The mosaics

If you’ve got a sharp eye, you might have noticed small mosaics dotted around Clermont-Ferrand’s walls. Turn around and look at the building behind you—you’re seeing work by the city’s most famous street artist. This colorful piece is a Space Invader, inspired by the classic 1978 arcade game where players shoot down alien characters just like this one. The creator, who goes by the name “Invader,” has been installing these distinctive mosaics since 1996. His project, aptly called “The Invasion,” has truly lived up to its name—these playful aliens now appear on walls in over 170 cities worldwide, with more than 4,200 installations to date. This French artist has gained international recognition by creating what he calls a “planetary invasion” that cleverly connects video games with real life, merging pixel art with traditional mosaic techniques.  So while you’re exploring the city, keep your eyes up — and if you want to go hunting for more of these aliens, you can even download the Flash Invaders app tracking them as you find them. Whenever you spot one of these little pixelated characters, you can be sure it’s the work of this iconic street artist. But Invader isn’t the only one to have left his mark on the walls of Clermont. Walk a little further, and at the next intersection, just a few meters ahead, look straight ahead above the sign for Rue Grégoire de Tours. There you’ll see another mosaic — a man named Grégoire, framed by two towers. This one was created by Mifamosa, another French urban artist. He’s not as well known as Invader, but his work can be found in about twenty cities in France. He’s created over 300 mosaic plaques, each one illustrating the name of the street where it’s placed. For example, in Clermont, you might spot a mosaic of the Statue of Liberty on Avenue des États-Unis — or a cone of fries in Lyon to match the street name — Boulevard des Belges. So yes, mosaics really are everywhere in Clermont — and not just from these two artists! There are at least three others who’ve contributed to the city’s colorful streets: an artist known as Stork, whose signature pieces feature these elegant birds; Hanimalé Moz, who creates all kinds of quirky monsters; and In the Woup, who features Mario — in costume!