Obama graffiti has been all over the District since the inauguration, but lately we’ve been seeing those star stencils with “51″ inside them appearing everywhere too. An interesting appeal for DC statehood and, of course, voting representation in the Senate. Here’s a closer image of the stencils from Flickr user michaelramallah.
Had to pull out an old photo for today’s post… I see this tag all over the place, but it always makes me smile.
I have long been a fan of Shepard Fairey’s OBEY GIANT campaign. His campaign of Phenomenolgy started ~20 years ago and in this time Shepard has grown to be a highly established and respected artist. Obama’s iconic “HOPE” image was Shepard’s doing. As I go around the city day to day I always keep my eyes peeled for a new sticker, poster, or stencil. Just this morning I found one on a crosswalk light at Logan Circle; it made me smile.
His syndicated “brand” can be found all over the world creating a common visual thread that can be easily recognized by those looking for it. Around the election Shepard visited DC and did a number of great pieces. Shepard’s work and it’s reproduction by his supporters world wide is meant to draw to question the rights of governments and corporations to control our visual landscape. By creating simple, recognizable, iconic images that can be easily mass produced the OBEY campaign aims at provoking us to think critically about the messages that are being subconsciously instilled in us everyday through mass marketing and media. In high school I contributed to the urban visual intervention by printing OBEY stickers for me and my skateboarding pals.
As his work has developed Shepard’s art has gotten more and more complex and increasingly takes on tough politcal issues such as immigration reform, and the child soldier crisis in struggling countries around the world. Watch the video HERE to get a better feel for the artists’ process, skill, and vision.
The photo above was taken at the site of the flea market at Florida Ave/U Street with my Olympus XA.
Some graffiti near Mt. Vernon Square…
You know, I don’t think I have ever paid for a newspaper from a box like this. I’ve certainly picked up the free copy of the Washington Post Express, but that’s about it. A generational thing, maybe? My pop bought probably thousands of newspapers on his way to work into DC every day, for years. I think it’s an interesting thing to consider, now that print media is dwindling and online sites are the primary sources. What is your #1 news source?
albus cavus (who we have written about before and is generaly awesome) is doing the painting of Eatonville, the yet to be opened restaurant on 14th St….
…Eatonville is owned by Andy Shallal of Busboys & Poets fame. B&P is named after Langston Hughes (the “busboy poet” from his time at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1930’s). Eatonville is named after renouned author Zora Neale Hurston (Eatonville was the Florida city where she grew up). Hurston is a graduate of Howard University and is best known for “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”…
…various artists (w/the occasional little kid spray paint helper) are busy completing all of the artworks that will adorn Eatonville’s walls…
…artists are working in a variety of styles…using stencils w/hand detailing for what looks to be a Warholesque series,…
…some with ladders in precarious positions….
…HERE is a site about the events that they are hosting this weekend in the space (party on Friday and public viewing on Saturday). Check it out!
A large mural was installed in Adams Morgan that is in protest of clean coal technology. I assume that this is the product of the “This is Reality” group which have recently had a significant advertising presence in the metro. While I have not had a chance to do much reading on either side of this issue I really like the little dead canary logo that The Reality Coalition came up with so that is cool in my book. This particular mural features Ghandi, gas masks, and a group of anonymous workers.
The blurry (potentially headache inducing) affect is from my handi-dandi Lensbaby.
Perseverance dominates agony. Do you agree?
New Obama graffiti is popping up all over the city, this one on U. Street. I found a photo of the same by Flickr user voteprime. Apparently it’s a poster that is glued to the brick wall, making it easier to duplicate is my guess.
This crazy mural is in Adams Morgan on Columbia just past the top of 18th St. It features people playing misc instruments, exploding TV’s, a card game, and lots of other peculiar things. I like it and think it is fun. The best part (which unfortunately can not be seen in this shot) is a tag line that says “people without murals are demuralized people.
Oh and it was taken with my new Lomo Fisheye camera that is a lot of fun. CVS did a wonderful processing job on this roll that gave everything a nice red tint….booo CVS booooo!