Share & Share Alike

I recently came across two websites that work purely by having the general public provide the content. Nothing New. Both are photographic based looking at content readily available in the public domain, but where one is looking for mulitples of the same the other is searching for the unique. I Have That Same Picture opens with a simple yet effective page showing twelve polaroid style photographs, each at a different tourist attraction around the world. Selecting a location and clicking through all the photos submitted of that very same locale, it is immediately apparent that as tourists there is but one place to stand for said location. While some people are just filling in air, others try to have a little fun with their poses. Pictures of Walls however is a catalogue of mainly urban graffiti, encompassing everything from the drunken marker pen scrawl on a bathroom wall to political statements of unavoidable vistas to inventive use of peeling paint revealling hidden faces. As you move through the images of whispered feelings and projectile notions, a pattern between the locations and their inner thoughts emerge. Everyone has an agenda from social awareness to marketing their art to telling the ex you still love them. Whatever your reason, I'm glad your all doing it. I expect to see book versions of both these websites in an Urban Outfitters very soon.

Something To Say

I came across this Polish artist's website, whilst checking out someone else's, which I had also clicked through several other images and url's before my attention was sufficiently grabbed. Anyone who knows my work will understand the gravitational pull behind choosing the first image below. Rubbish! But what I really appreciate about this work, is the use of public space as the gallery. I have more than sincere gratitude for artists who put their work out on the streets. It completely changes the notion of art being only available to a defined group of people. Something that must be seeked out and scheduled by those wishing to experience it. Or those who can afford it. Whether public art makes more people attend more shows and exhibits, I would like to think so. But the least I can hope for, is to sneak into the subconscious and reappear in a daydream or the setting of a dinner table. The work itself is more often than not, accessible to anyone who takes the time to break out of their stride and refocus glazed over eyes. Nemrod's work speaks volumes by asking us to fill in the blanks. Empty equations and expletives are adhered to crumbling walls in forgotten fields and underpasses that lead far away. Is he looking to the masses to complete the questions, so we might find answers that can lead to something better? I would like to things so. In the mean time, I'm happy to have found this Polish artist, whilst in my Chicago living room.