Art
i dont know how yall feel about stencil art. i feel as though lately it’s real annoying. everyone and their moms is doing it. i appreciate the fact that art is finding a way to be seen, but if youre going to do it, come correct. art students, political activists, art fags alike have been defacing my community with stencil work. the thing is that the stencils are really bland. all of them see to be some random guys face. the dark has been pretty creative with his work, i give it up to him. another creative person is someone i will call ‘cobra’. he/she has taken the icon of ‘cobra’ from g.i. joe and supPOSedly used his hands to apply the stencil. im not sure if it’s even a stencil, it’s real sloppy… ill go out and try to find a picture of it.
the VPD has recently(late 2007) combined with artists to promote their anti vehicle theft campaign, bait car. i thought the idea was clever. it combined stencil art and a message to deter wouldbe criminals. some people thought it was a disgrace to stencil ‘artists’ aka “the man is using our creative rebellion to promote some corporate agenda”. i kind of agree with that statement but they did it in a nice way.
here is a video of someone buffing the work. while they were buffing the work some passerby stops by to ask why they are covering it. i want to ask the same question… heres what is in the description of the video:
The Vancouver Police have been using graffiti inspired stencils in a fear-mongering campaign agaisnt car theft. Given the aggresive graffiti paint out program run by the City and VPD it seemed like a bit of a contradiction to use “crime” to fight crime. The only thing left was to follow their outstanding example.
here is the video
i also found some other interesting stencil work. this time its for a government official. a USA presidential candidate of the republican party, Ron Paul. here is an excerpt from the new york times:
Ron Paul’s Graphics Revolution
In addition to the stickers and buttons produced by his campaign, the Web is full of independent artists and designers — professional and amateur alike — who have contributed unofficial graphics to what is known among his supporters as the “Ron Paul Revolution.” (See banksyforum.com, isupportronpaul.com, libertyposter.org, voteronpaul.com and zazzle.com.)
What is intriguing about this fervent grassroots response is how graphic styles designed to appeal to a youthful constituency have been built around Representative Paul’s grandfatherly appearance. Even some of the stylized poster portraits look more like those found on souvenir T-shirts commemorating someone’s retirement, or “the world’s best dad,” than a political icon. Nonetheless the passion behind such an outpouring of good, bad and kitschy art and design cannot be ignored. So I tracked down a few of the artists and asked them to explain their work.
Courtesy of Derek ShumateDerek Shumate, an artist and graphic designer from Houston, produced a stenciled, spray-painted, all-text poster. Mr. Shumate told me that his enthusiasm for Representative Paul’s campaign triggered what he calls “subversive imagery and action.” He explained that his street art aesthetic was the best approach because it could reach more people than traditional materials.
“I’m also big into handmade goods,” he added. “I think that they are more genuine and touching.”
This stencil and spray paint method is commonly used by guerrilla poster makers to advertise performances, say, by a punk rock band. But Mr. Shumate insists his poster was not targeted toward any particular group. “I just wanted to make a big, bold and unique image so that when people catch a glimpse of it, they can’t ignore it.”
Mr. Shumate’s design scheme is actually an alternative spin on conventional campaign posters, but photographer Dave Lamarand’s more refined photographs of his pregnant wife with the slogan “Ron Paul for Her Future” drawn on her belly and a man with two automatic pistols tucked into his pants, with the words “Ron Paul” and “Right to Bear Arms” on his forearms, is more daring.
Courtesy of Dave LamarandMr. Lamarand says he was inspired by Ron Paul’s message of limited government and has done everything possible to help spread the word. About the pregnant image, he explains, “I felt that parents would be able to relate.” And about the “right to bear arms” photo, he notes, “I wanted to have someone armed, but also look respectable to show that it’s not crazy or wrong in any way to own guns.”
Mr. Lamarand, who lives in St. Clair Shores, Mich., also helped create a 50-foot, handpainted Tyvek sign with the slogan “Ron Paul Revolution” (where the letters “evol” are reversed to read “love”). The sign was hung across overpasses outside of Detroit.
Another of Ron Paul’s army of artists is Atlanta painter Randy Blain, who has produced a number of highly detailed limited edition prints for the “cause.” In response to what he called the “propaganda machine against Ron Paul,” he decided to make illustrations based on vignettes of American history and produced a “counter-propaganda piece.” His “Liberty’s Shield” poster is copied from a World War One poster.
Talking about the network of artists working for Representative Paul, Mr. Blain says, “We are a bunch of like-minded individuals, who care about the virtues of freedom and liberty, and what that means to the continued success of America. The grassroots knew it was up against a propaganda campaign set squarely against us. We knew our job was to break that stranglehold and what better weapon than art, music, video and media distribution?”
Video
so even though i dont have an xbox or ps3 or wii right now im still pretty excited about the new GTA that is coming out next month. i do know someone that has one so i might have to make the shitty seabus trip out to his crib. action packed with explosions, hoes, guns, money and drugs, GTA IV looks like something that i would never finish but play again and again wasting time instead of doing school work…
i did manage to set up my roomates new/used tv. it’s bigger than our last one… pretty amazing infact. old TVs are SO BIG. not only is the screen large the fricken backside is HUGE!!! i was surprised it fit onto our tiny TV stand. once i hooked that up i set up the sega and played some NBA jam. i realized why i never really got into sport games, because i sucked at the game unless it was on the easiest mode. now get me hooked up with some RPGs and it’s on. shouts out to FFVII!
so a couple hits of a blunt and half a pizza later the soundtrack for NBA jam was driving me crazy. had to turn it off and watch zodiac. pretty weird to think about those people who kill for whatever reason and get away with it never to be found. id say thats impressive. sick and scary, but impressive.
Tags: art, cobra, graffiti, ron paul, stencil, the dark, vpd
