Hacking Public Spaces: Florence Street Art

Jill Saligoe-Simmel, Ph.D. — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:44:39 +0000

Edgy or elegant, I always enjoy seeing examples of street art as a form of placemaking. In many areas of the world (e.g., Paris, Berlin, New York) street art contributes greatly to urban identiity. On a recent trip to Italy, my daughter and I made time to enjoy the expressive Florentine street art. We especially liked the scuba-masked portraits by mystery artist “Blub” of the ‘L’arte Sa Nuotare’ or ‘Art Knows how to Swim’ project, and the hacked road signs of French artist Clet Abraham. Since we’d been looking at Clet’s work online earlier this year, it was a special treat for us to stumble upon his Florence studio (Via Dell ‘Olmo 8/R CAP 50125 Firenze, if you’re in visiting the city it’s on your way up to Piazzale Michelangelo).

Hacked speed limit sign shows guerrilla activism in action. Slow it down!

Florence – Jill Saligoe-Simmel, Ph.D.

Hacking Public Spaces: Florence Street Art