Blog Posts
Midnight Knitter Pulls the Wool Over NJ Shore Town
1010WINS
March 10. 2010
West Cape May, N.J. (AP/1010 WINS) — Someone is spinning quite a yarn over one New Jersey shore town.
Dubbed “The Midnight Knitter” by West Cape May residents, someone is covering tree branches and lamp poles with little sweaters under cover of darkness. (more…)
NYPD: Rooftop Figures Just Art, Not People in Distress
1010WINS
March 9, 2010
New York (AP/1010 WINS) — The New York Police Department wants the public to know that the figures soon to be gazing down from buildings near a midtown park are an artist’s body casts — not residents in distress.
The department was worried the upcoming outdoor exhibit might spark 911 calls of possible jumpers, so it wanted to alert the public, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
On Tuesday, the first sculpture of the installation, called “Event Horizon,” was placed on top of a building that houses Pentagram Design’s New York offices.
“We have a new staffer here at our offices at 204 Fifth Avenue; he doesn’t say much, and spends most of his time up on the roof, gazing at the skyline,” the company said on its Web site.
By nightfall, the figure was a dark sillhouette against the sky.
The work by British artist Antony Gormley consists of 31 life-size figures of the artist’s body cast in iron and glass fiber. The sculptures will be installed on pathways, sidewalks and rooftops of buildings surrounding Madison Square Park for an exhibit beginning March 26…
The installation will be on view through Aug. 15. Read the rest of this article here.
From Huffington Post, January 27, 2010:
To start off, we in no way condone vandalism; it’s not our idea of a good time. That said, the ads presented in this collection have already been modified, and thus there’s nothing we can do about it except enjoy the jokes that have already been made. And we can all agree that these ads have been changed for the better.
To see more and/or to submit your own examples, click here.
As seen on TheFilmStage.com, January 21, 2010:
Graffiti Artist Banksy To Debut Mysterious New Film. by Raffi Asdourian
Banksy, the renowned British graffiti artist, whose artworks are often satirical diatribes on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics, is shocking the independent film world with what may be the greatest film prank of all time. “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” billed as “A Banksy Film” , will have its world premiere Sunday night at the Library Center Theater as part of Sundance’s Spotlight Surprise.
“Sundance has shown films by unknown artists, but never an anonymous one,” said festival director John Cooper. He described the film as “part personal journey and part expose on the art world, with its mind-altering mix of hot air and hype.”
Source Reuters
This explains odd Banksy art popping up around Park City. You can view the trailer for the film below and attempt to decipher the mystery to what the film is all about. Check out some of his graffiti art below as well.
Submitted by Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.org:
I know that it’s all a state of mind
Live in Plymouth and in Second Life
If you happen to be in England next weekend there is a good reason to come to Plymouth. Marina Abramovic is curating a performance event called “The Pigs of Today are the Hams of Tomorrow” for which we are performing old and new works live at the Slaughterhouse and in Second Life, for 4 days in a row.
Last time we performed in Second Life too many people showed up (thanks!) and many could not attend the performances (sorry!) so this time we’ll try to resist each day as long as we can, luckily for 4 hours, most probably ’till we throw up on the keyboards. As always if you join us in Second Life you can participate (click the link below), if you come to Plymouth you can just watch.
Thursday Jan. 21, 6:30pm (UK time); 10:30am (Second Life time)
Friday Jan. 22, 5pm (UK time); 9am (Second Life time)
Saturday Jan. 23, 5pm (UK time); 9am (Second Life time)
Sunday Jan. 24, 2pm (UK time); 6am (Second Life time)
See you there!
Eva and Franco Mattes
Porn video shown on Moscow highway billboard
by Nataliya Vasilyeva
1010WINS
January 15, 2009
Moscow (AP) — Drivers in downtown Moscow squinted in disbelief as an electronic highway billboard blazed a two-minute pornographic video instead of its regular advertising clips.
Late-night traffic on one of the Russian capital’s busiest roads slowed Thursday as a couple’s explicit escapades appeared on the 9-by-6-meter (yard) display.
