“I am passionate about the urban area and everything it entails… I think the city is an experimenting ground where it’s possible to interact with the real. I like the freedom of action that exists outside.”
How did you find your way to street art?
At first I studied business. During this time I started doing stencil, collage and painting projects in the streets but I couldn’t blossom with these techniques.
I then began studying plastic arts. That’s where I really found my way and began making sculptures in the streets. I’ve been doing that for 6 years now.
For me, the street is not an open-air museum. I see all of my urban actions as experiments. The final outcome is given by the permanent exhibition of the project. I like to use the memories of each project (documented through photos, videos and writing) to convey my actions over time.
When I use the abandoned objects, I depend on what the street provides me, when it provides. Such waste becomes a reflection of ourselves. It is a quest through the city that also allows me to discover the territory and the population.
Can you explain the meaning behind your work involving transforming mattresses into food items?
As in all my projects the goal is to attract attention to our human waste. I noticed that mattresses are the most commonly abandoned objects, and that people don’t usually like picking them up.
A mattress carries a lot of stigma. Symbolically it’s where life is created; it’s where life finally ends. They carry the stigmata of their past lives, and stains and defilements make them undesirable waste. They attract disgust and ignorance.
Abandoned mattresses call to mind the precarity of the people living in the street. Representing our own waste in food is a metaphor. Finally, like hunger, consumption is an endless cycle.
What are the issues and subjects you like to address with your work?
Consumerism is my favorite subject. Using abandoned objects raises questions of consumerism. I like this because for me it’s a reflection of our current lifestyles. The large quantities of abandoned objects represent our consumerist frenzy.
As with all my projects, my main goal is to attract the attention of passersby to the waste littering the sidewalks of our cities. It’s also a way of transforming reality by acting on banal and everyday objects.
What inspires you?
I’m always observing the streets, and I constantly photograph every abandoned object I find. (#worldofwaste : https://www.instagram.com/lor_k_land/) This is definitely one of my favorite sources of inspiration.
What is the process of creating one of your street pieces?
My creative process is made of three stages. I first have a thinking stage, where I think technically about the project. Then comes the action stage, where I will intervene in the street. The last stage is the transcription where I perpetuate my urban actions with photographic impressions, videos, sketches and the writings that remain.
What are some of the challenges that arise?
The first challenge is technical. When an idea appears, it’s hard to find a way to make it work outside in the street. The weather constraints, duration, geographical positioning present new changes every time. Outdoor interventions remain synonymous with surprise.
Have you had any crazy experiences while making one of your street pieces?
Working in the street is always full of surprises. One of the moments I remember the most is the OBJETICIDE N°4. I was with a friend, wanting to disembowel the fridge that we just found. With a hammer and lots of noise, we tried in turns. A man passing by saw us having difficulty and simply asked us if we needed help. Without asking any more questions he took the hammer and disemboweled the fridge in a few movements and left straight afterwards.
We were smiling, as we apparently gave him the emotional release he needed. All this in the eyes of two astonished and powerless policemen!
It is possible to plan everything but the context will always offer the surprises.
See more Lor-K’s work at www.lor-k.com.