Recent inspiration, branching out.

So, I think in general, 'street art' as a concept is something that I'm becoming more interested in, and thanks to the internet, can research at my own pace, while networking with a vast array of artists seem to be freer in the production and distribution of their works than I am currently.

There have been several aspects which I think broadly fall into this umbrella category, which I would like to share with you. They are something I am branching out into attempting to make, watching other people do or even just trying to get my head around.

Stickers:
This whole concept is just so strange and new to me. You draw pictures on some stickers. Then, you can find like-minded people online and trade your stickers for their stickers, and they will put yours around their city and vice versa, and be carriers for each others' art. At least, this is the theory. I so far have not found the heart to just leave one callously in the streets (what if they get rained on or ripped down? That is somebody's artwork out there!). Clearly, I have not quite gotten the point.

Sent this...

Got this...now, is this a game of one-upsmanship? I'm fuzzy on the rules.

This sticker distribution appears to run in conjunction with being an artist and creating gallery works and running workshops or whatever else you do. You can also get free stickers for trade as a first timer here (and I'll be letting you know how that goes!).

I have pretty much only become interested in this due to artists such as Barek Art and some other FB contacts, it is a very 'six degrees of seperation' thing. You can find an account of all the many interesting things he (?) does here.

Peeking Fox, 2011

Zines:
I am interested in zines now because of this. A very lovely lady that has slowly introduced me to the strangeness and typos of independant publishing since opening her shop in 2011.

You can find some more information in this very cool little film, done by the ABC. Features a how-to in an 8 page booklet.

Yarnbombing:
Is taking me a while to get my head around, for the same reasons as stickers as a medium for art (what if they are damaged or soiled?!). Also, the sheer number of people that mention it to me is a huge turnoff, especially when the conversation goes a little something like this;

'What are you knitting?'

'...    Uh, it's crochet. It's kind of hard to explain'.

'My grandma knits. ShetriedtoteachmeitbutIjustcouldn'tgetthehangofitohwell...'

'Have you heard of yarnbombing?'

*nodding* 'Yeah, I don't really get it though. I think tha-'

'I saw the most amazing piece. It was wrapped around a ___(object)___ at a ___(public transportation facility)__ in __(capital city)__, and it was just so colourful and different!' 

'That's interesting...I will have to finish this project off, at least' (laughs nervously, wants you to leave).

'Well, I think you should do something because everyone else is doing it.'

(Well, that is the only reason to do anything)

...'and I can see you're a bit of a knitter...'

(...I am not even going to attempt to fix that sentence)

'You should do some!'

 (How about you do your own!)

'They'd be really good'

(Fuck you, they'd be FANTASTIC)

...and that is why I am finding it so hard. This conversation is such a turn-off, and I have had it about two hundred times. But, I am digging through the internet (online dumpster diving) to find the yarnbombing (henceforth known as WOOLbombing, yarn feels weird to say) that does not seem to be utterly meaningless and a total waste of time.

Bear with me! I am coming around. Here's some things that helped:

This cheers me, even when not sad.

Nerd alert!

Awesome picture, shame about the teddy bear.

I know as I am writing this, that I have been pretty behind to become aware of things, perhaps you could even say ...slow to jump on some wagons? I have just been so wrapped up in a world of high-art-uni-focused-educational-journals-theoretical-literature-study for the last few years that I have not been able to devote a lot of time to researching these facets of visual expression. And frankly, before now, I have never been interested. Better late than never though, right?