I woke up yesterday to a couple new neighbors all up in my bricks. The throwup on the left has been there for months… but what’s this new hat thing?
Following a short stroll around the neighborhood in the crazy gorgeous weather, I found a couple more. Oh. I see now.
They’re lil’ cross-armed bird goblin thug thingys.
I approve.
*UPDATE!*
Found another one, on the side of my apartment building— sure if it went up at the same time, or if it was a separate installment… probably the same night.
Colin
March 15, 2010 at 3:39 pmHmm…This always gets me. I like this example, and good street art can definitely be an improvement to a good number of barren industrial/commercial spots. But it always inspires an absolute fuckton of really shitty, seemingly malicious tagging that goes all over properly pretty buildings (witness Bristol). Plus I’d be pissed if I were the owner of the supermarket in the first picture. I’m sure that guy isn’t “the man” and that’s just not considerate. I don’t think self-expression trumps consideration of your neighbors.
megh
March 16, 2010 at 2:30 pmYeah, it is tricky, Colin. I go back and forth on some of it… too often it comes down to personal ideas and often arbitrary distinctions of what is aesthetically pleasing and what’s plain pathetic yobbery (and to many, it’s all gang hooliganism). The tag? piece? thing? above in question, I like it. It’s silly. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be intimidating, I find it cute as hell. But I’m sure many don’t (the one on the beige wall, at Hai Nguyen, has already been painted over).
One thing I really like about street art, “vandalism” / disrespectful to small business owners or not, is it reclaims public space. The side of a building may be private property, but we all still gotta put our eyes on it, including the advertisements and signage everywhere. If businesses have a “right” to market to me just ’cause I’m walking down the street, I think regular citizens should also be able to express themselves and insert their presence within the city (more than their walking through it and buying shit now and again).
Lil crossarmed chickadees don’t say to me “scourge of the city,” they say “Hey, hi! we’re here! this is our neighborhood, too!” It’s not a social ill, to me social ill is the absence of actual people, of allowing city planners and commercial enterprises to determine what a community is all about. Graffiti (especially when artful and thoughtful) gives a neighborhood personality and presence, just as much as a flowerbed and hella more than “McD’s Monopoly is BACK!”
Is this sometimes disrespectful? Yeah, sure, especially if businesses are penalized by the city for not cleaning up paint. But I think “inconsideration” in terms of visual aberration/art is a matter of perspective.
Bree
March 16, 2010 at 2:52 pmTagging is ridiculous and childish.
Gabe
March 22, 2010 at 1:45 pmNot necessarily.
Bree
March 23, 2010 at 8:37 pmGenerally.
epilektric
March 29, 2010 at 10:42 amI like “Lil crossarmed chickadees”! It’s more interesting than the boring baseball cap I see when looking at it.
afiler
March 31, 2010 at 11:54 amI like picturing it as an unplugged toaster with its cord sitting in front.
megh
March 31, 2010 at 11:58 amHat / baseball cap, that’s all I could see for the longest time. Toaster oven might be a stretch, Filer… though I can kinda see it with the Nguyen Supermarket (beige wall) rendition.