Thursday, July 10, 2008

Graffiti Snails Roaming London

The following article was originally published here. I thought it was cool, and wanted to share. Hope you're all having a wonderful summer!
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Most people have to shell out to give their homes a makeover – not so for these multi-coloured molluscs. The flashy snails have had their drab shells given a paint job for nothing – and they didn't even have to move a muscle.
A London artist, known only as Slinkachu, has used the molluscs' shells for a series of designs dubbed 'Inner City Snail – a slow-moving street'.
One was given a graffiti-style urban revamp complete with a new name – John – spelt out across its shell. Another had the Tube logo ["Tube" is the name the people of London, England gave their subway system] painted on as well as acquiring a couple of unexpected passengers.
Slinkachu was keen to point out that non-toxic paints were used. The 28-year-old said: 'No snails were harmed – they just had their homes vandalised.'
And, with their long lifespan, don't be too surprised to see a brightly-coloured snail making its way down a street near you. In a previous project, Little People, Slinkachu photographed tiny plastic figures apparently going about their lives in the capital, from Tube travel to sightseeing. He left many of the figures dotted around the capital for their larger, human equivalents to discover.