Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Muzzled Chihuahua - Street Art Behind Plexiglass
With all the new attempts being made to preserve street art, most notably Banksy's Crayon House Foreclosure and Mr. Brainwash's new Oscar themed pieces, a lot of questions have been asked about the effect that plexiglass will have on the street art, such as will it cause mildew underneath?
This is the longest running piece of protected street art that we have seen, and it helps answer some questions.
This is a really cool stencil of a Chihuahua with a blonde girl in a handbag (this might be a Paris Hilton reference, not sure). It is massive, almost 6 feet tall, and has been riding on Sunset, covered with plexiglass the whole time, for at least 2 years.
What is the effect? The art underneath does not seem to be at all changed or altered by the plexiglass. And there doesn't seem to be any mildew growth on the piece, either. (that might be a problem in a more humid environment, but not in LA). The biggest impact that the plexiglass has on the viewing experience seems to be the glare, as demonstrated in the pictures.
Even though we love seeing this piece protected, it has a different feel than other street art that is not behind plastic. Its kind of like a dog being neutered. The essence is still fully there, but its not quite as wild as it would be untouched. That said, we have always been big supporters or getting dogs fixed, so maybe this is a good thing?
We are not sure who the artist is or who protected the piece, but all in all we dig it, and are glad it is there for people to see.
***Update: the artist is stencil legend Nick Walker. Thanks db***
Labels:
Banksy,
buff,
dog,
LA,
los angeles,
mr brainwash,
Paris Hilton,
street art
Posted by
Melrose+Fairfax
at
11:48 AM
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I have seen Banksy art in SF and NOLA covered up by plexiglass. From what I have seen, the art looks great and didn't seem to be affected by the weather.
ReplyDeletedig the dog reference/comparison. well put.
ReplyDeleteartist is Nick Walker....
ReplyDeletedb
Mold is less of an issue if you are dealing with a stencil plus spray paint work covered with plexi. The issue (which I raised previously in a comment) is with seeing plexi being placed over poster and wheat starch works. Paper fiber and wheat starch paste is very yummy food for mold. I'm not claiming to know exactly what will happen to these works, I'd just say that given mold's appetite, it's food for thought. I'd just like to be clear on that point.
ReplyDelete