Buccoo Reef in Zurich

A peddler's screen saver


Next to Lake Zurich, Switzerland, an artist executes a pavement painting using pastels in the hope that his effort may fill the empty cans that surround it.

Zurich has its history as a banking capital, the region as I recall had narrow streets and hills. It also had a problem with drugs and addicts. In some restaurants, the washrooms are fitted with a blue light so that an addict cannot find his or her vein. Nevertheless, the Swiss are very sophisticated people whose decorum for proper etiquette may be expressed by a sample. In restaurants, your pet may be allowed to join you at the table.


The street artist sits at the edge of his chalk coral reef rendition

Monika Nicoletti has photographed a street artist who has a longing for the Caribbean sea and of the Buccoo Reef in Tobago. His pastel drawings is full of aquatic life swimming with coral fans, reef sharks and parrot fish. Yet, his pavement painting is a copy of a computer screen saver. Monika's observation of the man is described in the following excerpts;

I was watching him for a long time. The painting looked like an illusion and from a certain angle, it was almost colourless. And from straight above, looked like a three dimensional mirage, and so real. When I asked him if I may take a picture, he proudly stopped painting and placed himself in a dignified position. Hours of work just to be washed away by the next rainfall, until his next street art in another city.

Monika Nicoletti is the author of a website called Pan-Jumbie. She archives any event related to the Steelpan in Zurich, Switzerland and around the world.