One of Pierre and Erwan's students. - Yougrafff

In the skin of a graffiti artist. We see them everywhere, on bridges, buildings, along railroad tracks, in wasteland and even on the ground: graffiti is everywhere in urban areas. And yet there hovers around their authors a mystery which is almost a fantasy. These are the doors to this fascinating universe that Pierre and Erwan wish to open to the layman during initiation workshops in Lille.

They are both in their twenties. Erwan, from 93, fell into the graff in a fairly natural way, the discipline being relatively widespread in his department. Pierre, the Lille native, was initiated by his big brother at the age of eleven. "He took me graffiti in the skate park near our vacation home. The first thing that hooked me was the smell of the spray paint, ”he recalls. And Pierre has not given up since. “I was going to buy my bombs in DIY stores. Since I was zero at first, I trained on cards, ”he smiles.

Graffiti while staying legal

Over time, he discovered the environment and its strings. Where to buy your gear without breaking the bank, where to graffiti without ending in custody. As Pierre assures him, he wants to remain legal: “I understand the guys who write their blaze on the top of the buildings to show that they dominate the neighborhood. For some, it is a discipline that must be practiced in risk. Me, I am rather interested in the technique of the spray paint and the works which can come out on legal walls ”, swears the young man.

But it is all the same (a little) on this string that he plays. “When we had the idea of ​​creating a graffiti workshop, it was also to discover this relatively unknown world. We often have a stereotypical vision of the not very nice guy who does not speak who makes his tag without respecting the street furniture. It can be a brake for those who want to get started and do graffiti quietly, "he explains.

Pierre and Erwan's workshop, available on airbnb, lasts two hours. In a first fairly quick theoretical part, the basics are covered: graff, street-art or tag and technique. The opportunity also to give some good plans, such as where to buy cheap bombs or how to find "legal" walls. We then move on to practice with the draft graffiti project to lay down on paper. "It is a necessary step not to crash in the right proportions," says Pierre. After, we enter the hard.

Students can give free rein to their creativity on real walls, near the Halle de la glisse, in Lille. All the stuff is provided and you can get started from ten. “In the year that the workshop has existed, we have really had all types of people. Families, children, couples and even people over 60, ”explains Pierre.

More surprisingly, the majority came from the United States, Belgium or Great Britain. “I remember a couple of Americans. The husband designed his pick-up while his wife made his dog, “laughs the graffiti artist. A snapshot from across the Atlantic which, since then, has certainly been covered by other works.

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  • Street art
  • Graffiti
  • Airbnb
  • Lille