ART ON THE STREET
20 Sep 2016
A series of pedestrian crossings in Madrid have received a colourful makeover designed to improve visibility and functionality through the artistic application of geometric design and bright colour.
Using simple geometrical designs and blocks of saturated color, Funnycross is mixing up Madrid’s urban complexion. Located in the municipality of Torrelodones, the public art installation by Bulgarian artist Christo Guelov hijacks four pedestrian crossings outside the region’s three schools by interweaving the iconic white lines with colorful zig-zags, diamonds, circles, and more. The project aims to combine concepts of art, functionality, and urban planning.
The vibrant colors serve a purpose beyond artistic merit and are intended to rejuvenate dated urban signposting. By contemporising everyday design with simple and eye-catching patterns, Guelov brings focus to the fore and hopes to remind drivers and pedestrians alike to pay attention to the world around them. The project also raises questions about color in urban planning and challenges the gray, mundane tonality that has become the norm in modern cities.
“Opening up new horizons for human experience has always been the main source of creative energy, both in science and in art,” says Guelov.
“To inquire into something apparently non-existent or invisible to others and to provide it with real presence has always been the natural mechanism to generate usefulness for art objects.”
Funnycross is part of a series of urban art interventions that the artist expects to perform in a variety of cities in Spain and across Europe.
