I’m continually blown away by human creativity. Watch for exhibit A.

Via Wooster

Give it to Banksy, he is the master of ironic juxtaposition. Trouble is, it’s one thing to be provacative and challenging as an outsider, it’s another to live with the output, i.e. the community is going to deal with the consequences of this kind of provocation. Could an image like this stir up enough hatred and anger to cause real physical violence? Hard to say because we’re not there to see what happens. Everything has a context, even street art.

Via Wooster.

Nike now allows you to photograph a street scene with your cellphone, which then can be uploaded to create a customized show based on the colors of your image, completing a curious cycle from street to the factory (god knows where and under what conditions) and then sent back you for more street action. This is hard to classify because it’s a hybrid of corporate DIY injected with street culture. Given that Nike is really an image company more than a maker of shoes (the company produces advertising, the shoes are made elsewhere), this seems to be another effort gain street cred by remediating the street (as is the case of incorporating new, extreme sports into its campaigns). Now, it would be fun to see shoes made with the colors of sweatshop walls!

By Blu

Via Wooster

Technorati Tags: blu

File this one under WTF. Adidas finds a safe rebellion to latch onto to give it some street cred by creating a little action movie about rebel gardeners with GPS, night vision and an assortment of other TV crime show devices. Notice the quasi-’70s-era bongo suspense music. Thing is, gardens take nurturing, building and developing their niches, in other words, an ecological context. Additionally, what about starting a *community* garden? In this case I at least hope once they plant these beautiful set pieces that someone will water them!

Sadly, as much as I think guerrilla gardening is a cool action worth promoting, the ad is so trite and contrived I think most that would potentially be inspired by the idea will see through Adidas’ ploy as yet another tactic to equate fashion with revolution. Rather than pass itself off as a device for urban rebellion, just sell the damn product for what it is: a shoe! And stop pretending your dumb-ass sneakers are a tool for social transformation.
Still in case you are enthused, here’s a link to a nonpartison group, Guerilla Gardening, which may inspire you to do your own action (with or without corporate sponsorship).

And not to disappoint, there are a number of DIY books on how to start your own urban (gardening) revolution:

“On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries” (Richard Reynolds)

“Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto” (David Tracey)

“Guerrilla Gardening: How to Create Gorgeous Gardens for Free” (Barbara Pallenberg)

I beautiful little documentary about a great artist who creates urban portraits in chalk.

via Wooster Colletive

Banksy strikes again. One criticism though – with a diet like that I doubt his body would be so fit!

(Via +KN | Kitsune Noir » Banksy’s New Fast Food Caveman)

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“muck on ludlow”

But I like this one the best:

“unknown, nolita”

Technorati Tags: streetsy

Some photos documenting my obsession with street art. This set is from the streets of Rome.