Some people took pictures of the sight with their mobile phones and posted them on the Internet.
Passer-by Alyona Prokulatova told The Associated Press that she was “so shocked that I couldn’t even shoot video or take a picture of it.”
The screen’s owner, 3 Stars, told the AP that a hacker attack was likely to blame. Police were investigating the incident.
photo: legaljuice
From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:
The 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride went off without a hitch today in New York. It’s tough to count, but we’re guessing we had around 3,000 participants. Riders met at meeting points spread out all over the city and converged on Union Square. The high was 28 degrees. For more photos and videos as they are submitted, visit here.
Related links:
Jordan Seiler’s interview with Danny Valdes on his first radio broadcast of Radio Provocateur on WVRB radio resulted in this article for The Indypendent:
Artists Reclaim Public Space: A Conversation with Public Ad Campaign Founder Jordan Seiler
by Danny Valdes
The Indypendent
January 8, 2010
Everywhere you turn in New York City, there are advertisements— posters featuring attractive models schilling perfume, pop bands promoting their latest albums and celebrities endorsing soft drinks. The Public Ad Campaign, a collective of street artists, sees the prevalence of these advertisements as an intrusion into public space. Founded by Jordan Seiler in 2000, this group is dedicated to reclaiming the city’s sidewalks, subways and street corners by creating unauthorized public art installations. The group’s latest undertaking, an ongoing project called National Bestseller, incorporates bestselling or popular books that are taken apart and then wheat-pasted into a single sheet and installed over advertisements in phone booths.
Seiler, 31, a native New Yorker born in the Chelsea Hotel, started the Public Ad Campaign shortly after returning to New York City as a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design. What started as a personal art project soon grew into much more of an activist-oriented effort against public advertising. As Seiler explains, the group’s mission is not to wreak havoc, but to defend the first amendment. “Public spaces are really our last democratic spaces. They are the only spaces that we have left as a society in which we all have an equal voice and can have open dialogue.”
The Indypendent’s Danny Valdes spoke with Seiler about the different ways people interact with public space and corporate advertising’s threat to the urban environment in New York City and beyond.
Danny Valdes: Is there a difference between the way art and advertising affect us in public space? (more…)
Submitted by W.J. Elvin III about an unauthorized spec commercial for Audi A5:
Suicide: still not the best advertising theme from AdFreak.com, by Brian Morrissey, January 8, 2010
Oh goody, another suicide ad. What is it about cars that leads people to the suicide theme? You’ll recall that Volkswagen disowned a rogue suicide-bomber spec commercial four years ago. General Motors had no such choice after airing its disastrous suicidal-robot spot in the 2007 Super Bowl. Now comes a presumably unauthorized (or at least deniable) Audi spot showing a man in a parking garage trying to kill himself by attaching a hose to his tailpipe. Wouldn’t you know it, to his profound dismay, the diesel-powered Audi won’t produce enough toxic exhaust to do the job. Bummer. The on-screen copy reads, “Clean diesel technology. Good for the environment. Good for you.” We’re left with a cheery shot of the man closing the car window on his neck. My question: Has the suicide motif ever been used successfully in a commercial? It just seems like a bad direction to go in when you’re looking to check the “edgy” box.
Related links:
Submitted by Mary Mulhall as seen on the Hit and Run Hula Web site:
On August 15, 2009, Patrick Makuakane and his San Francisco based Hula Halau, Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, staged a ‘Hit and Run Hula’ event throughout San Francisco. Unannounced Hula performances were showcased in surprise venues for the entertainment of all. Here’s one of the videos. Others can be seen on the naleihulu YouTube site.
