New Project: Urban Patina

update: The project has been temporarily suspended. The project website is offline.

The Urban Patina Project

The urban patina project explores the cultural crust that develops in the human habitat over time. The project is interested in the living, ever-changing expressions of our culture that can be found on the walls of our cities and towns. Just like the cave paintings created by humans thousands of years ago tell the story of their lives and culture, one can read about our contemporary life and culture from the bits and pieces we leave on walls today.

Advertisements, posters promoting movies, concerts, bands or others events, the notice looking for the lost dog or cat, the odd little artwork and so many other pieces all tell the stories of who we are and how we live our lives. These snippets of contemporary life do not exist in isolation. Rather they are found accumulating, being posted one over the other, and layer after layer gradually forming the urban patina this project seeks to explore.

Although graffiti and street art are an important part of the urban patina, they are not at the focus of this project. The urban patina project is more interested in a wider range of cultural artifacts that do not usually pass as “art” and have a purpose beyond artistic expression. Their function may be anything from information over communication to propaganda, protest and provocation, covering all aspects of life. This also raises questions of what is art and what is trash? Is there a way to differentiate? The urban patina project does not attempt to answer these questions but will hopefully contribute to a discussion regarding the topic that may provide some insight.

Urban patina is an ongoing, long-term project. It started by chance with a few photographs of fragments or leftovers of posters on a wall that attracted my attention. Due to its open-ended nature the project is presented in the form of a gradually growing online blog. Photographs will be added to the blog over time and as the project develops emphasis and direction may change. Once the project becomes sufficiently mature, other forms of presentation and publication of the photographs shown on the website may be considered.

This link will take you to the new project website. Enjoy exploring.

If you are interested in the project and like to discuss it further or have any questions regarding the project, please do not hesitate to contact me.