FROM CONCRETE BLOCKS TO CRYPTO BLOCKS, Street Art Becomes Crypto Art with Kaybid

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Street Arti̇st “Kaybid” Combines Urban Life And Wildlife *

Turkish street artist Kaybid is bringing a new meaning to the phrase “urban jungle.” Thanks to Kaybid, (the name of the artist but also the name of the art movement) miniature wild animals line the streets of some of the biggest cities in Turkey.

According to the Kaybid website, these little creatures are a combination of street art, painting, collage, GIF, animation, video art, and augmented reality. The project has been going on for over two years, and includes 400 handmade collages of 30 different animal species. Because there are multiple collages of the same animal, when pictures of the art are put in rapid succession it looks like that animal is moving.

“The cities come into being independently of the rhythms of nature. They treat nature and natural life as a mere commodity in it’s coming into being. Sand is a singularized item that is to be converted into glass; marble is something only if it is a column or a gravestone; a wooden staircase; an elevator or like window blinds… Hence nature can exist only as a utility or a decoration, as a side to the main constructed being that is the city. A tree in a rectangular pot on wheels exists on the rooftop only to be rolled around to provide us shade as we pick where we want to be.”

Cooperation For Wildlife With WWF

By showcasing his art in urban bubbles, he’s reminding people that don’t usually think about wild animals that there are endangered species fighting for space and struggling to survive. Kaybid has made animal and climate conservation a known priority. Kaybid works in tandem with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to create merchandise that funds animal conservation efforts in Turkey. ‘

Extinction and documenting

And he said “Another layer of the project is superior to following and documenting the wear, aging and extinction processes. This entire process is documented and published in the social media account of the project. The posts, comments and opinions of social media followers are also published in the same way.”

“I follow and document the processes of aging and wear off all the animals I paste. Thus, I have the opportunity to follow the time, the urban conditions and the effects of the streets.”

Places and Maps ( http://goo.gl/VNCbyD )

“In the ongoing project, approximately over 400 individual animals and almost 30 different species have been implemented. Each of them is marked with photos on Google Maps. Thus, viewers can also find the opportunity to experience the city with a completely different route and awareness perception. You can find the animals on Google Maps. Where you can see the street applications until today.”

If you can’t get all the way to Turkey to see Kaybid’s art in person, don’t worry.  He recently announced that he will publish his animations from his street art works as crypto art.

Augmented Reality

In another series, he uses Augmented Reality applications. This series consists of collages made in reference to the roaming patterns of wild animals, looped animations made by joining the collages together, and an augmented reality application that hosts the animation.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the artist. Kaybid is a male, and he works alone. When asked about his age in the same interview, he simply responded, “I’m not very old, but I might not be considered young either.”

The originality and significance of Kaybid’s work is no mystery, however. To view more art and read more about the Kaybid’s movement, you can visit his website, instagram or simply stroll the streets of Istanbul, before they are gone.

SuperRare

Now Kaybid’s wild animals begin to walk silently from concrete blocks to crypto blocks.