In a previous post, I briefly mentioned an advertising phenomenon known as ‘Guerilla Marketing.’ It occurs to me that this concept might prove useful as this examination of graffiti continues. In 2005, Sony hired TATS Cru to design and carry out an advertising campaign in major cities throughout the United States. Stencil graffiti and wheat-pastes …
Author Archives: James Cockroft
Deitch’s NYC Finale? Shepard Fairey – ARTINFO.com
Deitch’s NYC Finale? Shepard Fairey – ARTINFO.com. If I had to choose between this and the Banksy film, I think I would choose the latter. And kudos to Mr. Fairey for scoring this prestigious gig and joining the company of other ‘street artists’ who have enjoyed exhibitions at Deitch. Swoon, for example.
Banksy Strikes at Sundance – Carpetbagger Blog – NYTimes.com
Banksy Strikes at Sundance – Carpetbagger Blog – NYTimes.com. I think I’d like to see this movie. . . Sounds like pretty good times, for sure.
Ephemerality and Persistence, pt. 1
Despite the persistence of paint on the walls of the caves at Altamira and Lascaux—which are over 20,000 years old—and the writing on the walls of Pompeii, graffiti is a largely ephemeral affair. The easiest surfaces to mark (sandstone, for example) are the naturally the quickest to decay. Spraypaint fades due to sunlight, automobile exhaust, …
Shepard Fairey and the API
Henry Jenkins shares an essay by Evelyn McDonnell (pt. 1, pt. 2) on Shepard Fairey and his recent and ongoing legal battles. I’ve long had some issues with Mr. Fairey, but I believe his use of the Garcia photo to create the Obama “Hope” poster falls fully within the Fair Use exemption. However, his attempts …
Graffiti Lexicon
(Note: This Glossary will expand and contract as the project continues. Check back for updates.) Cholo Writing – Gang-related writing, largely developed in and around Los Angeles by Latinos in the mid-Twentieth Century. Cholo writing continues today in much the same form as earlier epochs. Guerilla Marketing – drawings, paintings, leaflets, wheat-pastes, and other materials …
Toward a Graffiti Lexicon, part 1
“Can this have been quasi-intentional, a concerted effort to obliterate meaning by scrawling graffiti on one of the theater’s most profound texts?”[1] The above quote comes from a review of Young Jean Park’s play Lear! — a sort of reworking or reimagining of the Shakespeare play — and gives a window into the common usage …
