Ephemeral Street Art – Le Mur (“The Wall”)

At the intersection of Rue Oberkampf and Rue Saint Maur in the 11th arrondissement, one of the more hip and happening districts of Paris where street art runs rampant, is “Le MUR.”

Le MUR is a billboard wall that is not just any wall. The wall was set aside by the City Council with the purpose to promote contemporary art and particularly urban art, with a different artist propelling their colours and creativity up there every two weeks. The new work is bonded to the previous, thus perpetuating the principle of ephemeral street art while retaining the history. The bonding of the poster is a kind of performance that all who come to the opening can witness.

The Le MUR association was created by artist Jean Faucheur, and has been around since 2003 but it was not until 2007 that the City Council gave the association the billboard, thus transforming the space into a place of experimental art/advertising. Since its inception more than 80 artists have put their mark on this wall. If you happen to be sitting next to the wall at the café next door La Quille (like I was), you will undoubtedly get to experience live street art in action.

You can view past artworks here at  lemur.asso.fr or purchase the book Le Mur/The Wall at Cite de L’Architecture bookstore