These pictures were taken on the 16th of February. Both show urban art...
People walked or ran along Boulevard François Mitterrand. We were at the end of a cold afternoon. It was cloudy. There was a smell of pizza coming from the pizza truck near to where we were. We could also smell the car exhaust fumes. In front of us, there were grey buildings. We thought that it wasn't an attractive place. The trashcan has a face drawn on it. There are two big white eyes above the opening, which is the mouth. The dripping red paint is the tongue. On the right side of the bin, there is a cartoon bubble with: "Mais c'est dégeulasse!!!" written on it (meaning: "Hey, that's really gross!").
People walked or ran along Boulevard François Mitterrand. We were at the end of a cold afternoon. It was cloudy. There was a smell of pizza coming from the pizza truck near to where we were. We could also smell the car exhaust fumes. In front of us, there were grey buildings. We thought that it wasn't an attractive place. The trashcan has a face drawn on it. There are two big white eyes above the opening, which is the mouth. The dripping red paint is the tongue. On the right side of the bin, there is a cartoon bubble with: "Mais c'est dégeulasse!!!" written on it (meaning: "Hey, that's really gross!").
When we arrived Place de Jaude, we joined the crowd. It was still cloudy. This place is the main meeting point in the city. It's certainly its most attractive square. We could smell food and car fumes. Some people were shouting and laughing. The famous statue of Vercingetorix, chief of the Arverne tribe, on his galloping
horse dominates the square. The statue rests on an impressive stone
base. Vercingétorix is looking behind him, at his troops, and holding his sword up in a
conquering manner. He is wearing a
Gallic helmet and a typical clothes (as imagined in the 19th century). At his feet, there is
a dead Roman soldier.
The bin is not a very beautiful thing,
it is greyish-green and dirty, but the drawing of the face gives character; it is “illegal” urban art that is fun and anarchic. The bellicose Vercingétorix statue in Place de Jaude is
a huge equestrian work; it is “official” art about resistance and courage. The bin is made of ephemeral plastic while
the statue is made of long-lasting bronze. The "decorated" bin is recent and will disappear soon, whereas
the statue was erected a long time ago and was made to last.
In an urban space, there are well-known and lesser-known monuments, buildings, museums, places, streets, parks,
etc. In a city, there are always "legal" (official) and "illegal" things (i.e. not approved by the local authorities), old and new things, long-lasting and ephemeral things, small and big buildings, things full of history or with no real history. What we choose to keep and restore, enhance or even show off (like the statue of Vercingétorix), tells us what is important to the majority of citizens here and now. Sometimes, citizens "hijack" elements of their urban environment to make them "their own" (like the trashcan), or to mock authority, or to "make a statement", or even to show their anger about something by destroying them...
A city is made up of lots of different, contrasting, elements which make the urban environment
an ever-changing and exciting place!
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