Street art - as it happens

[john neal]

I was out for a stroll around the Northern Quarter with my newly acquired M6 yesterday - giving the body and CV35 f2.5 a workout. I came across a young Spanish artist in the act of completing a very impressive piece of street art. (I have mislaid the paper with his name on it - will add that later).

He had been comissioned to produce the first photo-realistic mural in Manchester, and was being helped in this by the guys at Factory 311 (see www.factory311.com ). I shot a few frames and went back this morning with my Canon 50mm f1.4 fitted to check out the finished job.

The Factory311 folks are trying to get the city council on board for a larger programme of street art. They want to educate both the council and local kids to try to cut down the amount of random "tagging" and get better quality artworks a legal place on city buildings. I sincerely hope that they get the backing they deserve.

Here are 3 frames of the work in progress:

 

[john neal]

Here is the finished product, 35mm and 50mm views.

Froma couple of blocks away, this really stands out and grabs the attention - it is the only piece of colour in an otherwise fairly drab urban scene.

 

[photogdave]

What a cool idea! please post more of this as you find it. I hope a program like this becomes more widespread. Just be careful if you ever try and photograph something like this in London! 😉

 

[Sparrow]

What a cool idea! please post more of this as you find it. I hope a program like this becomes more widespread. Just be careful if you ever try and photograph something like this in London! 😉

Careful or this one will go down the memory hole to off topic. 😉

The finished artwork is excellent, but it lacks the rebellious nature, the edginess, of the real thing. Don’t get me wrong I hate to see the environment spoiled by random daubes but I know places where the graffiti is an improvement, and some of it is of an extraordinary high standard. The organized version seems a bit tame in comparison.

 

[chambrenoire]

Isn't street art all about doing it unlawfully? Like graffiti.

 

[jan normandale]

umm... okay I'll add a couple of comments here. Tagging is not graf. Graf is not street art. Street art is usually legal. Also many graf artists do 'street art' for commercial entities like Fido and Apple.

Graf can be legal. Tagging is almost always illegal. There is a huge debate in Toronto about "Graf" most people cannot distinguish any of these three.. they all look the same to most people. Surprising but true.

Lots of walls and the graf I have in folders here is legal, that way it stays up. The writers usually get oral and sometimes written permission from owners to the wall. Some writers began as taggers and moved on. Most 'graf' appears in various degrees of artistic levels from outright beginner to sophisticated.

Here's one sophisticated piece, by Artchild and Slon two well known Toronto writers.

 

[john neal]

Jan,

Thanks for the input - I know a lot of people struggle with the terminology (me too, until your recently enlightened me).

I don't care for tagging at all, and feel it should stay illegal. As for Graf, there are some stunning pieces around - witness your example. A great juxtaposition of ideas and very well crafted. Definitely art.

The one I shot was also art, and I was running no risk as it was a sanctioned (well, pretty much) event. I was surprised that, in half an hour, only two people showed enough interest to talk to the writer - and one of them was me.

I don't want to disappear down the rabbit hole of off topic, so will halt my defence there. having said all of that, this is an important event for budding Graf/street art writers in Manchester - it's the first photoreal piece (a coming trend, apparently) and it is an attempt to change the way that Graf/street art is viewed by everybody.

As Jan noted these writers also do work for big corporations, which is where the factory311 guys come in - they are looking to facilitate between writers, local authorities and the business community. This writer is now in LA to produce his next piece, also organised by Factory 311, also with a loose commission, also to continue the exploration of the theme of "things you remember from childhood". If nothing else, this could serve as inspiration for a photo essay on the same topic.

Oh, yes - the writer's name is Belin, he has a website at www.belinurbanart.com - he interchangeably uses the terms Graf and street art.

 

[Sparrow]

I’m pretty sure this guy hasn't got Arts Council funding, but for me this is art in it’s best form; direct communication. Like it or not this chap”s need to speak to the public is great enough to steal the materials and risk arrest in it’s execution. This art is in the subways, cave painting for the 21st century perhaps, so the artist isn't on CCTV I expect. I think it’s “good” art, and I'm sure many disagree, so as I also don’t want this one to go down the hole too so I’ll shut up now.

