Ooh, la, la! Warsaw artist decorates idyllic French town with gorgeous lace mural
A Warsaw street artist has added a touch of Ooh la,la to a picturesque town in France with a gorgeous lace mural.
Elżbieta Dymna who goes by the name NeSpoon has gained global recognition for her beautifully delicate lace art murals.
Making headlines in 2019 when she decorated an entire village square in Spain, now she is back with her latest stunning creation in the town of Blagnac, south France.
Basing the design upon the region’s distinctive Cross of Occitania motif, the artist set about deconstructing the centuries old symbol to give it a new and dynamic symmetry.
Basing the design upon the region’s distinctive Cross of Occitania motif, the artist set about deconstructing the centuries old symbol to give it a new and dynamic symmetry.
She said: “I was invited to Blagnac by curator Maud Denjean. On the occasion of a solo exhibition of my paintings in the Odyssud cultural center, I was also asked to make two murals on the building of the city hall.
“The city authorities suggested a project referring to the ancient symbol of the region – the Cross of Occitania, also known as the Cross of Toulouse or (incorrectly) the Cross of the Cathars.
“It is a symbol used in these areas for over a thousand years, in the Middle Ages it was the coat of arms of the St-Gilles family, Counts of Toulouse.
NeSpoon says that the pattern of the mural was inspired by a lace technique called tatting.
“Today it can be found everywhere – in the official symbols of local government bodies, on flags, it is engraved on the walls of houses, forged in iron on bridge balustrades, printed on postcards.
“It is used to mark the local subway, it is worn as jewelry, sold as souvenirs for tourists, it can be found on walls as graffiti.
“Some believe that the origin of the Toulouse cross is pre-Christian, initially it may have been a solar wheel with twelve rays.
“The numbers 3, 4 and 12 are traditionally inscribed in this symbol.
“In my project, I decided to break this rhythm by deconstructing the symbol, adding new elements to it, creating a new division and new symmetries.
“The numbers that describe my project are 4, 5, 8 and 20.
Instead of using the numbers 3, 4 and 12 which are traditionally inscribed in the symbol, NeSpoon said: “In my project, I decided to break this rhythm by deconstructing the symbol, adding new elements to it, creating a new division and new symmetries. The numbers that describe my project are 4, 5, 8 and 20.”
“The pattern of the mural was inspired by lace technique called tatting.”
To see more of NeSpoon’s work click here.
