Harry MC's World of Stripes Project
After a visit to the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen, Harry MC checks out the stripes in Superkilen, a public park in the city's Norrebro district.
In one of Denmark's most ethnically-diverse and socially-challenged communities a park is designed to bring immigrants and locals together, promoting tolerance and unity. Not only is the park a meeting place for local residents, it is a tourist attraction for Copenhagen. Nørrebro is a neighbourhood plagued by crime, cut off from the rest of the city by two major highways. It was also the site of riots in 2006. The Copenhagen-based architects experienced the riots in the streets outside their office and decided to focus on creating urban spaces to promote integration across ethnicity, religion, culture, and languages. They see the park not as a finite project but an 'artwork in progress'. The design is based on dreams that could transform into objects and is meant to make people of diverse backgrounds feel at home. In other words, stripes for good!
Harry MC says"If you find yourself in Copenhagen the Arken Museum is well worth a visit and it's a lovely location, right on the coast. It's about a twenty minute train ride out from the city centre of and then a thirty minute walk, but it's well worth it. Last time I was there they were building a tramway and there's also a bus that can save your legs. Of course, being Denmark you could always take a bike. They're big on bikes"
Thinking about repainting your house? Red and white stripes might be nice!
Neighbours battling in court over everything from hedges to boundaries , overhanging trees and the general condition of a neighbouring property and garden is an age-old problem. One neighbour might erect a fence that is too high, another will might build an extension that effects the others light or changes the view, the problems are endless. Sometimes you even find a neighbour who digs their heals in and wants to prove a point, and they might go to extremes to do so.
One such person was Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, a lady who in 2012 painted her house in Kensington, London in red and white candy stripes. She had wanted to redevelop the three-storey property into a two-storey home with a double-super basement, but neighbours objected and Kensington and Chelsea Council refused consent. So Zipporah got out the red paint the stripes were a protest.
But it didn’t stop there. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea took action against her under the Town and Country Planning Act requiring her to repaint the house back to its original white colour. She said in subsequent reports that if she knew how much money and time would go into fighting for the paint job she wouldn't have done it
However she appealed the decision at the High Court and in 2017 was given the go ahead to demolish the house. The saga of the red and white house stripes had finally started to come to an end. The neighbours were relieved but not everyone was happy, it had become somewhat of a tourist attraction for the past couple of years.
Harry MC finds inspiration from the 1970's when artist Gene Davis painted the street... stripy!
Like many artists Harry MC has drawn inspiration from those who have gone before him. For Harry one group of artists in particular has influenced his work - a small group of painters known as the Washington Colour School who experimented with bold colours in the 1950’s, artists such as Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis and Gene Davis, who died1985. Like Harry, Davis was a painter known especially for his works of coloured vertical stripes.
The Washington painters were among the most prominent of the mid-century colour field painters. Though he worked in a variety of media and styles Gene Davis is best known by far for his acrylic striped works that he began to paint in 1958. The paintings typically repeat colours to create a sense of rhythm and repetition. In 1972, Davis took his vision to a new scale by creating 'Franklin’s Footpath,' painting his signature bands of colour on the street in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 1979, he embarked on a similar project, 'Niagra ‘79’. In this version of his outdoor paintings he hand rolled sixty, 2-foot wide by 364-foot long lines across a car park at Artpark, in Lewiston. At 43,000 sq. ft, the work was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest painting in the world.
Artpark's 'Painted Parking Lot' recreation got underway in 2017, after they launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to re-create the original Gene Davis work. The campaign was a success and donation pledges helped with the hundreds of gallons of paint and miles of masking tape needed to complete the work by volunteers and local students. Artpark was established in 1974, a collaboration between New York State Parks and the nonprofit Artpark & Company, it welcomes artists to the dramatic scenery of its Niagara River Gorge location. Over the years Artpark has hosted thousands of visual artists events and festivals with local, national and international artists, poets and writers.
A gallery invited artist Markus Linnenbrink to display his striped work, perhaps they got more than they bargained for!
