Do you ever feel unappreciated? Like you work yourself crazy all day only to turn something in to your boss that she either (a) doesn't need anymore or (b) doesn't even remember asking you to do? And then of course there's the old story of doing something nice for someon
e, only to have them take it for granted... "Thanks for X, but while you were there why didn't you pick up Y?" (sorry, since I started studying X and Y have become my new best friends).
Lets face it: we work hard and deserve some appreciation. That being said, you can imagine how graffiti artists must feel. Sneaking around at all hours, hiding their process, and often seeing the destruction of their work shortly after its created. Truly, some of the their work is just breathtaking. For confirmation head on over to the Wooster Collective, a great site that collects inspiring graffiti art from all over the world. The graffiti movement has been percolating underground since as long as I can remember. Now, with the advent of modern media, its been able to expand ... for instance, a recent picture
painted on the outside of a Bristol (UK) sexual health clinic has actually sparked debate among the town's citizens as to whether or not it should be removed. Mark Jenkins has added a three dimensional element to this work (seen above)... his sculptures, created with tape, have become a D.C. phenomenon!
Textual Healing (gotta love it) "uses a cell phone, a computer, and a projector to create a mobile public performance by posting a person's text messages into speech bubbles that are strategically placed on the facades of buildings." Confused? Check it out here and wait for this cool art/technology comes state-side.
The BBC has even gotten in on the act with Taggerz- an online cartoonumentary of the lives of real graffiti artists.
What's great about this kind of art is there is little room to question why people do it. They're (usually) not paid, risk possible arrest and generally don't get that much positive publicity. They do it for the love and for the art, and really, shouldn't those things be the motivating forces behind everything? Anyway, you don't take my word for it (inadvertent Reading Rainbow reference... now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head all day!) check out the Wooster Collective and see for yourself!
(thanks "G" for recommending this like 6 months ago!)
