The Giant

password wrote:This is a cool ad. It's kinda like a Say No to Drugs ad for graffiti artists

Oh snap! Great Ad! But if graffiti is allowed to be stopped in public places than so should advertising. As long as I have to look at butt ugly images trying to sell me something then I'm going to keep coloring on walls

The problem is 9.5 out 10 pieces of graff look worse than the butt ugly ads, particularly if you throw the toy, wanna'be gangsta tags into the mix. Maybe even the coloring you do on the walls; I don't know.

Then you have the whole problem of paid advertising (in the public space) bringing in revenue (used for the public good). I bet the ad, above, is helping subsidize the cost of running the subway so your ticket probably only costs an eighth of what it should, if that. Even ads on private billboards (like the ones owned by Lamar or Clear Channel or whomever) get taxed (the revenue made from them) and the tax money is used for public services, like paying for your public education, or subsidizing the infrastructure that brought the phone line into your house that now carries your high speed DSL, and whatnot, to infinity. What do you think the actual cost of a newspaper subscription would be to you or me without paid advertising? How about network television? I bet you don't pay a dime for your city's "alternative weekly" (if you live in a city big enough to have one). Wonder why.

Look, I'm not saying graff is bad-- I think it's pretty obvious what I think of graff and street art-- I'm just saying the whole "if advertising exists, I get to do what I want where I want" argument is real frigging simplistic. Even Shepard recognizes it.

Like Shepard, I don't think paid space should have a monopoly on the public space. Maybe some of the revenue those ads bring in could subsidize public space art (it actually already does). But cities could do even more in providing legal walls and such.

And you could always just purchase paid space yourself. Then you could get your message out and help the stressed-out public coffers at the same time. I'd be happy to place the media buy for you.

the part that bothers me the most is that alot of his non-commissioned work in boston has now been covered up by paster ads. i walk past one daily that used to be a 6 foot tall half giant face, its now ads for yeah yeah yeah's new album or some garbage. shep gets charges against him, yet advertisements are cool? its a half burned down building in chinatown... id much rather see the giant then some stupid ad. there was a huge lotus that got covered up by boost mobile on atlantic too, it kills me. especially since boston has put effort into welcoming his display at the ICA. theres a 20 foot wide mural on the side of city hall, yet they slam 31 charges against him?

at lest they didnt shut down city and called in bomb squads like they did for the whole aqua teen thing.... sigh

Not sure if this was posted yet but I just saw it today and thought I would share.
http://www.knowngallery.com/blog/post/c ... for-boston

Putting out good energy for Shep. Good luck to him, he's is going to need it..

Facing all those felony's is serious sh!t, hopefully they go easy on the guy or the judge is an art fan. Its such bullish that they would do that to him when obviously he's doing well(hater's). But I guess that's the price you pay for slapping up illegal art, even though where he put it actually made those spaces look better..

Good luck to ya Shep..

QKocur wrote:

I wish Shepard good luck in court... No thanks to 29 felony counts.

Yowzers.

Skrew Boston! Write on everything twice a day!

Shep in court today. New vandalism charges surface...


http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regio ... ion=recent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

cybernigel wrote:Shep in court today. New vandalism charges surface...


http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regio ... ion=recent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What a bunch of knuckleheads.

"Police said the 38-year-old Los Angeles resident illegally posted his Obama and "Obey Giant" stickers around the city between Nov. 25 and Dec. 25.

But attorney Jeffrey Wiesner said Fairey wasn’t even in town during that time."

The Posse should be arrested then.

Maybe it never occurred to detectives in Boston that someone other than Shep Fairey might be putting up Obey stickers...hey, it's his artwork, it's his offense...

Boston PD making the whole city seem foolish and provincial.

Congrats. Boston: just a suburb of New York.

admonkey wrote:Boston PD making the whole city seem foolish and provincial.

.

Boston defiantly seems to defiantly overact, remember the Aqua teen movie ad campaign. Boston shut down over a light bright placed in public.

fdavis138 wrote:

admonkey wrote:Boston PD making the whole city seem foolish and provincial.

.

Boston defiantly seems to defiantly overact, remember the Aqua teen movie ad campaign. Boston shut down over a light bright placed in public.

i think defiance is the last thing that goes on in boston!

7 out of 17 vandalism charges dropped...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... dismissed/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Peoples attitudes in this country are very cynical and compassionless. Does anyone have a balanced view of freedoms? I have a huge fence that people or kids put there wana be gang tags on and they look like $hit. Yes this is annoying to say the least, but I remember being a youth and did stupid things my self. I did not have the experience to understand who and how I affected people with my actions, I was a kid. This helps me deal with when people do it to my property. Adults seem to forget or disregard the fact they have made mistakes and think they are perfect and treat other as if they have to be perfect.

Even though this country is filled with people who claim to be religous they act more like Darwinist, pi$$ing on everyone else and showing no compassion or acceptance for others. We would rather just throw people in jail rather than trying to understand what they are trying to say about our culture or why they do what they do.

I guess I'm too compassionate to be an American, sometimes it feels like I'm from some other place. The values that this culture has taught me are not what adults practice on a moment to moment basis. Adults act more like children than kids do, kids have an excuse they don't know any better. Whats the adults excuse?

I think these people just want to make Shepard pay for what all other so called vandals have done to their properties and he's got a target on his back because he's popular. Sorry for rambling but this $hits ridiculous..

Good luck Shep!!!

I think that the lamest comments are the ones that seem to be generic anti-graffiti remarks involving destruction of property and its consequential repair. This view fails to take into account Shepards site selection. A large number of his pieces are on dilapidated buildings that will eventually require demolition and rebuilding or on spots that are sponsored by local shopowners and totally legal. Part of the idea of his art is that it is temporary, subject to the elements, and destined to disintegrate over time. If they have a right to hate, I have right to appreciate.

kingburdy wrote: I remember being a youth and did stupid things my self. I did not have the experience to understand who and how I affected people with my actions, I was a kid. This helps me deal with when people do it to my property.

well said...

kingburdy wrote: Even though this country is filled with people who claim to be religous they act more like Darwinist,

djsp wrote:

kingburdy wrote: Even though this country is filled with people who claim to be religous they act more like Darwinist,

You know survival of the fittest..

There is no room for compassion in that type of thinking..

I'm not try to knock religion, I think its a very good thing. I just don't like people that claim to be religious and don't follow the basic rules of religion(which I interpret as just being a morally responsible and kind person) like Jesus or Martin Luther King or Gandhi or Mother Theresa anyone who sacrifices them self's for the community.

When animals survive they don' care about other animals otherwise they might not survive.

sorry this isn't the place for this, just thought I would explain my self a little more.

O.K.

that was yesterday

kingburdy wrote:
I guess I'm too compassionate to be an American, sometimes it feels like I'm from some other place. The values that this culture has taught me are not what adults practice on a moment to moment basis. Adults act more like children than kids do, kids have an excuse they don't know any better. Whats the adults excuse?

well said!! the rest too, this just particularly caught my brain.

Any new news on this subject?

Thought he was back in court on Mon?

JErikR wrote:The Posse should be arrested then.