Brightly coloured stripes based on refracted light run across the walls, ceilings and floors of an art gallery in Nuremberg, Germany, in an immersive installation by German artist Markus Linnenbrink. The work was created in the exhibition space over a period of two weeks and spans two connecting rooms, one with an octagonal floor plan, the other with a rectangular plan. The Brooklyn-based artist is best known for creating site-specific installations that explore the impact of colour from a scientific, as well as a psychological perspective. He cites his influences as Isaac Newton's light refraction experiments, which saw white light split out into the individual colours that make up the spectrum, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's colour theory, which considers human perception of colour.
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Every surface in the two exhibition rooms is fully striped with bright paint, including the door frames, picture rails and skirting-boards. The lines stretch from one room onto the walls of the next, visually merging the two spaces. Width and direction of the lines fluctuate, changing direction where they meet the floor. A glossy coating of epoxy resin was installed over the matte acrylic paintwork to protect the piece and create a reflective surface.
Piece courtesy Dezeen
French artist Daniel Buren is well known for his stripe paintings. But the stripes must be 8.7cm wide, not about 8.7cm or approximately, they must be exactly 8.7cm. Harry MC checks it out.
Daniel Buren Wall of Paintings, 1995 - 2005, Twenty paintings acrylic paint on white and coloured striped fabric. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York,
​Daniel Buren was born in 1938, in Boulogne-Billancourt, he is a French conceptual artist, painter, and sculptor. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Lion for best pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1986). He has created several world-famous installations, including "Les Deux Plateaux"(1985) in the Cour d'honneur of the Palais-Royal, and the Observatory of the Light in Fondation Louis Vuitton. He is one of the most active and recognised artists on the international scene, and his work has been welcomed by the most important institutions and sites around the world.
In 1965 he visited a Paris market to buy canvas for his paintings and noticed striped awning fabric with vertical bands, each 8.7 cm (3.5 inches) wide, which were alternately white and coloured. He started using similar fabric to create his own art. Gradually he stripped painting down to its core, or “degree zero,” as he called it, and started to use stripes as a “visual tool,” placing them in various contexts both inside galleries and in relation to architecture.
Buren said that he was working on reducing paintings to their absolute core, to what they were, nothing more than dumb stripes. He did those paintings in a traditional way but tried to exclude any signs of emotions. When he saw those stripes on fabric in the market he thought this is exactly what I want to do. So he started using fabric with stripes instead of painting them on canvases. At the time, he could not afford to have my own studio, so that forced him to experiment with different materials directly in the streets of Paris.
Paris became his canvas, and he started making striped posters that he put up on billboards and buildings. That happened in 1967 and, as you can imagine, he worked without any permission for posting these. However, he started getting invitations to present his works in galleries. The most important shift that took place was the fact that he started working directly with the wall. The canvas disappeared.
In 1970 Buren explained that the stripes are always 8.7 cm wide, alternating between white and coloured, and are placed over internal and external surfaces. He said the only difference was the size of the canvases and the colours of the stripes. If you see the stripes they are always vertical, 8.7 cm wide, and they always alternate between white and another colour. So there was absolutely no evolution in the beginning, but since 1970 the work has evolved. He reflected “I acknowledge the stripes as my signature but not because it is important. It is just there. At the same time, now I would not dare to change it”.
If you're asked to name something striped, chances are these guys are top of the list
Only 3000 Grevy's zebra remain in the wild. Picture courtesy Grevy's Zebra Trust.
The Grevy's Zebra Trust is an organisation dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Grevy's zebra and its fragile habitat in Kenya and Ethiopia. Established in 2007, GZT collaborates closely with local communities to address the urgent need for preserving this unique species.
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The Grevy's zebra is the largest of the three zebra species and can be distinguished by its narrow stripes, white belly, large rounded ears, and brown muzzle. Historically, their population numbered 15,000 in the late 1970s, but due to factors such as habitat degradation, lack of access to water during dry seasons, and hunting, their numbers have declined dramatically. Currently fewer than 3,000 remain in the wild, primarily in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia.
