Boris Bally who is coming to Derry to work his “magic” on the city’s discarded road signs.
Derry’s discarded street signs are to be turned into unique pieces of urban art by a top American artist.
Self-professed urban alchemist Boris Bally will take up residence in the city throughout the month of August, working with local artists to go help local groups “Reclaim the Streets.”
Bally will lead the unique project titled Reclaim the Streets, engaging with artists and craft makers of all levels, from colleges to community organizations, as part of Derry City Council’s CultureCraft legacy programme.
Boris Bally will work with local artists.
Bally has created a genre of work known as Humanufactured, which merges art, design and craft to create functional and funky pieces of urban furniture, as well as a wide range of smaller bespoke pieces, from coasters to jewellery.
By using discarded road signs, usually dumped as scrap metal, Bally manages to recreate and recycle, while incorporating the eye-catching graphics of the signage as part of his subject matter.
Both challenging and witty, the end result uses around 30,000 pounds of recycled scrap metal each year, and Bally’s prolific work transforms every element of the raw materials, down to the last shavings.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Derry, he said he was looking forward to sharing his expertise with local artists.
“Actually, I’ve not done anything like this before,” he admitted. “This project has so many exciting components that it’s unprecedented and in my opinion quite cutting-edge.
“For almost three decades I’ve taught numerous metal and design courses but nothing with this optimism and breadth.
“It’s unique to work with a group of creative people from the community to build furniture specifically for use in their own environment.”
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