Living Vicariously Through Social Media: Streetpatching with Mosaics

Ememem is a France-based visual artist known for repairing small areas in urban environments with colorful mosaics. He calls his technique flacking.

Wikimedia Edwige redige Flacking in Lyon

Since 2016 he’s been anonymously patching cracks in Lyon and Paris, and other European cities for instance in Norway, Scotland, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

My Modern Met ememem-street-mosaic-art-4

He typically works at night. His efforts are usually discovered in the morning as people start their day. Most of his efforts seem to focus on street surfaces, but some retaining walls or building walls also get some Ememem love.

My Modern Met ememem-street-mosaic-art-2

Ememem’s repairs are absolutely delightful! They remind me a lot of visible mending or quilting. I wish this type of repair were more common, but I understand the financial realities of why not.

Note: According to Wikipedia, Ememem has refused to confirm his age and gender. However, on his own site, the Ememem English-language press kit consistently uses the pronoun he, so I have therefore adopted that usage.

Images: Mosaic in blues by Edwige rédige via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Orange-green mosaic and wall repair both via My Modern Met.

2 thoughts on “Living Vicariously Through Social Media: Streetpatching with Mosaics

  1. Erik's avatar Erik April 7, 2024 / 03:54

    I love how these add so much color to the monotony of gray concrete.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Eppu's avatar Eppu April 7, 2024 / 04:35

    Yes! Also, even intricate patterns are easier to create in such small patches. (Because obviously the modern zeal for cost-effectiveness prohibits large-scale mosaics like they had in the antiquity.)

    Like

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