The street art project of the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer

The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer is constantly reflecting on its heritage while continuing to develop the concept of a city of art and history. Rethinking/reflecting on the visual identity is essential to develop the positive imagination around the city as a place of art and history, but also a possibility for the visitor who passes through, the foreigner who lives there or the inhabitant of Boulonnais who was born there, an itinerary of urban art.

This change of visual will contribute to project the Boulonnais towards a more dynamic image and where artistic creation will find its place in the participation of the inhabitants.

Their challenge today is to generate a true “living together” and a collective sense of belonging to our city. For this reason, the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer is convinced that arts and culture have an important role to play in the construction of an identity and an image (on a regional, national and international level). The city counts on this creative force to question the values of the city and more broadly of society. Because artists have the power to change our views, to make us think about our choices and our future.

The kestrel

The Kestrel is a member of the Falconidae family and more precisely that of the diurnal raptors. Present on all Eurasia and a great part of the north of Africa, it is between 32 and 35 centimeters in length, and between 68 and 78 centimeters of scale. Its plumage is characterized by a red back with brown spots, however with differences between males and females. Its narrow wings are brown at their tips. Its belly is on the other hand lighter with darker stripes and spots. Its song is rather rare, however one observes a great variety of tonality.

The kestrel is a sedentary bird that adapts to different types of environments, feeding mostly on small mammals such as rodents. To catch its prey, it moves in hovering flight called “Holy Spirit flight” and glides towards its prey.

Unfortunately, this species is threatened by the chemicals used for agriculture which deplete the land inducing a decrease in the quality and quantity of food. Despite its “fully protected species” status, the population of kestrels in France has declined by 20% between 2001 and 2018. Without a change in land use systems, the demography of the species will continue to decline.

The artists

Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann are two Dutch street artists who form a duo known as Telmo Miel. The two artists met during their studies in 2007 in Rotterdam, but it was only in 2012 that they founded their company “TelmoMiel”. Together today, they create hyper-realistic works in the form of life-size murals and facades on walls around the world. By assembling their styles and skills, the duo superimposes realistic representations for a rendering as dreamlike as it is surreal.

Miel Krutzmann explains that the idea that guides their creations ” is

to propose a certain look at the relationship between man and nature” .

For this fresco, part of the project “Les Murs d’Audubon”, the artists wanted to present the kestrel accompanied by a female figure: ” Here, we discover a person standing and crossing his arms in a slightly closed waiting posture. At the same time, she holds a stick on which two protected birds, kestrels, are posed. These two postures symbolize the different approach that man can show towards nature, his respect and his will to protect it. “

” Often, when people discover a work, they are obsessed with the eyes,” continues Miel. “ He looks for who the character looks like and forgets the rest. But we don’t care. This person is universal. She could be anyone. This work is a global approach on an important theme: the respect of nature and the protection of the environment. “

This work, as much graphic as philosophical, is to be discovered at 84 rue du Chemin Vert, Boulogne-sur-Mer 62200

Instagram of the duo Telmo Miel
Website of the duo Telmo Miel

+ More info on murs-audubon.org

Telmo Miel Photography