La Sardine de Marseille produced by Sardo Marsiho. – Sardo Marsiho
- Sardo Marsiho, street artist from Marseille, installed a sardine 30 meters visible from the Good Mother.
- The artist, whose name means “Marseille sardine” in Provençal, has been bringing this funny fish to life for eight years, and has plenty of plans for her.
The famous sardine which blocked the Old Port came out of the water to settle under the Good Mother. A sardine of about thirty meters has been installed for a few days under the eyes of Notre Dame de la Garde, in Marseille. It is the work of street artist Sardo Marsiho, Marseille sardine in Provençal.
“A residence was redoing its entire esplanade, not very aesthetic, and above all which was very expensive to vegetate. A resident who knows my job and contacted me. I was immediately taken in by the spot was so incredible. Bring up the sardine from the Old Port and make it accessible to everyone free of charge despite the private nature of the residence, ”recounts Sardo Marsiho, who worked as a volunteer for this project.
Nod to his son
The most important for him remains “the visibility for this sardine, to make it pass a course and to make known as much as possible this character”. “I don’t have the objective of making a living from it nor of being known through this sardine, but rather to continue to make it grow. Through derivative products, and new artistic projects. She will experience what she will experience, but what is pleasant about this project is its history, ”recalls the street artist.
A sardine which is already celebrating its eight years of existence. “She was born out of chance, I wrote Marseille ad infinitum to escape on a scrap of notebook and that’s how this character appeared. It had nothing to do with what I used to do. I thought to myself that I had an interesting idea. I started to bring it to life through exhibitions of paintings. Then I started making stickers out of them that I stuck on my son’s way to school so he would have a wink from his mum and dad when we couldn’t take him. And gradually, I asked thousands like that, ”he says.
“I’m just illustrating a galéjade”
From paintings and stickers, it has gradually changed into a cushion, a blanket and other derivative products. “I tried to develop several products that could be original. I made espadrilles with a craftsman from the Basque Country, everything that is stationery, posters, there I have just made a costume jewel with a jeweler from Marseille. Later I developed a textile range and now I am also trying to go towards other artistic projects with linocuts, epoxy, sculptures ”, Sardo Marsiho suggests.
The Marseille sardine could even continue its life on the big screen, with a comic book project that could lead to an animated film. In the meantime, she takes advantage of this new place of installation to continue to talk about her. “There are lots of people who contact me to tell me that it is the Sartine, a boat which blocked the Old Port and I am well aware, I am simply illustrating a galéjade”, smiles Sardo Marsiho.