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hitting the streets

Belleville and beyond

By Carl Fisher

September 8^th, 2018

Paris Patter

After a full day of Gay Games-related activities, it was time to do some sight seeing. And the kind of sights I had in mind were not the ones hit by most visitors. This was a quest to find the kind of eye candy that is not on most tourist maps and can be challenging to find unless you are willing to spend time pounding the pavement. I'm talking about street art. Sure you see it almost everywhere in a big city, but when you are looking for quality and quantity it's best to turn to a local expert. Bellville is renowned for its street art and, fortunately, walking tours are offered by Street Art Paris. We showed up at the appointed time and place to find that our guide was surprisingly camera shy, but was a wealth of insightful info on the local scene.

Locals can sometimes be a little intimidating, but a guide can provide an almost invisible shield and legitimacy that helps get you into your comfort zone allowing you to get the snaps that you might otherwise shy away from. It also helped that there weren't a ton of people walking around the neighborhood.

A lot of the better street art you see today is not quickly thrown up random fare, but is often commissioned work that could be advertising a business or softening up the rough edges of a tough neighborhood.

Always time for a selfie, even when the scene is nothing about you.

in their element

I'm starting to see street art in reputable galleries, which is surprising because it seems a bit like visiting a zoo. Taking the objects of your interest out of their natural setting can diminish the whole experience. If that is the only way that you'll likely ever see them, then perhaps I'll give you a pass. However, street art is no such beast. Seeing them in the wild takes more effort, but the consumption is that much sweeter as a result.

soft ending

Most of the art we encountered came out of a spray can, but there were some that were created by needles, and not the druggie kind either. Spending all that time to knit something that you are just going to wrap around a post or tree seems a bit silly to me. But, different strokes....