Urban spaces that host sparse enclaves or nondescript architecture are more likely to spark feelings of banality rather than inspiration. So when we spotted the work of Berlin based street artist EVOL, we were brought to our knees (literally!) by the awesome sight of a transformation of electric boxes, small planters and other geometric city forms into teeny tiny soviet-style concrete block towers — a clever reminder of the social failures of Modernism and its ugly legacy in cold concrete tower-block architecture. Through a fancy bit of photographic print and cut and paste, EVOL creates these mini towers on electric boxes and other forgotten-about bits of urban infrastructure.
Each photo print that goes into making these towers has been printed with a repetitive pattern of flat, gray walls dotted with plain window frames, where in some instances, for an extra bit of life, the mini-buildings find their very own mini-inhabitants. However, not all of the lilliputian settlements survive. Many designs are torn away in as quickly as a day by police — a seemingly appropriate allusion for the careless nature and disposable practices seen in urban development today. However, undeterred, the artist continues to colonize unattended squares throughout Europe, and has even been commissioned to create installations of entire blocks of his miniature buildings.
This is really awesome — very clever!