The artist known as Space Invader has been dropping down, changing direction and increasing speed all over the world since the late 1990’s, using the iconic image of the archaic computer game character to bemuse and inspire the public in almost every major city.

Pieces take the form of mosaics on walls and monuments and pixellated sculptures at street level. The artist himself is a rather mysterious figure – few people know who he or she is or what the intentions of the project really are. In many ways, the activity of the Space Invader resembles graffiti: it involves a reclamation of public space in order to bring a message to a wider audience. The use of a powerful cultural icon is enough to get a response from most, however clouded the intention of the piece is. The website describes itself as “the story of an invasion”, which suggests that the artist’s singularly most important goal is getting the icon into as many places as possible.

The artist is keen that project should be fully embraced by like-minded individuals the world over. Several maps are available so that followers can plot where new space invaders have appeared, and the artist distributes stickers so that the image can appear in places beyond his or her reach. The website is a crucially important component and is the central hub of the growing community as well as a means to spread news of new sightings.

Space invader's own web site is ...

www.Space-Invaders.com