Hit and Run Hula; Stockton and O’Farrell
Submitted by W.J. Elvin III as seen on The Slatest, January 5, 2009:
In Spain and Iran, Hackers Target Leaders’ Web Sites
Hackers targeted the Web sites of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in unrelated—and equally entertaining—Internet attacks Tuesday. According to tech blogger Austin Heap, Iranian hackers “had their way with Ahmadinejad’s web servers” this morning, and posted a text file on the president’s official site imploring God to get rid of Ahmadinejad this year since he’s already taken care of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. “Please, please, don’t forget my favorite politician— Ahmadinejad and my favorite dictator—Khamenei in the year 2010. Thank you.” The site went down under mysterious circumstances several hours later. Also Tuesday, hackers attacked the official European Union Web site of Spanish Prime Minister and temporary EU President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, posting an image of Rowan Atkinson’s character Mr. Bean. According to Reuters, “the supposed resemblance of the bumbling slapstick character … to Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been a running joke in Spain for years.” Zapatero’s site has since been restored.
Read the original stories in AustinHeap and Foreign Policy
image: AustinHeap
From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:
The 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride will take place on Sunday, January 10 in New York and cities around the world.
Last Year’s No Pants Subway Ride:
All are invited to participate. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 10. Everything you need to know is now available. Please read this carefully!
Requirements for Participation
1) Willing to take pants off on subway
2) Able to keep a straight face about it
**This is a participatory event. Do not show up unless you plan to take your pants off.**
When: Sunday, January 10 at 3:00 PM, Sharp! (Over by around 5:30)
Where: Five meeting points spread out all over New York City.
Bring: A backpack and a metro card.
Wear: Normal winter clothes (hat, gloves, etc)
Facebook: You can RSVP to the Facebook Event
Details for New York
Details for other cities
Have fun!
Banksy rival King Robbo has the final word in street art feud
by Fiona Hamilton
The Times
December 30, 2009
Not since the rivalry of Picasso and Matisse, which prompted the Spanish master’s friends to throw missiles at his French counterpart’s work, has there been such a clash between artistic camps.
This time, though, the hostility has arisen over the sweep of a spray can rather than the delicate dabbing of a paintbrush.
Banksy’s painting of a mural over a rival’s work, which had been left untouched for more than 25 years, has provoked an online assault against one of the country’s most popular artists. Scathing remarks were posted on internet forums yesterday about Banksy’s image of a workman pasting over a wall of graffiti in Camden, North London. The painting covered up the work of Robbo, a renowned street artist who pioneered the capital’s graffiti tagging scene in the 1980s.
It appears that Robbo returned to the site over Christmas to paint “King Robbo” in giant letters over Banksy’s work. It appears as though Banksy’s character is painting the phrase, thus paying homage to Robbo. (more…)
Hackers mimic Huffington Post’s Twitter feed
1010WINS
January 2, 2009
San Francisco (AP) — A Huffington Post spokesman says the left-leaning news and opinion Web site was not hacked when a Twitter social network feed emerged in its name and began issuing insults with a conservative bent.
Mario Ruiz tells The Associated Press in an e-mail Saturday that the account isn’t operated by The Huffington Post, but was set up to appear as though it was. He followed up later Saturday to say that Twitter had suspended the account.
Some Twitter subscribers earlier Saturday mistook the mimicked feed for The Huffington Post’s own commentary when they were alerted to it by other Twitter users. The feed included mostly unpublishable insults about political and media figures, including President Barack Obama and MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann.
There also was an admonition to “Vote McCain” in 2012.
image: Fredas Adventures
Movable Art: NYC Cabs to be Topped Off with Art
1010WINS
December 26, 2009
New York (AP) — The next place to see modern art in New York City could be on the roof of a yellow cab.
A Las Vegas, Nev.-based company that sells advertising space atop taxis says it plans to display artworks on roughly 500 cabs during January in place of commercials.
Show Media co-owner John Amato says he wanted to give something back to the city.
The project will cost the company about $100,000 in lost revenue.
The Art Production Fund of New York helped select the artists whose works will sit atop passenger cabins: Shirin Neshat, Alex Katz and Yoko Ono.
Each artist’s work will appear on about 160 cabs.
image: John Cox
Welcome to the Art of the Prank, produced and edited by Joey Skaggs. Here you will find insights, information, news and discussions about pranks, hoaxes, culture jamming & reality hacking around the world - past, present and future - mainstream and counter culture. You are invited to contribute to its development. May your journey be filled with more than your expectations.
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