Alter likes to put the graphic into his art, reducing images to semi-abstract geometric shapes. At Boxpark his banner takes colourful iconic characters including, Wonderwoman, Mr T, Stevie Wonder and Prince and simplifies them into spots. From the same side of the street the images disintegrate so you see spots in front of your eyes, but cross Bethnal Green Road and the subjects themselves stand out. 

What did the job entail?

“I came up with a technique to reduce an image to a series of large dots, but in a way that it is still recognisable,” says Alter, who honed the technique in a 1m square panel depicting Wonderwoman in giant sequins, which can be seen nearby in All Star Lanes Brick Lane.

How was it produced?

Alter’s artwork was taken by Service Graphics and printed onto a single 25x2.7m piece of frontlit vinyl using its Durst Rho 500 5m-wide roll-fed UV printer. The installation team then mounted it in the Spiritflex frame system above the streets of Shoreditch.

What challenges were overcome?

Wrestling such a large single piece of print into position up in the sky is something of a challenge, but one that the Service Graphics team is adept at, albeit more usually for adverts than artworks. For Alter the challenge was to convince Boxpark and Service Graphics to give him the space and the print to make his mark.

What was the feedback?

Alter is delighted with his largest work to date. “It works well in terms of the dimensions and the viewing distances,” he says. “For me scale is something very important – it’s a fundamental principle of design. I’m passionate about reaching as wide an audience as possible for art outside of galleries. The location of Boxpark and the format of the banner are perfect.”

It’s not just the artist himself who’s impressed. “I took a cab the other day and the cabby, who is from Bethnal Green Road himself, told me he thought it was ‘cool and refreshing’.”