Rue Stick

When I met Ariane Pasco recently she told me about the Rue Stick event that would be taking place in Paris the following weekend. Taking her advice, I went along on a sunny, Sunday afternoon to watch a group of street artists decorate a pair of bare, grey walls between la Bastille and the Seine.

This was apparently the third such Rue Stick event in Paris, an occasion that is basically a meeting of street artists in sufficiently large numbers to enable them to work without fear of being stopped or arrested. For this event, around 30 artists were present, surrounded by an even larger number of friends, photographers and simple observers.

For me it was another opportunity to see the faces behind the creations. Ariane Pasco was not present, but Nice Art was represented by her associate Dominique Decobecq. Other well-known creators I discovered in the flesh for the first time were Mimi the Clown, Tian, Epsilon and Titi from Paris.

So what is a typical street artist? The answer seems to be that there isn't one! This gathering was a joyous collection of the young and the not so young, men and women, individuals and groups, all drinking wine together from plastic cups. When an artist needed a hand with a large poster somebody would pop up with a brush or a ladder, and once the creations were in place, everybody took photos of each other's work.

Local residents came along to have a look, some to criticise, but most to admire. Eventually the police appeared, but they chose simply to observe with a kind of detached amusement. It must be noted though that the creations were all pre-prepared on paper and were simply pasted in place on the day. They will eventually fade in the sun or slide away in the rain, and then Rue Stick will find another temporary gallery!

Before...

After!