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The name "Grevy's zebra" originates from Jules Grévy, who served as the President of the French Third Republic from 1879 to 1887. In the late 19th century, Abyssinian (modern-day Ethiopian) officials presented a zebra as a gift to President Grévy. The species, distinct from the more common plains and mountain zebras, was subsequently named in his honour by the scientific community.
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Andy Warhol’s Grevy’s Zebra 300 is a key piece in his 1983 Endangered Species portfolio, commissioned by environmentalists and gallerists Ronald and Frayda Feldman. The series aimed to spotlight ten of the world's endangered animals and their fragile existence. The Grevy’s zebra featured alongside Black Rhinos and African Elephants.
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Warhol’s Grevy’s Zebra 300 is striking for its use of vibrant red, which dominates the zebra’s head, mane, and neck, partially replacing its natural black-and-white stripes. The red is juxtaposed with orange, yellow and white outlines, gradually transitioning as they traverse the frame. The artwork exemplifies Warhol’s mastery of Pop Art in the 1980s, blending bold colors, abstraction, and with iconic imagery.
Harry MC has a new work on his easel – a tribute to the Grevy’s Zebra. Here's a review
MC’s upcoming oil painting celebrating the Grevy’s zebra is a testament to the enduring relevance of art as a medium for ecological advocacy. Departing from the bold pop sensibilities of Andy Warhol's Grevy’s Zebra 300, MC’s piece embraces a subdued palette and a softer, more organic approach that invites reflection rather than confrontation.
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The artwork is characterized by its commitment to monochromatic harmony, utilising only black and off-white tones. This palette strips the subject of extraneous distractions, foregrounding the zebra’s form in all its quiet majesty. The stripes, rendered with soft edges, possess an ethereal quality—blurring the lines between the individual and the collective, the tangible and the transient.
What distinguishes MC’s interpretation is the emotional depth achieved through the interplay of texture and form. The soft edges of the stripes lend the zebra a dreamlike quality, as if it is fading into or emerging from its surroundings. This duality—a creature both present and precarious—echoes the very plight of the Grevy’s zebra in its dwindling habitats in Kenya and Ethiopia.
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The absence of vibrant colours directs attention to the zebra’s intricate natural patterns, reinforcing its identity as a unique and irreplaceable entity. Unlike Warhol’s abstraction, which flattens and simplifies, MC’s work emphasises dimensionality and the tactile richness of oil paint. Each brushstroke serves as a reminder of the zebra’s physicality and its tenuous hold on existence.
Mc’s choice to focus solely on black and off-white is not merely stylistic; it is a deliberate statement. The starkness underscores the binaries that define the environmental crisis—presence versus absence, survival versus extinction, action versus apathy. Yet, the softness of the edges suggests a middle ground, a space where solutions can emerge if humanity acts with urgency and compassion.
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This work is more than a visual homage, it's a call to action. By spotlighting the Grevy’s zebra, Harry MC extends the conversation to all endangered species, urging viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of life and the cost of its loss. The painting is both a celebration and a lament, embodying the tension between the zebra’s enduring beauty and its fragile existance.
Rome has some fabulous churches and on a recent visit, typically, Harry discovered a striped one - Saint Paul's Within The Walls.
St. Paul’s Within the Walls: A Striped Landmark on Rome's Via Nazionale.
St. Paul’s Within the Walls (San Paolo dentro le Mura) is a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture in the heart of Rome. Completed in 1880, it was designed by English architect George Edmund Street as the first non-Catholic church built in the city after the Reformation.
What caught Harry's eye and makes the church especially distinctive is its bold, striped facade, created from alternating bands of red brick and pale stone. This eye-catching design sets it apart amidst Rome’s historic architecture, drawing inspiration from medieval Italian churches while embodying the principles of 19th-century Gothic Revival.
Beyond its striking exterior, St. Paul’s serves as a hub for Anglican worship and cultural exchange, hosting concerts, interfaith dialogue, and community events. Positioned near the Termini station and the ancient Aurelian Walls, it remains a unique and vibrant presence in the Eternal City’s architectural landscape.
Harry checks out the Swiss Guards and their 'Stripes of Tradition and Protection'.
