With all the new attempts being made to preserve street art, most notably Banksy's Crayon House Foreclosure and Mr. Brainwash's new Oscar themed pieces, a lot of questions have been asked about the effect that plexiglass will have on the street art, such as will it cause mildew underneath?
This is the longest running piece of protected street art that we have seen, and it helps answer some questions.
This is a really cool stencil of a Chihuahua with a blonde girl in a handbag (this might be a Paris Hilton reference, not sure). It is massive, almost 6 feet tall, and has been riding on Sunset, covered with plexiglass the whole time, for at least 2 years.
What is the effect? The art underneath does not seem to be at all changed or altered by the plexiglass. And there doesn't seem to be any mildew growth on the piece, either. (that might be a problem in a more humid environment, but not in LA). The biggest impact that the plexiglass has on the viewing experience seems to be the glare, as demonstrated in the pictures.
Even though we love seeing this piece protected, it has a different feel than other street art that is not behind plastic. Its kind of like a dog being neutered. The essence is still fully there, but its not quite as wild as it would be untouched. That said, we have always been big supporters or getting dogs fixed, so maybe this is a good thing?
We are not sure who the artist is or who protected the piece, but all in all we dig it, and are glad it is there for people to see.
***Update: the artist is stencil legend Nick Walker. Thanks db***
