Potholes Turned To Art Work

Pothole photographer transforms eyesores into works of art - including a garden, swimming pool and a chilled champagne bucket for three Davide Luciano was inspired after he damaged his car when he ran over one By Larisa Brown They are a menace on roads up and down the country. But with a touch of imagination, a few props and a handful of images, one photographer shows how unsightly potholes can be transformed into works of art. Davide Luciano has used the huge gaps in the concrete for a variety of scenes, including a deep fat fryer, a swimming pool and a spaghetti bowl. A photographer, based in New York, has been inspired to create quirky images with potholes after he damaged his car when he ran over one. Pictured is a diver diving into a 'swimming pool' pothole off a makeshift board A Baywatch babe runs towards a pothole to save a person whose hand looms out from the water A model washes clothes and kitchen appliances in a pothole designed to look like a washbasin Davide then used models to create quirky scenarios, such as a fisherman reeling in a catch and a lifeguard saving a person from drowning. Some of the images even depict people using the potholes to wash clothes, chill champagne, go scuba diving, plant flowers and crush berries.   Davide filled the potholes with real props and only used computer software programme Photoshop to alter some of the colours. His amusing pictures now sell for nearly £800 for a set of nine. Davide, 34, from New York, said: 'The idea came to life after I had sudden collision with a canyon sized crater of a pothole. A fisherman in Wellington Boots catches a fish in a pothole disguised as a pond A man uses one pothole to make his own wine, stamping on grapes in a hole to get the juice Tasty: In one image a pothole transforms into a bowl which a man enjoys eating spaghetti and meatballs from 'I decided to channel my frustration into a positive project where the useless pothole would be a source of humour and creativity. 'I attempted to visualise and incorporate potholes as everyday props and the project started as a humorous way to expose the ridiculous pothole problem. 'After creating a scene on paper, I scoured the city and located the appropriate pothole for each photograph. The images were shot in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal. Pretty makeover: A gardener makes use of the holes in the ground by filling them with soil and plants Champagne and strawberries: Three girls enjoy several bottles of bubbly, chilled in an ice bucket created from a pothole Alice in Wonderland chases after a rabbit which is about to jump into a very large black hole 'I don't use Photoshop to create the image or add props, I only use it for colour correction. 'Seeing people's reactions to my work is wonderful, mostly smiles and laughter. 'They are astonished to hear that I do not photoshop the props into the scenes, but that everything is actually set in and around the pothole.'