Irish graffiti artist Maser opened the new year with a brightly patterned piece in Limerick City, Ireland. Entitled No.27—A Nod To Ed Ruscha, the installation turns an out-of-commission gas station into a bold and vibrant beacon that is part of an urban art project called the “Parnell Street Project.” The title suggests an homage to photographer Ed Ruscha's Twentysix Gasoline Stations.
The project is a collaborative effort between the Limerick City Council (who owns the site) and Catherine O’Halloran, a senior youth worker in Ballynanty. Maser’s piece follows the Parnell Street project’s model of urban regeneration, which strives to utilize the most creative resources to revamp public space both functionally and visually. Maser was selected to contribute because “his work often boldly juxtaposes old and new, past and present in the architectural elements, the visual grammar and his choice of pallet,” O-Halloran explains. “It was a natural fit and it is a true gift to city when an artist can re-imagine a space so that its very existence can provoke and inspire us as we engage with it.”
Maser used vivid colors and pop-art patterns to re-invigorate the run-down station. The transformation is meant to surprise people, to lead them to question their relationships with familiar objects, and to consider especially how people are disassociated from the space around them.
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[via StreetArtNews]
