EARTH ~

SLINKACHU

The publisher ~ BoxTree (Macmillan) understands the street artist Slinkachu ~ he's the one with the smallest cloth bound book in the art section shelves of the bookstore.

So small and compact and delicious, a savvy bookseller would have it propped up on its own as a miniature showcase.

I found my copy under the rubble of larger and beaten up and spine slanted tomes unsure of their size and weight and volume ~ under it all was Little People in the City, the little gemstone of all things Slinkachu. Street name for the Devon, UK., born artist who is becoming known these days from his photographs of his urban creations, which are often here today and gone tomorrow. Imagine the tiny toy soldiers you once played with now delicately placed by the artist on the street, but not as soldiers, just regular pedestrians, looking just like you and me, but placed next to a real live dead bumblebee, or stubbed out cigarette, or on the tossed ring of a beer or soda can, there one of his tiny figures perches looking at the same city park waterway as we do, and maybe completely unnoticed by any one of us. Until kicked, stepped upon, going about its own purpose. As demanding as a haiku.

We even have an exhibitionist, trousers down around his ankles, willy out, a woman reacting with her hands at the side of her head outraged. Two inches tall all of this. On a city street. You just missed it walking by.

The charm of this book is Slinkachu has situated his locations and taken both a life size portrait of where & how, plus a closer detail of the actual event of his little ones, so all is one. Seeing is believing = go to the book. Look around you when next out: a Slinkachu may be around.

There is an index in the book to then show where each piece was located and at what date with additional photographs.

Like everything in this day and age: big stuff is happening, and even the little stuff ~ once washed away with the rain, humility, grace, luck, so-be-it ~ is being captured, documented.

There's humor, irony, affection, loneliness, love, and killers on the loose...just like life size.

Little People in the City by Slinkachu
( BoxTree / Macmillan )

artist's photo: Charlie Hedley