An interesting response to graffiti that I've seen around Philly is called yarn bombing. You might've seen it around, or heard of it by now! As a knitter I'm particularly interested in this phenomenon. Below is a link to a website of user submitted photos from Philly. I think this form of "vandalism" or taking of public space is more accepted/ less threatening than graffiti because it seems more temporary/removable and also because it can be quite charming. Admittedly, I've done a bomb or two myself. Thoughts?
www.http://crochetguevara.com
Very cool! On the subject of contemporary graffiti, here's a link to a TED talk that I really love. It's about this French graffiti artist (mostly working in wheat pasted photography) and his socially-and-politically-motivated street art that he creates in towns and cities around the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html
I like this video because 1. I love his work, 2. it speaks to how other countries (in this case France) have adopted this part of hip hop culture, and 3. it's a great example of how today's graffiti often has a strong social message or theme.
I love the knitting! I'd be happy to have such a form of public art in my neighborhood. Someone did a beautiful job of painting one of the big trash containers on Lombard and it looks great. I guess I could say that unlike much graffiti, I think the knitting is better art. But maybe that's just my taste.
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