PS that 12mm take a cracking photo or what?

BIG version

P.S. there's half a mile of that in those subways

 

[jan normandale]

John and Stewart, we might be a 'crowd of three' ;D

Here's the link to a writer who's work is recognized and is now doing full installations. Go to the 'commissions' tab and the click on image number 8. this is a commission for an interior wall at a hydro electric plant. The Europeans are utilizing this 'school' of art into its cultural mix. Stores, offices and exterior architectural accents for buildings. The responses to this type of work in North America are far less accepting than in Europe. Like all art, one has to be able to distinguish good from bad. Few champion these artists in North America.

This is a recount of an actual meeting I had while photographing in Toronto.

A woman stopped and asked me why I was recording some graf under a bridge. She called it vandalism. I told her I liked the quality of the work and if it was smaller I'd buy it and put it on a wall at home. This stopped her for a moment so I asked her if she thought about what was involved to make this piece I was photographing. I proceeded to account the fact that first the writer has to work and earn money in order to purchase his paint, caps, and find a place to do the work that is'nt already taken. Then he has to spend several days sketching the image to transfer to the site. Finally the preparation of the wall, and the actual writing that makes the piece. I asked her if she would be prepared to spend that much personal money and time for a piece of art that most people in the city would never see and could not be sold. Basically it was a work of art for art's sake.

I was surprised by her answer. She said she'd never thought of it in that manner and now she was going to think some more about graf and not dismiss it out of hand as vandalism. That's the only time I've had a response like that. Still it gives me hope because she may rethink her view about this style of art .

 

[Sparrow]

link

 

[jan normandale]

this is graf

 

[jan normandale]

If you want to get an idea of what is happening and the confusion surrounding this whole area, go to this LINK and you can see/read what is happening in Toronto.

 

[john neal]

Jan,

Thanks for the image and link - very interesting. There is some very good Graf there, but something af a dual-standard approach by the city.

I have not been to Toronto since the early 90's, and don't remember seeing much then (could be me). Equally, I don't recall the city being plastered with advertising over much, although the retail boom was starting to grow in momentum - several new malls had recently opened (IIRC).

What did impress me about Toronto was that everyone seemed to get along so well. there are so many different ethnic groups, but there was hardly any trouble, and I never felt threatened walking around late at night. In fact, the only other city where I have ever had the same sort of feeling was Sidney, but even there the aboriginals got it in the neck - not something I recall from Toronto.

Maybe it's time for a change in city hall?

 

[angeloks]

Two from Montreal.

1.

2.

 

[john neal]

Julian,

I particularly like the first one - a lot of skill has gone into that to get the shading right.


I just took another walk around the Northern Quarter and stumbled across a Magma bookstore - an absolute treasure trove of books on street art - they even have a live demo this Saturday by one of the respected local artists. Shame I have a prior engagement. Some great books in there - particularly one by Juergen Buss (I think) called "Urban Art Photography" (the work photography is crossed out to emphasise the pont).

 

[JeffGreene]

Here's some non-graf related street art commissioned to celebrate Phoenixville, PA's steel-making past.

 

[john neal]

Jeff,

Wow! That could almost be the People's Republic of Phoenixville! Great street art - we should encourage this sort of thing.

 

[JeffGreene]

I agree, John, there's definitely a Leningradesque feel to it. Hey, what should we expect! It celebrates the glorification of the proletariat! Interestingly, someone did mention to me that the creator was a fan of Russian proletarian art. 🙄

I've always enjoyed it. It's painted on the wall of a former steel processing plant.

🙂

 

[JeffGreene]

Love that Russian proleatarian influence! Let's not forget, just down the street is the movie theater where the 1950's cult classic, "The Blob" was made. We have a celebration every year here, where people get to run screaming out of the movie theater.

 

[jan normandale]

Love that Russian proleatarian influence! Let's not forget, just down the street is the movie theater where the 1950's cult classic, "The Blob" was made. We have a celebration every year here, where people get to run screaming out of the movie theater.

Jeff when's the next "celebration of the Blob"?

Julien/angeloks, I understand there is an active graf scene in Montreal. Do you track it?