What happens when people with 9 to 5 jobs see giant plastic sculptures on the Internet? In Plas’s case, they make their own. Since 2008, members of the Elche, Spain, collective have decorated city streets with huge translucent figures. Inspired by the original plastic creations of Mark Jenkins, Plas members explain, “The initial group was derived from sharing the love of urban art, sharing facts, curiosities, pictures. Thanks to the Internet, we could compile an extensive archive of works and artists. Then we formed a task force and began creating works. We believe that culturally, our city is very off. Through our sculptures, we try to awaken a sense of art.”
Each time Plas members combine their powers on a project, they approach it from a different angle. They insist, “We do not believe in a style. If someone gets up in the morning and has an idea to play with, the group starts working on it. It’s true that on the blog you see a very particular style, but it was a series that went on for several weeks.”
The process is cyclical; the more Plas sees on the street, the more they create pieces for the street. “Everything we create is inspired by the streets,” they add. “We see graffiti and it inspires us. Seeing people move makes us move with greater enthusiasm. And it's very motivating to get many ideas and combine them, play with them, and create something personal.”
Working in the streets isn’t always easy. “Typically, people who see us working encourage us,” they say. “But some people will destroy the work, or the police will arrive just as we’ve installed the work. We always play with some risk of getting caught or not, but it’s something we don’t really worry about. We’re more concerned about our works not damaging the cityscape.” For Plas members the best part about streetwork is collaborating with others. “Teamwork motivates us more,” they confessed. “It’s cool to sit down and discuss how to create, perform, and display. It’s very powerful to work with people with similar ideas. We love to see other people moving and creating, too.”
In the future, Plas members hope to keep pushing the boundaries of their medium. "We love searching for new documentation, new works, new artists," they insist. "As for us, we will continue working on what we like. Through their work and the work of other dedicated individuals, they hope to open people's eyes to the beauty of street art. "Many people see only the graffiti," they add, "but street art is any art form that inspires feelings in the viewer. Urban art is great because it's changing every day; there's always a blog or a new website with amazing works.
Gracias, Plas! For more fantastic cellophane creations, take a look at their blog. Finally (if you haven't already), please give Illicit a shout-out under the 'art, craft, and design' section of the Bloggie nominations. Thanks so much and I'll see you next week!
"When I'm not being an artist, I occupy a multimedia space where I collaborate with other artists. I work with Photoshop, Joomla, Wordpress..."
"I really dig Space Invader, Zeus, Gordon Matta Clark, Otto Piene, Banksy, and Stalker."
"Questions and discussions drive me to create. I like to make interesting projects with huge resources."
"Once when I was stopped by the police, I told them that I was an animator of the city. They bought it!"
