Yes!
A creative and slightly subversive (in the best way) guy known as Moose extrapolated the idea of writing "Wash Me" or drawing a smiley face in the dust on a car and started a new urban guerilla art movement, known as 'clean tagging' or 'grime writing'...
The idea is that the dirt and soot on city surfaces - buildings, tunnel walls, pavements, bus shelters, for example - are cleaned away to create a work of art... that lasts only until the grime re-accumulates. Very cool.
I came across this via the wonderfully talented Sakura Snow who recently posted some amazing pictures of Amsterdam graffiti, here and here.
I do understand the impulse to graffiti although I understand too that it's not always appropriate or appreciated. I still love how clever and skillful (and often beautiful) some of it is. But I love this idea of cleaning to make a mark, instead of painting or drawing on surfaces, even more. I also love that it's ephemeral in the way that drawing on a sidewalk with chalk is. Very cool.
And if we have the impulse to graffiti but aren't brave enough to tackle public surfaces, we can always stick to drawing in the dust on the car...
Oh, looks like Vermeer did it too. Very cool.
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7 comments:
this is the type of graffiti I would love on or in my home...thank you for sharing.
This is amazing - I love it and also the idea behind it! I am wondering if the artist ever agonizes about spending time and creating something beautiful that is so transient?
gosh...i love this drawing made on the car...with dust ?
and what's funny is that i watched the "young girl with the pearl" last night
PRETTY graffiti!
WOW! This is so cool! How clever, and also beautiful.
mrs.french - me too! And believe me, there's plenty of dust around sometimes for me to try it out in... :)
anairam - I wonder? It reminds me a little bit of what it's like building a sand castle... I used to love doing that and spent hours making the castle and decorating it elaborately with things found on the beach. Even though I knew it wouldn't last. And I didn't mind. Maybe it feels like that to him too?
m.c.i.s - oh I love that movie! Loved the book and I thought the movie caught the sparse style of Tracy Chevalier's writing and the visual sense of Vermeer so well. So much about what wasn't said. Did you enjoy it?
fifi flowers - so pretty isn't it?
sara christine - I agree! I'm always in awe of how clever people are and how creatively and beautifully they express it if they chose to.
What a positive way to deface the environment!
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