13.08.2015

Street Art, poetry of the street.

13.08.2015

Street Art, poetry of the street.

Street art: urban art, contemporary artistic movement. It includes all art forms performed in the street or in public places and incorporates various techniques such as graffiti, stenciling, mosaics, stickers, etc.
Generally speaking, this is an ephemeral art form experienced by the public at large. (Thanks to Wikipedia for that clear definition)

photo 1
[Marseille – October, 2014 with @ptiote21 – artist Dire ]

This is a movement that has truly taken off over several years, and we’ve all seen it at least once. Some walk right by without paying any attention, and others, like me, have become passionate for this type of expression. I don’t love every type of street art of course. I love street art that tells a story, poetic street art, street art that communicates a message, militant street art, as well as laid back and fun stuff too.
As I said before, street art is temporary by nature… Photos of the work created by these street artists in fact captures this art in time and allows us to keep a trace of these creations.

photo 2
[ Montpellier – April 2015 – installation by @mademoisellemaurice ]

Lots of the most popular artists are on social networks, especially Instagram.
For example: @christianguemy (alias C215) @seth_globepainter @alicepasquini @kashink1 and don’t forget @levaletdessinderue … It’s a huge, long list! You can participate in their photo collection by putting the street artist’s pseudonym into a hashtag and identifying them on the photo. This way, you put photographs together from around the world by the same artist, making a sort of album, and have followers experience their body of work). You can also follow along with what’s new and see their new work, even if it’s from the whole other end of the world! And sometimes the more active among them may even want to chat with you about their work. It’s interesting to see the same work shown according to different angles or with different edits. Everyone has his or her own interpretive style.
I already knew the work of some of these artists before Instagram, and others I discovered afterward. In particular, there is Fred le Chevalier, who is now one of my favorites.

photo 3
[ collaboration with @mikejfox – I’m posing in front of one of Fred’s Le Chevalier’s works – September 2014 – Paris ]

photo 4
[ Sete – June 2014 – with @i_trema_a in front of a fresco by @kashink1 ]

As for me, I’ve been interested in this type of art for several years, and I was already photographing it. I think of it like a treasure hunt. Wandering the streets and marveling at these pieces. My first treasure hunt was the Space Invaders in mosaic by Invaders. It exists in lots of cities and now whenever I see a new one, I take a picture of it. You can see some right at the very beginning of my gallery. When I first started on Instagram, I was already posting street art photos but without any embellishments. I started somewhat timidly to play with street art when the design lent itself to it, but it wasn’t something routine.
And then I began to take pictures with @mikejfox (if you’ve never visited his gallery, dive in!). Each one has influenced the other in his or her own way, I think. I picked up his sense of composition, and he picked up my urban vibe. Our respective galleries have evolved little by little.
I really started to play with the street, with my surroundings, and especially with street art. And people have enjoyed our crazy creations, since we always have very positive feedback, and even get a lot of smiles out of people. I really love that! It’s become one of the common threads throughout my gallery. And it’s so much fun!

photo 5
[ Silence Kills – unknown artist – Paris – with @mikejfox ]

photo 6
[ street craziness with @mikejfox in front of a design @jaceticot – Paris – May 2014 ]

There is a hashtag for this style of photos on Instagram #bepartofstreetart be part of street art. I welcome you to take part in one if you get the chance. I promise it’s really a great experience. There are also specific communities just devoted to street art: @dsb_graff #dsb_graff / @rsa_graffiti #rsa_graffiti / @tv_streetart_ #tv_streetart just to name the first ones that come to mind. They have competitions, they highlight specific projects, and have lots of selections.
And there are also accounts that post current events in street art around the world, like @streetartnews for example.
Street art generates lots of publications on Instagram and some accounts specialize in this style of photos. Here’s one I like a lot in Paris because of how complete it is: @riendenouveau.

photo 7
[ street craziness once again, with @maeva_f – unknown artist – Montpellier – May 2015 ]

Montpellier is a rather active town for street art. There are organized exhibitions and very good artists. When I go to Paris, I do some research before getting there so I can find out where my favorite artists have their work. But I know there are always going to be some superb pieces in Butte aux Cailles, in Belleville, and also in Ménilmontant. Afterward, I also like to stroll around and let chance take over, since that’s part of the game too. Street art paradise, yes I’ve been there once, and it’s located in Vitry sur Seine. For several years now, dozens of street artists including the most famous have gone there drawn by C215. If you love street art, it’s the place to go! It’s really incredible!

photo 8
[ Vitry sur Seine – February 2014 – design @alicepasquini ]

To edit my street art photos, I use Snapseed (always) and also Touch Retouch if needed. With Snapseed, I often highlight the contrast and colors of street art photos. The fine details in these designs are important for these photos. So I use more ambiance and saturation than for other photos.
As for Touch Retouch, I use it mostly to remove a pole or a billboard or perhaps to erase some spots on walls in order to unify the photo. It’s a simple application to use and it’s really practical to erase those annoying little flaws.

photo 9
[ Gare du nord – Paris – May 2015 – @mikejfox poses for me in front of collages by @levaletdessinderue ]

I love to see the dreamy side of daily life and street art is like poetry flowing over our walls.
A way out of the gloom of city life, and also an open air museum that is available for everyone: that’s what I love. It’s kind of my own Alice in Wonderland escape!
In fact, what better way to conclude this entry than an excerpt from Lewis Carroll, “if the world makes absolutely no sense, why not make one up?”

photo 10
[ @mikejfox in front of an incredible wall done by @seth_globepainter – Paris – March 2015 ]

Sigrid

My name is Sigrid, alias @ettisi on Instagram! I live in Montpellier, in the South of France…But I often have the travel bug. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved to take pictures. I discovered Instagram in 2012, and it opened my eyes to a new way to view the world around me…details from daily life, finding poetry in things that are anything but poetic, recreating my own universe…Instagram lets me express all of that. I can post pictures of the things I perceive and feel. It’s especially great to share them with my followers! Welcome to my little world!

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