Banksy is known for his spray-painted murals, and wheat-paste posters made Shepard Fairey famous, but Dutch designer Thor ter Kulve is making his name as a graffiti artist by inventing products that turn functional civic infrastructure into fun furniture. His projects include a swing that can be surreptitiously clamped to a light pole, a wacky sprinkler designed to be mounted on a fire hydrant, and a cozy fireplace crafted to sit on top of a public trash can.
Ter Kulve's mission is to transform dull locations into stimulating destinations with small tweaks to their design. In a time of economic hardship he is trying to maximize the value of public space, even if it means occasionally running afoul of zoning boards or police officers.
"In the Netherlands it is forbidden to attach anything to public trees, not even a birdhouse, let alone a swing," he says. "But this is also an issue I like to address — why do we use this common field in this way? And aren’t the rules preventing joyfulness to happen?"
Most graffiti artists work under cover of night to avoid the authorities, but ter Kulve treats laws like bullets in a creative brief and tries to work around them. All his projects are intended to be temporary, sometimes deployed for just a few hours, and to be removed quickly without damaging the infrastructure they build on. For instance, his projected text graffiti can be removed by turning off a power source instead of requiring a civil servant to fire up a power washer.
For ter Kulve, the illicit nature of his works was no excuse to skimp on form or function. Each project is rigorously designed and requires a substantial investment of time and effort to execute — the sprinkler required him to hunch over his machine lathe for four days straight. "I like to be close up in the design process," he says. "When making you come up with the most ingenious solutions." As a result, many of ter Kulve's projects look like objects that a forward-thinking urban planner might order from a catalog alongside park benches, instead of criminal mischief.
While products are the result of his process, changing the perception of citizens is his goal. The swing was designed to give riders the thrill of movement, but also to provide a better view of a river that was just out of sight from that specific location. So far, the designs seem to be working as intended. "Most people react enthusiastically. You see a lot of smiles. Kids love the fountain," he says, but notes that there are still critics. "Others are critical, giving nice discussions about water spillage, damaging trees, or less sight in the night when the balloon is blown up."
Like many graffiti artists before him, ter Kulve's projects started out flouting the law, but are now exiting through the gift shop — Dutch design retailer Weltevree is in the process of commercializing his swing.
Photos Courtesy: Florestan Korp
