Paperboy

about Rich McCor

Rich McCor uses intricate paper cut-outs to transform some of the world’s most recognisable holiday destinations into amazing artworks. Starting from his city, he has turned things like the London Eye or the Trafalgar Square lions respectively into a bicycle and some playful kittens. Then, he has turned his hand to converting global hotspots like Hong Kong, Singapore, Nanjing, Val d’Isere, New York and Las Vegas, with nothing more than some paper and a pair of scissors to create his silhouettes.

“My first idea was using a cut-out to transform Big Ben into a wristwatch. Whilst I was there, a girl and her father took an interest in what I was doing and I showed them the photo on my camera screen. They were full of enthusiasm for the idea, and it spurred me on to do more“.

Rich owes a lot of his success to Instagram. He was looking for an account that stood out against the selfies, pictures of dinner and hot dog legs. What started out as a nice hobby, soon became a real job when one day Lonely Planet contacted Rich because they liked what he did and wondered if he wanted to create some photos for them. Of course he said yes, and it led him to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris. He admits crafting some of the paper cut outs can be both therapeutic and tedious at times, he has some nifty tools which help him make the process less fiddly than it looks.

“It’s been great to transform familiar sights into something different and it’s even more fun watching people’s reactions when they see my photos. I really enjoy it when other tourists come up to me and ask what I’m doing. When I show them the photo their faces go through a transition of confusion, to smiling and then laughing“.