The Pontifical Swiss Guard, often called "the world's smallest army," is responsible for the safety of the Pope and the security of Vatican City. Beyond their role as the Pope’s personal escorts and sentinels of the Apostolic Palace, they are perhaps best recognized for their strikingly colorful, striped uniforms—one of the most iconic sights in Rome.
Their Renaissance-style tunics, with bold stripes in red, blue, and yellow, are steeped in history, reflecting the colors of the powerful Medici family. Though often attributed to Michelangelo, the design was largely refined by Jules Repond, commander of the Guard from 1910 to 1921. These uniforms remain among the oldest in continuous military use, worn during ceremonial duties while the guards don more subdued blue attire for daily service.
Founded in 1506, the Swiss Guard has long been an elite corps. Recruits must be Swiss, Catholic, and have completed military training before swearing an oath of loyalty to the Pope. Their annual swearing-in ceremony, held on May 6, commemorates the 147 Swiss Guards who died defending Pope Clement VII during the 1527 Sack of Rome.
While the Swiss Guards are sometimes mistaken for Vatican City’s police force, their role is distinct, focusing on papal security rather than general law enforcement. With their historic mission and unmistakable striped uniforms, they stand as both a symbol of tradition and a vivid example of stripes in Rome’s architectural and cultural landscape.
Harry admires Sol Lewitt's statement piece in Avignon and could be sold on the idea of others doing the brushwork
Wall Painting #1143, by Sol LeWitt, produced in 2004 at the Lambert Collection in Avignon.
Sol LeWitt: The Art of Stripes and Systems
Sol LeWitt (1928–2007) was a pioneering figure in conceptual and minimalist art, best known for bold geometric patterns, wall drawings, and his systematic approach to art-making. Among his most striking works are his striped compositions, vivid, precise and meticulously planned they transformed walls into dynamic fields of colour and rhythm.
LeWitt’s fascination with stripes emerged from his belief that art should be guided by logic rather than personal expression. His signature striped works, often composed of carefully arranged parallel bands in vibrant hues or stark black and white, were an extension of his rules based process. By using simple instructions that assistants could execute, he removed the traditional notion of the artist’s hand, making the process itself a fundamental part of the artwork.
The inspiration for LeWitt’s stripes can be traced to multiple sources, including architectural ornamentation, the precision of Renaissance fresco techniques, and even the visual language of Op Art. His striped wall drawings, such as Wall Drawing #51 (1970) and Wall Drawing #1136 (2004), explore repetition, spatial illusion, and the interaction of colour, creating immersive experiences that redefine the relationship between art and the environment.
The artists's influence can still be seen today in contemporary public art and design where his structured, colourful stripes continue to inspire new generations of artists. His work stands as a testament to the power of simple forms to create complex, visually arresting experiences proving that, in the right hands, stripes are anything but ordinary. Harry certainly agrees with that.
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On his many visits to Avignon, France, Harry has always admired Sol's Wall Drawing #1143, created in 2004 this huge work features in the contemporary art space, Collection Lambert. This work exemplifies his conceptual approach, where he provided detailed instructions for the execution of the artwork, allowing others to bring his vision to life. The piece features bold, colourful geometric patterns that transform the architectural space, engaging viewers with its vibrant interplay of form and colour. The method emphasises the idea over the physical act of creation, challenging traditional notions of authorship and craftsmanship in art. His wall drawings, including Wall Drawing #1143, continue to inspire discussions about the relationship between concept and execution in contemporary art.
It looks a perfect hotel for Harry MC, this striped landmark at Berlin Airport
Photo courtesy of Meininger Hotels.
At Berlin Brandenburg Airport, a strikingly colourful building stands out among the terminals. The Meininger hotel is wrapped in bold, vibrant stripes and is certainly a place that demands your attention. It is ideal for those planning a short stopover in Berlin as its location connects quickly to many of the best sites in the city. The hotel was designed by architects Petersen Architekten with interiors by Studio Aisslinger and there’s no doubt this particular Meininger hotel transforms a practical overnight stay into an artistic experience.
