The Face

03 Oct 2005

The other city H & I sometimes visit was supposed to have a pretty active street art scene, but on our first trip there I was disappointed to not really find much. The next time we were over I had another poke around and hit finally the jackpot! One particular alley that seemed to be the designated street art location, was just plastered with stencils, posters, and various pieces of street art. I was in seventh heaven! And photographed as much of it as I could.

One style I quite liked was the use of the environment. There was a fire escape from which (3 stories up) the stencil of a diver was launching (impressive in it's location alone!). Then there was an evil looking face with a broken drain plate for teeth. And then there was this one. I've only seen a few street art pieces in various cities that are 3D. Lego bricks, audio tapes, small pieces of wood, all simple yet quirky. This sculpture however was the best I'd seen. It was actually the head to a quickly sketched body/shoulders, and if this was the father, there was a smaller son figure, similar upper body sketch with sculpted face.

I just love the over-all effect of how it's done. The colouring, the depth, texture, expression. I'm also pretty impressed that the artist went to the trouble of using a grouting/glue gun to build the initial shape, before sculpting the details and features. Not your quick slap and dash, this artist took their time. Even if you're not a big fan of street art, you have to admit a piece like this has a lot of merit!

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Now endorsed by my mum: "I love it!" she said.