20 crate men storm the roof of the
QPAC as part of the
Brisbane Festival.
artist: Cornelius Brown Collective
location: Brisbane,
Australia
There seems to have been a lot of debate over the legality of street art in the past few
months years, but mostly the debate comes down to a struggle to reconcile the historic objection to artists appropriating public space with an ever-increasing public enthusiasm for artists appropriating public space. It's funny to think that while some artists are being
jailed for their art, some cities are actively competing for street art festivals & exhibits.
Antony Gormley's Event Horizon is a great example of an enlightened approach; public & private organizations worked together to make it happen (the official guide even includes an introduction from Mayor Bloomberg), and it's hard to argue that it can have done anything other than benefit local culture & business.
The sculptures themselves are casts of Gormley's body; there are 31 of them on buildings around Madison Square Park. It's fun and surprising as you start to spot them, and then they're strangely enigmatic - sometimes they feel quite ominous, sometimes quite friendly.
"The ambition is to make people visually aware of their own surroundings and the skyline above their heads."
The exhibit runs until August 15;
details here.
artist: Antony Gormley
location: Madison Square Park,
NYC
Steve Powers/ ESPO, with the help of 'the youth of West Philadelphia' is painting a love letter through Philadelphia (from 63rd to 45th) via huge signs. Follow the project on the
'A Love Letter' blog:
"A Love Letter meant for one but with meaning for all."
"After I stopped writing my name on stuff, I made a lateral move into sign painting. The materials were essentially the same, (enamel on metal), the colors were similar,( bold and garish are best) but the effect was totally different. When you paint graffiti, you are an outsider that is broadcasting your signal to the center of the community. When you paint a sign, you are broadcasting from the center of the community to the periphery. Graffiti is a youth testing out a microphone, Signs speak into the mike eloquently and with authority."
See
more by Steve Powers.
artist: Steve Powers / ESPO
location: Philadelphia
