Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Art Bombing - Coming Soon to Nashville?



Today, there is a myriad of ways to put your mark on the environment.  

From early cave paintings to graffiti, people have been altering their environment for the better for ages.  An additional form of alteration, Guerrilla Art or Art Bombing, is essentially art placed in public that is meant to be thought provoking, anonymous and temporary.  It is free art accessible by all.  Think of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith haring in the '80s.  





This kind of art can change the viewed landscape.  It can be a personal expression but also a way to build community.  It can rearrange a frankly mundane place into something spectacular.  In particular, Guerrilla Art or Art Bombing has a way of fascinating people - turning an ordinary walk into something far more surprising.  According to Adbusters magazine, 'public art says 'the human spirit is alive here.''

***

As many Nashville walkers know, it can be a bit dull to get out on foot.  There are not a lot of design elements that are meant for the walker.  Most shopping areas have a huge parking lot out front rather than offering window shopping in front.  A lot of neighborhoods also suffer from huge front yards, placing the house at a distance making it difficult to observe.  

What if we put this kind of art into action, and turned Walk Month Nashville this October into a month of intrigue?  

This art engages the viewer partly because of the surprise element.  I dare you to come up with an Art Bomb idea and execute it.  If we can make a lasting impact on Nashville's pedestrians by rewarding people for getting out on foot and introduce art in an unexpected way - we could help change our culture here into a much more pedestrian rich one.













Paul Curtis AKA Moose: soap graffiti
 - essentially, Moose uses good old fashioned elbow grease, soap and water to write in grime.


***  


If you see evidence of Art Bombing or Guerrilla Art around Nashville or you have ideas of what & where something can be done - please share it here. 



Near corner of Graybar and Hillsboro on the east side of street…does anyone know what this is?  Is it an art bomb?  It appears to have been dug out and placed recently.  I have walked this little strip before (note: no sidewalk here!) and this object was not here. From behind, it resembles a goat…check it out and let me know what you think!










Sources:


http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=guerrilla%20art

The Guerrilla Art Kit by Keri Smith Published by Princeton Architectural Press, 2007


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3379017














No comments:

Post a Comment