A building slated for demolition in 2014 has become an amazing display of artwork, thanks to The Galerie Itinerrance. The gallery obtained permission to use the condemned building, and then allowed 100 artists from all over the world to work their magic using the walls, floors, ceilings, and whatever else they could find within the building. Dubbed “La Tour Paris 13”, the project was only open to the public for the month of October, with free admission. The gallery has allowed several photographers to come through and capture the magnificent artwork before the building is demolished, which is still slated to occur.
Creative License
The building consists of nine floors and 36 apartments. Artists were excited to mark every inch of the building, inside and out. In total, 4500 meters of art was created during the project. Many artists worked without benefit of lighting, so many of the areas are dark or illuminated by low lighting or black lights. Artists got to exercise a high degree of creativity with this project, creating or using holes in the walls or floors to create relief pieces, using damaged floor boards and appliances as gateways to other realms.
Part of the appeal may have been the finite quality of the project. Most of the artists that participated in the project are street artists, so they are familiar with the idea that the art they create may be covered over or destroyed at some point. However, this project differed in the sense that the art has a specific end date with the building demolition. It seems the artists entered into the project with even fewer inhibitions, leading to an unbelievable display of quality and imagination.