Lush Wall

Lush Wall, a set on Flickr.

This is the Wall of Walls as far as I am concerned ...

Community Service Announcement

I have been loathe to comment on what's been happening lately in Fitzroy because I never want to discourage anyone's creativity. I always maintain that art is an action.  So whether good, bad or indifferent the act of doing street art IS art to me.  Graff in tall places, clever placement, mass bombing: these all make me look twice.

Unfortunately lately there has been some slacking off of standards.  I won't name names, nor pass judgment on anyone reading this who may feel this is directed at them.  I therefore will not attach photos either.  But PLEEEAAAASE people.  Fitzroy built it's reputation as a street art Mecca on the back of hard work.  Exacting work.  Think, among hundreds of others, of  HaHa, Everfresh, Awol, Aeon, Tres, iKool, TV Crew, Ghost Patrol and Miso, Lister.  These people are Giants. They made our reputation.

So with apologies for my arrogant opinion, condescension and paternalistic take, I implore every enthusiastic participant in the New World Order to:

1.  Stop pasting over other people's work - be it throw ups, pieces, or legendary stickers such as Ghost Patrol.  It pisses everyone off.

2.  Use good wheatpaste. No-one wants to look at creases or watch a paste up half hanging on a wall.

3.  Only put your good stuff up.  Say something, reflect, opine.  Give something.

4.  Look at a wall before tagging it to determine if any respect is due.

5.  Learn the history and context your work, today, is positioned within.

Thanks for allowing this self indulgent community announcement.  I have said it and now I will move on.  I still live to observe everything new that comes along.  I embrace the evolution of Fitzroy.  I just fear it's demise!

Graff

This post is for the Graffers.  Flies Crew-F1(skary, Aeon, Tres, Histo, ikool, fact...I am gonna dedicate a post to these guys), Awol, BNF, SDM...Snez, Varsone, and everyone in between.  They are the backdrop of our laneways, the substance of the street.  A piece well executed can begin a space.  A tag well crafted becomes a welcome stranger.  They really are the Cornish Rex of public art: alive today and direct descendants of the early crews that started our compulsion for self expression on the street.

I have nothing to say

There is a poem by John Cage that comes into my head from time to time.  There are a heap of bloggers who talk about it.  Here is one.  So anyway it is called 14 variations on 14 words.  That is me today.
Here I have 14 images and they are art and I am saying it.
I am it and saying I have 14 art images here and are they?
They are 14 images saying art and I have it and I am here.
...okay this is too hard.