Polish artist NeSpoon combines lace-making, ceramics and street art. The result are stunning pieces in which the innocent beauty and intimacy of old-fashioned lace is contrasted to rugged and not-so-innocent urban decay. The City Stadium gates in Grottaglie, Italy, is one of her projects, made during the Fame Festival 2011 (all pics in this post via NeSpoon)

Another project, also in Grottaglie and during the Fame Festival) was executed the abandoned monastery of Convento dei Cappuccini. Over the years, artists from around the world, had filled the walls with art, turning the place into a top street art gallery, for a full tour around the place, click here or see a video here. Rumor has it that the street art haven won´t be around for much longer, as city officials recently decided to convert the monastery into a museum of agriculture, making the space even more mythical…Here are some snaps of the work by NeSpoon – enjoy!

Conventi dei Cappuccini, Grottaglie

Grottaglie city centre

Aesthetic Guerilla, Warsaw

Urban Jewellery Park project

Tracing the history of lace…

Lace-making is a ancient craft, with ornate threads tracing back in the first half of the 14th century in Flanders (now on the border between France and Belgium). Soon after, the clergy of the Catholic church favored the loopy openwork fabric, using it as part of ceremony vestments. By the 16th century the trend had gotten a widespread popularity, and industries of lacemaking spread throughout Europe, starting local lace traditions. With local production, the craft also got a social dimension, as the lace-making trade provided income to country girls who could then stay away from the cities, and the few, often grim, career opportunities offered young girls ( via Wikipedia )