utility boxes turned public art

[Images my own. Boxes on Allston between Milvia and MLK.]

Lately I've been running into common streetscape items turned public art all over the place. Here in Berkeley, I've been enjoying the 60 Boxes Project, part of Earth Island Institute's Streets Alive! Initiative, that has decorated utility boxes around the city. Near Berkeley High School are boxes commemorating famous grads of the school. Downtown are boxes in other designs by artists and I'm looking forward to stumbling across more.

[Top images from 21 Boxes Facebook page, bottom images from HonestlyWTF]

My own college town, Ithaca, NY, is also tackling their utility boxes. 21 Boxes has 21 artists painting 21 boxes around the town. Learn more in this video. The two top images in the photo above are by artists Sean Chilson and Jay Stooks. 

Then today I found a post by HonestlyWTF on a project in São Paulo, Brazil, where Vivo telecom company recruited 100 artists to each redesign a public telephone for "Call Parade." I love the shape of these telephone booths to start with, the shape giving a bit of privacy and sound control without totally separating the caller from the street. With the added artwork, they go from well designed ubiquity to standout individual work I'd be proud to have on my street corner. Which is ultimately the goal of each of these community projects- to make a commonplace object into one that inspires civic pride. 

street scenes

[Flourish]

This morning I tumbled a picture of Mademoiselle Maurice's origami installations and it reminded me of some of my old favorite street art installations. So I though I'd put together a little round up. Each piece is clearly meant to bring a smile to the viewers face and I can only imagine my delight if I was to stumble across one on a walk. Such little decorations that liven up the street can be a powerful influence on the attitude of a community. 

Clockwise from top left: 

1. Anna Garforth's "Grow" moss graffiti

2 & 3. Paige Smith's Paper Geodes

4 & 5. Mademoiselle Maurice's Origami

5. Unknown artist, Richmond, VA

art as activism

Much of my work lately has involved the Power Shift 2011 conference and it's efforts to end dirty money in politics and to make BP pay for the damages to the Gulf Coast. Today is Earth Day and so I want to share a video of an unsactioned installation piece a group of activist artists put on at the Tate Britain two days ago, on the one year memorial of the BP oil rig explosion. One year into disaster, oil is still be discovered in the Gulf, the natural habitat as well as the local economy is still struggling, and BP has yet to pay affected communities the recovery funds they deserve.



The artists involved with this action/installation are calling for the Tate to disassociate with BP. From GOOD.is, "Here's the irony, though: Liberate Tate was actually founded during a 2010 workshop on art and activism sponsored by the Tate. During the workshop, the group says, the Tate tried to prevent participants from doing anything that would embarrass the museum's sponsors. Suffice it to say, that kind of backfired."

GOOD then asked, "Is this the most effective way to help communities damaged by oil extraction?" This is a questions I ask myself frequently, in many contexts. Yet, to me, for a group of artists this IS one of the most effective ways for them to help. I hope many of them take their activism to broader venues as well, but they applied the resources they had to a specific target while calling for a real tangible and achievable change. I may have to use this example in my next Theory of Change strategy training.

Originally found on Good.is. Video.

the vacancy project

Yesterday was an action packed day with Catwalk for Kids, shopping at Halcyon's rummage sale, and drinks with a good friend at The Belvidere at Broad, my friend and I ventured over to The Vacancy Project at the abandoned Central National Bank. "The project hopes to creatively address and affect issues of building vacancy in Richmond by observing the history of the Central National Bank and its current state of decay and disuse. Lighting design in the space is compo...sed with respect to the building's architectural features, history, and deterioration. The project's sound design is composed of natural audio recorded at the Bank in 2011, and of local popular music recorded in Richmond in 1929. "














The project reminded me of wandering around an empty former bank in Philadelphia as part of my senior project. I can't spend time in old buildings without thinking about how they could be used today- clearly an objective of the project. There were slightly creepy aspects of the installation with the darkness and music, but overall the project presented an opportunity of resurrection for an incredible old building in an area of town that has been neglected but is central to the city's revitalization. The question is how can we do that responsibly.

blue trees

"Blue Trees is an afforestation art action, an avenue of trees coloured blue, a total immersion, the trees becoming identified by colour.

The Blue Trees is an ephemeral work, reverting back to its original state over time. An afforestation art action set within an urban context – it is the response of cities such as Richmond, Canada to issues relating to deforestation that in the end will determine the sustainability of this resource, both locally and globally."

- Konstantin Dimopoulos



Images and quotes from artist's website.