The building’s facade features horizontal steel panels coated in durable, non-flammable polyester varnished colours, creating a dynamic striped pattern reflecting the hotel groups commitment to unconventional, high-quality design. The modular panels allow for future expansion, ensuring the building remains as adaptable as many of the adventurous travellers who pass through it.
Since launching in Berlin's Meininger Street in 1999, the hotel group has redefined budget accommodation, blending the comfort of a hotel with the social energy of a hostel. Each location embraces a unique theme inspired by its surroundings and the Berlin Airport hotel’s striking striped exterior perfectly embodies this philosophy by turning a simple stopover into a visually engaging experience. And you could say that’s much like Harry’s paintings, a simple philosophy embodying a visually engaging experience.
Photo courtsey Petersen Architekten
Harry MC and Smiffy share a taste for all things stripy
Harry’s very first car was a Mini, so he has a soft spot for the brand. But as they say, time dulls the memory. Back in the day, when they were made by British Leyland, reliability was an issue. Harry's engine had four cylinders but his car often made do with just twp working. However, Mini's also had many bright spots, one being a famous 1999 design collaboration between Mini and fashion designer Paul Smith which resulted in a custom-made car featuring 86 stripes in 26  colours, while still maintaining a harmonious design aesthetic.
As he was a fashion designer, it's no surprise that the main source of inspiration for Smith came from the stripes in his own 1997 spring and summer collection. But the cars multi-colour look doesn’t end with the outside of the vehicle, this Mini Cooper was also quirky on the inside. It features splashes of colour in the form of lime green lining for both the glove compartment and the boot. And on a closer inspection you will spot that the logos on the instrument gauges, made by a British company also called Smiths, have also been altered to say “Paul Smith”.
The car was first presented at the Tokyo Motor Show where supermodel Kate Moss (who also designed a car for a Mini anniversary) was asked about the design, she described it as “very Paul Smith.” If only Harry had the spare cash for 26 pots of paint twenty years earlier Kate might have said “it’s very Harry MC”.
Harry is impressed with the stripes at Henry VIII's Hever Castle
​In the heart of the Kent countryside, where history lingers in every stone, sits Hever Castle, a place where stories of love, ambition and power are woven into the landscape. Best known as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII, Hever has stood since the 13th century, evolving from a fortified country house into a remarkable Tudor manor.
After Anne's tragic death, the castle passed through various hands, including those of Anne of Cleves, another of Henry’s wives. But it wasn’t until the early 20th century that Hever took on the appearance we know today, thanks to American millionaire William Waldorf Astor who invested heavily in restoring the castle and grounds into a horticultural masterpiece.
Among Astor’s additions were the famed Italian gardens, lakes, and lawns, that are lush and symmetrical. One of these lawns is impeccably striped and, unsurprisingly, it caught the eye of artist Harry MC on a recent visit.
The striped lawn, like so many great British traditions, is both utterly practical and slightly mad. Unlike Harry’s stripes the pattern isn’t painted, it’s an optical illusion, caused by blades of grass bending in opposite directions under the mover’s roller. Light reflects differently depending on the angle, producing alternating light and dark green stripes.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, perfect lawns were the ultimate luxury, maintained by hand using shears and scythes. They were status symbols for the wealthy but the invention of the mechanical lawnmower in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding, inspired by a cloth-cutting machine in a mill, changed everything. Striped lawns became attainable and by the Victorian era they had become a mainstay of stately homes, cricket grounds, and eventually, the suburban garden.
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As a contemporary artist, Harry MC is obsessed with stripes. He says there’s something deeply satisfying in the contrast between repetition and variation, between uniformity and spontaneity. Now he’s turned his attention to natural stripes and the layered tonalities of green found in striped grass. He’s currently working on paintings inspired by the lawns at Hever Castle, examining how shifting light, grass species, mower patterns, and even weather conditions alter the colour and mood of every stripe. From soft mossy tones to bold emeralds and silvery sages, the greens tell stories of their own. Each canvas is a quiet homage to the gardeners, the inventors and the long-forgotten landscapers who unknowingly created a modern visual language. In this latest body of work Harry invites the viewer to look again at something familiar, a striped lawn, and see it as something ancient, deliberate, and unexpectedly profound.
