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| A bunch of tulips |
Banksy it
isn’t! Still… I’m sure most of you living in Dubai have noticed the beautiful trashcans
littered around the streets.
I don’t circulate much – my driving issues, remember? But I’ve seen
them on Wasl Road, Jumeirah Beach Road and Sufouh for starters.
The different flowers on the Dubai Municipality trashcans
are a breath of fresh air. I found no reference to the project on the
Municipality’s site. I emailed them with some questions but have had no reply
yet.
There are many flowers depicted. I only caught the tulips, roses
and hyacinths. The others are in places where it is more difficult to park the
car.
One of the first things I noticed on arriving in Dubai six years
ago was how spotless the city was. Because it is so clean, people are more
reluctant to throw garbage in the streets, in shops, supermarkets or on mall
floors. Unfortunately, recently I seen more people throwing out tissues and
other things from their car windows, but I think if spotted by police, they
would be fined.
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| Hyacinths and roses (above) |
Although not exactly “street
art,” I find the trashcans part of beautifying the city, together with the
planting schemes.
Street Art is
a very popular form of art that is spreading quickly
all over the world -- on buildings, sidewalks, street
signs and trashcans. Street Art has become a global culture
and even art museums and galleries are collecting the work of street artists. Some
people deem it a crime and others think it is a very beautiful new form of
culture. Art experts say the movement began in New York in the 1960s as
graffiti.
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| Andy Warhol's "Trash Cans" |
Maybe the most valuable rubbish bins are Andy Warhol’s 1986 stitched
photographs of “Trash Cans.”
I don’t
know if the Dubai trashcans are painted or stenciled, who did them, how many
there are, whether the project extends to other emirates… Many questions remain
unanswered.
If you have
any more information about these bins, or other pictures, do share them. In the
meantime, let’s continue to keep Dubai clean.
