Taki 183, Fab Five Freddy ... GRANDMA?!
You may never find your grandmother wearing a hoodie armed with a can of Krylon on the streets. But that doesn't mean you can't take cues from her for the latest in street art.
Alternative methods of graffiti that involve knitting, cleaning, and gardening are questioning the definition of graffiti -- and taking it to the next level. Instead of defacing, these methods enhance or reface public space. They're providing new ways to make statements in public, whether for ads, social commentary, or art.
Grandma would be proud.
Check out these artists who are taggin' like grandma:
KNITTA
WEB SITE: http://www.knittaplease.com/
The Knitta crew strikes again! (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of Knitta/Photo by William Anthony)
Bringing new meaning to the phrase "knitting circle," Knitta is a knitting crew tagging cities around the world with their urban cozies.
The crew started in August 2005, hoping to turn their frustration over unfinished knitting projects like baby blankets and scarves into "bombing" their hometown of Houston, Texas, with warm-and-fuzzy works of art. Their first act was to stitch a purple cozy on a store's door handle.
Since then the group has been able to wrap fire hydrants, trees, utility poles, and more in places like Hollywood, Paris, New York and even the Great Wall of China. Attached calling cards exclaim, "Knitta, Please!" with the crew's MySpace page.
The crew is currently seven members strong, diverse in age, occupation and background. And yes, even a 73-year-old grandmother is part of the crew -- though she doesn't go out tagging at night.
Knitta has not gotten in trouble with the authorities since the knitted cozies can be easily taken off.
So what's in store in the future? If one day the Reichstag is wrapped in a pink, blue, and green-striped cozy, it won't be because of Christo.
Inspired to start your own Knitta crew? Here's how-to make a car antenna cozy:
What you need:yarn; size 10 or 11 knitting needles; needle and thread
1. Cast on 7 stitches
2. Knit 7 to 30 inches worth of rows
3. Cast off
4. Crochet or sew the patch closed lengthwise
5. Tag by slipping it on a car antenna
MOOSE
WEB SITE: http://www.symbollix.com/
The writing on the wall -- or rather the cleaning on the street. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of moose)
If you abide by the saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness," then reverse graffiti, or clean tagging, might be for you.
Inspired by seeing people write their names with their fingers on the dirty tunnel walls in his hometown of Leeds, England, Paul Curtis (aka Moose) does graffiti by cleaning dirt off surfaces rather than painting on them.
He does graffiti for his own artistic expression, as well as for advertisements for companies including Microsoft, Zero, and Channel 4, using both his freehand drawing skills and stencils.
In doing so, Moose cheekily works in a legal gray area. Though he is taking off layers of dirt, paint, and city grime, some authorities still see his work as vandalism and he has gotten in trouble with the police and the Leeds City Council in the past.
But it's hard to charge someone with cleaning; Moose sees his work as enhancing the city's landscape and himself as a "pioneering environmental artist."
Moose was hoping to start a trend with this "legal graffiti" but as of yet it hasn't really caught on. But if knitting can become hip, cleaning can't be too far off.
Start a clean tagging movement. Here's a how-to:
What you need: water, shoe brush, stencil
1. Find a really grimy wall or sidewalk.
2. Tape the stencil to the wall or sidewalk.
3. Use the shoe brush with water to scrub the open areas in the stencil.
4. When you're happy with the level of cleanliness, lift up the stencil.
GUERRILLA GARDENERS
WEB SITE: http://www.publicspace.ca/gardeners.htm
Bombing the city with nature. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of Guerrilla Gardeners)
With trowel and watering can in hand, the Guerrilla Gardeners of Toronto, Canada vandalize the city with nature.
Taking inspiration from Liz Christy, who started the first community garden in New York in the 1970s, the group plants at night in unauthorized public spaces to fight urban blight. Evidence of their "seed-bombing" can be found in sidewalk edges, abandoned lots, and parking lot corners around Toronto.
Their planting is motivated by the bleak city landscape and frustration over the lack of opportunity to garden there. Green-thumbs of the city unite to reclaim the urban space and offer their neighbors a morning surprise.
Here's how-to start your own guerrilla garden:
What you need: seeds of drought-tolerant, nontoxic, non-allergenic plants (Learn about them
here ); garbage bags (preferably biodegradable); digging tools; soil; water
1. Research plants that are suitable for your local environment.
2. Look for abandoned brown spaces like parking lot corners, sidewalk edges and planters. Choose a space that is on your daily path to make sure you can easily monitor the progress and health of your garden.
3. Do some tidying of your chosen space to allow for planting.
4. Consider the soil of your space and determine if you need to add fresh soil or compost.
5. Bring your seeds or plants, tools, and materials to your space and start digging.
Jacky Myint is an asap interactive designer.
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