Artpiece by street artist Vhils
• Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto draws inspiration from the design of SEAT’s most urban SUV to create a unique piece
• 15 tonnes of cement, steel, silicone and fibreglass was used on this artwork
• On display in the Urban Contemporary Art Museum in Cascais, the sculpture aims to immortalise the lines of the car
Martorell, 20/11/2018. – “I wanted to somehow immortalise the design of a car”, admits Alexandre Farto, better known as Vhils. This Portuguese street artist has created one of his latest works, ‘Tangible’, a sculpture made with 15 tonnes of cement that reinterprets the design of the SEAT Arona. This is how he carried out the design and production process of this unique piece, which took a year to complete:
– Three months to design the initial mould in 3D: In the same way as car designers, this internationally recognised artist begins his projects with pencil and paper, and later confirms their feasibility using virtual technology. “I had never worked with a car before and had wanted to do just that for quite some time, so this collaboration has been a fantastic opportunity for me, a seamless connection”, he assures.
– The challenge of working with cement: According to Vhils, the challenge was to sculpt a large-scale piece with material that is complicated to shape. “I like to use rustic materials”, he adds. He used a total of 15 tonnes of cement, fibreglass and silicone. An initial steel structure was necessary to build the mould. The wheels were made separately and each weighs 100 kilos.
– A car with a 3D effect: The front part of the sculpture imitates the lines of the Arona, while at the rear “you can see several horizontal buildings that shape an eye to emphasise the importance of looking. From a distance, it looks as if the car is creating a wake as it moves away”, he explains.
– A fossil a hundred years from now: This is how Vhils would like this unique version of the Arona to be rediscovered within a century. “I’m tremendously proud of this piece; not only for its technical complexity, but because it has been created to withstand the passing of time”, he says. According to this artist, ‘Tangible’ will be a witness to today’s society. “Not only did I want to immortalise the lines of a car, but ‘fossilise’ the relationship between cities and their inhabitants”, concludes Vhils, who does not hesitate to place the car as a crucial linking element.
