Add Fuel is a Portugese visual artist and illustrator who reinterprets the language of traditional tile design, in particular the Portuguese ceramic azulejo (glazed tiles). His unique technique and resulting optical illusions encourage the viewer to think about the history and heritage that lies beneath the facades and pavements of our urban environment.
Hailing from a small town outside Lisbon, tiles have been a central theme to AddFuels work. From putting his own twist on the classic tiles you can see adorning Lisbon apartments to adapting and incorporating the rosemalig patterns for his piece in Stavanger, paying homage to Norways tile heritage. For his visit to Aberdeen he sought to uncover a bit of our own tile history and thanks to Jon Reid was given access to traditional victrorian tiles designs seen around Aberdeen. These formed the basis of his piece, visible from Union Bridge. The different patterns are revealed in torn layers with the colours a nod to Aberdeens own tile designs. Painted over 8 days and despite a few weather hiccups, the piece was finished on schedule. The piece was created using stencils, spray paint, masking tape and a ruler.