A photographer has released a collection of fun images showing handmade stencils shaping the world’s most recognisable landmarks.
Rich McCor, 30, visited tourist attractions around the world and held the card cut-outs in place to add characters and objects to the scenery.
His creations include a decorator standing atop the Golden Gate Bridge, a rollercoaster across London’ Tower Bridge and Marilyn Monroe’s skirt forming the roof of the Neon Museum in Las Vegas.
The intriguing images can be seen in Rich’s new book, Around the World in Cut-Outs, which he put together so his elderly grandmother can see his work first-hand.
Rich said: “It was a bit of an evolution which began with me making music video for a friend’s band about six years ago.
“We didn’t have any budget so we decided to make the whole thing with paper- the scenery was made from cardboard and the characters made from papier-mâché.
“The result was quite homemade but it did emit a sort of charm, and that’s what introduced me into the world of paper artists.
“Fast forward a few years and I became fascinated with photography when Instagram came along, so I began exploring London with my camera.
“I was inspired to do something different, I wasn’t sure what until I had an idea to use a paper cutout to transform Big Ben’s clockface, and that’s where it began.”
Rich, from London, used 240gm paper to create his designs, which he buys from an independent stationery store in Clapham.
Each stencil takes him just 15 minutes to create after spending years getting to grips with specialist tools.
Before he travels anywhere, Rich researches where he’ll find as many landmarks and quirky pieces of architecture as possible to give his artwork the edge.
He said: “I’ll then go through them and doodle over there, or stare at them until ideas start to come to me.
“Then once I’ve chosen about ten ideas that I really like, I design and cut out the silhouettes.
“I’ve sped up the process but it’s still very therapeutic to spend time cutting out paper. It focuses you and takes your mind off everything else.
“I’ll then hop on a plane to the location and often spend about a week there to create about seven images – usually two or three ideas I have just don’t work out for a variety of reasons.
“Sometimes the the vantage point doesn’t allow the concept to work, or scaffolding on the building, too much wind etc.”
“I always like playing with iconic landmarks because people recognise these and enjoy seeing them in a new way.”
Rich has travelled thousands of miles to create his artwork – which has mixed views from people when they see it.
He said: “Some people get it and love it, while others don’t really understand it or why I do it.
“I decided to put all my designs into a book so my grandma could understand what I do. She isn’t on Instagram.
“I really enjoy when people approach me and ask me what Im doing while I’m holding a cutout in one hand and my camera in the other.
“I like trying to guess if they’ll like it when I show them the photo.
There’s a few I really love, but I’m going to say the Tower Bridge one just because it took me so long to figure that out.
“Also I shot that at 5am on a beautiful summer morning when no-one else was around, and I felt like I had central London all to myself.”
Rich’s new book is priced at £12.99 and is available to buy at amazon.co.uk
