Invaders Of The Lost Art
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall
There’s been an invasion! A masked crusader has spent decades deploying his pixelated army across cities around the world. This crusader is called Invader. His mission is to make a game that is enjoyed by all.
A U.F.A (unidentified street artist) called Invader has cultivated a following of thousands since starting his project in 1998. His most recognisable work being his 8-bit creatures crafted from ceramic tiles. You may recognise them as they look like characters escaped from the Space Invaders game. Although his most notable works are his aliens, Invader also creates mosaics of other characters from cartoons and games. These characters include Mega Man, Star Wars and Popeye.
The project started in his home country of France but soon the invasion spread and now you can find his work in most major cities world wide. You will be able to view them under the sea in Cancun, dotted around Hong Kong and all over Newcastle. It is even possible to find one of his creations floating in its natural habitat. An Invader mosaic was launched into space with the help of the International Space Station. It now resides in the European spaceship ATV-5, which is orbiting the planet.
Invader has stated that his work is not political. However, he believes that museums and galleries are inaccessible to many people, which is why his work is displayed at street level for ordinary people to enjoy daily. Although in 2010, as his notoriety grew he had to take measures against thieves who would remove his work and sell them. He unfortunately had to start placing his work in difficult to reach areas and using more fragile materials that would break if removal was attempted.
On his website, space-invaders.com, you can access a map of all his artwork around the world for free. Not only this but Invader has created an app where you can track down his work and get points for each alien you find. He has definitely achieved what he set out to do, by making art more accessible,intuitive and fun for all. So if you ever find yourself with nothing to do, why not track down the Space Invaders?
