Art

Alternative Street Art in All Shapes and Forms

Art in the street is enlightening, it breaks the dormancy of routine. It exists for free, stating the existence of itself and from all around it. Art cannot be constrained to galleries. It needs to be in the street, happening to people. Transforming their eyes, their vision, so they can become – in their own way – artists too. Street art comes out of this surprise box that is the world, not to say ‘I am here but to tell ‘you are here too. Here are some examples of happenings bringing streets to life.

THE AWAKENING OF LIGHT

The French artist Clement Briend creates light projections onto buildings and nature, blending in the same space two different realities. It is the projection of an idea without extracting the nature of the object upon the projects, creating this multi-dimensional feeling into his installations. “Cambodian Trees” is a great example of this effect, achieved by digitally project sculptural representations of deities and spirits overlaid on trees. It works out as a beautiful surprise, as the figures reveal themselves at night, taking the shape of nature as if the gods have just awakened.

RAINBOW OF SHADOWS

In hot summer, where shadows give comfort and relief, a creative mind colored the sky and created spectrums to cool down and brighten up the street of Águeda, in Portugal. The result was a stunning canopy of umbrellas, like a shadow rainbow, suspended over the steaming hot streets to shade the public walkway. Very little is known about the mind behind the installation, but the Umbrella Sky Project was created by a production company ‘Sextafeira Produções’ to promote the local business and the historical region through an innovative and low-cost concept.

BREATHING SCULPTURES

There is something blissful about art that responds to nature. Art then incorporates elements to reinforce the idea that wind, water, and light are also artistic forces. American Janet Echelman explores the potential of unlikely materials, from fishing net to atomized water particles, combining ancient craft with cutting-edge technology, creating monumental moving sculptures. Echelman explores public art and urban transformation in metropolitan cities all over the world in collaboration with landscape architects, engineers, lighting designers, and teams of talent.

ALTERNATE WORLD

Every so often we are confronted with pieces of Graffiti that blow our minds away. You can find great examples here and check out the profiles we chose for you. And then there is the 3D Pavement Art, something that brings optical illusion to a new level. Joe Hill and Eduardo Relero are brilliant examples of works that make our body respond, no matter how distracted or indifferent to art one can be.

flash-mob-oneSOUND IN MOTION

Music is one of the few activities that affect the entire brain, therefore our biology and our emotions. Either we hear, play, sing or dance. Flash mobs – either spontaneous, amateur, or sponsored – are great gifts to the public, offering people something extra in their ordinary lives but also making them stop, contemplate, and even become part of the process. The bigger and most impressive flash mob happened in 2009, in a Black Eyed Peas performance for Oprah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CttB6FmMgT4. This mind-blowing effect over thousands of people in the streets of Chicago was the catalyst for a Mob fashion all over the world. From Army Musicians to Heavy Weight Brands. My favorite example of the power of music is what I call ‘a singing Mob’ from Bach to Bobby Mc Ferrin, turning thousands of random people into a beautiful Charles Gounod choir.

Enjoy art, enjoy life, and feel free to share any art that made your chin drop and your soul fly!

About the Author

Teresa is a writer with a twist of design and art. She is addicted to dancing, laughter, cherries and random words in cool typography. Plans to fly, run on water, find a dragon and sleep with tigers before she dies. And change the world, of course.