through weeks of exploration, this project evolved into something far beyond what I initially imagined: a visual investigation into how we see connection, both human and cosmic.
The journey took me through wildly different territories. One day I was rendering bold isometric blocks in teal and magenta, channeling the raw energy of street art. The next, I found myself lost in ornate cosmic linework, weaving floral engravings through celestial details as if the typography itself was reaching toward space. Some versions lived only as digital studies, each revealing a new facet of the idea. Each iteration taught me something new about the word's potential.
More Than Paint on a Wall
Working on this project in Omaha feels like coming full circle. This city's skyline, its faith spaces, its community—they're all woven into these designs whether viewers realize it or not. When you create public art in your hometown, you're not just decorating a building. You're adding to an ongoing conversation about who we are and who we might become.
Even I didn't expect how philosophical this project would become. What began as typography became a reflection on consciousness itself. We are both the observer and the observed, the artist and the audience, separate individuals and part of something infinitely larger. The mural doesn't just depict unity; it enacts it every time someone stops to look.
Seeing Connection From Every Angle
Now, months after its completion, this mural on Unity Church's wall continues to spark conversations. I'm struck by how a single word can contain multitudes. Through isometric boldness, cosmic complexity, minimalist clarity, and perspectival play, UNITY has shown me that connection isn't just something we seek—it's something we are.
The next time you're near Unity Church, take a moment to stand before this mural. Move around. Watch how it changes. Notice how you change with it. That shift in your perception? That's not a trick of the eye. That's the universe recognizing itself, one viewer at a time.
Because in the end, unity isn't about sameness. It's about seeing the connection that was always there, waiting for us to shift our perspective just enough to notice.
The image below is a 360 panorama! (Click and drag to look around)
Joe Diril (Turk Made It) is an artist and muralist based in Omaha, Nebraska. The UNITY mural at Unity Church represents his ongoing exploration of typography, consciousness, and community connection through public art.
Visit the Mural: Unity Church, Omaha, Nebraska
Follow the Journey: @turkmadeit