Spotted in Louisville: Butterfly Notes

I had a very brief trip to Louisville recently and sadly I didn't get to explore much of what seems like a really cool town. I did however walk around the block that my hotel was on and coming through the alley I spotted this small grouping of paper butterflies that appeared to be stuck on the wall with chewing gum. There was some cryptic handwritten text on them about masonry, so perhaps they were a really ill-conceived ad campaign, but if they were just street art it was quite lovely surprise to come upon.

Linkage: From Kafka Pest Kontrol to B'eau Pal Water

Yikes, where does the time go?! After heading down to Austin to talk at the How Design Conference and then opening After Life my art show at Quirk Gallery and finally a business trip to NYC, I've finally caught up with things enough in the office to return to my non-skull related blogging. First up, a bunch of links that have been sitting on my shelf that haven't quite hit their expiration date yet...


Literary reference trucks deliver books and a message about reading. (image shown, more HERE) via

SpecWatch keeps you updated on the insidious world of design competitions/crowdsourcing. Thanks @PrixMadonna

Captcha graffiti to tell if you're human or not. (image shown) via

A public bicycle counter shows that you are not the only one on two-wheels in Copenhagen.

Get a free brochure on how not to greenwash from Roughstock Studios.

You know you want a USB-powered chainsaw! via

Traitor Joe's gives you the dirt on a well-known (and similarly named) grocery chain's seafood sources. via

Bizarre attempt for a multi-national corporation to "localwash" (the local movement's equivalent of greenwashing). via

Boring flyers get free makeovers from Cardon Copy! (image shown) via

Reincarnated McMansion is going to take 1 wasteful house and turn it into 2 green homes! Thanks Stephanie!

The 3/50 Project wants to save local brick & mortar stores with your help. Thanks Mim!

Eco-Mag, a magazine about art, design & sustainability, is available as a free downloadable PDF via

B'eau Pal Water is the Yes Men's response to Dow Chemical's toxic waste in Bhopal. via

What happens when you put pianos on the street for anyone to use?

No Longer Empty turns vacant storefronts into art venues. via

Artist Favianna Rodriguez explains why is graffiti a good thing.

Eco-friendly cardboard coffins, come with the image of your choice printed directly on them. Thanks Amy!

Jamba Juice rips off Get Your War On! Thanks Kate!

Grand is turning their junk mail into self promotion. (image shown)

A newspaper in China goes from printing press to recyling bin with no stops in between.

SafeLink provides free cellphones and airtime for lower income Americans.

Spotted in NYC: Take Back NYU

The other week I was walking along one of the Greenwich Village streets that compose the NYU campus and spotted this bit of stencil graffiti in front of one of the University buildings. Upon returning I was happy to discover that Take Back NYU is actually a coalition of student groups organized around social justice and not just another corporate advertising campaign using street art.

Spotted in NYC: Poot!

On my most recent trip to NYC I enjoyed seeing this childish but clever bit of commentary on many of the ads that cover most of the open surfaces in the subway stations (I guess we now know why he's called the Deadliest Warrior!). I don't know any details about who created these, so do share if you know the back story...

Linkage: Organic Hamsters and Heartwarming Graffiti

Heartwarming graffiti that no one will complain about. via

Do you trust a bank whose logo looks like underpants? Thanks Sherry & John!

Ant-consumerist Rev. Billy is running for Mayor of New York. via

Nature's Revenge graffiti (image shown) via

"Available Online For Free" the sticker (image shown) via

Biodegradable bag lasts just 60 days via

How green is your toilet paper? via

Hamsters prefer organic food, or at least this one does. via

Linkage: Pat the Graffiti and Steal the Skull

Need a printer? Why not use one as progressive as you are.

Aww, recycled fur graffiti you can pet! (image shown) via

The world is your open source oyster (in map form at least).

Damien Hirst sues teenager, artists fight back. via (image shown)

Making accessible travel easy.

Spotted in LA: Another Reason

I guess this artist didn't think damaging the ocean's flora & fauna was reason enough for some people to stop dumping waste in the sewers...

Linkage

Interesting stuff encountered this week:

Coffee shops canceling live music due to costs of copyright laws.

Photoshop graffiti on Britney Spears ad (image shown). via Art Threat

Do we really need a graphic design reality show? via Rosscott, Inc.

Bicyclists get bailed out too! Thanks Mim!

Bulgarian Squat Shops (image shown).

Vertical farming, the future of cities?

Atheist bus ads in London. via Boing Boing thanks Mim!

Fake auction bid protects land from drilling. via Current thanks Leah!

Even recycling effected by economic downturn.

Spotted in NYC: One man's trash...

The great thing about New York City is you can go around spray painting trash gold in the middle of the day and nobody will bother you. I actually spotted the two guys doing this, (carefully lifting up each piece, painting it over a piece of paper and then putting it back where it was), but left them alone to do their thing and then came back later to document. It was only for about half a block on 14th street and the trail seemed to emanate from a recently painted city works structure, that was a remarkably similar gold color. Preplanned public art or spur of the moment amusement? Either way I find it really satisfying.

Stencil Activism

Just Seeds has recently released the second volume of their Cut and Paint series. This very affordable limited edition zine features tons of copyright free spray paint stencils to cut out and use yourself as well as a "how to" guide. Order your copy of Cut and Paint #2 HERE. And if you can't wait to get stenciling, you can download dozens of older templates for free HERE.
















via The Groundswell Blog

Fashion Subvertsing

In honor of German fashion week street artist XOOOOX recently adjusted this H&M billboard in Berlin.

Community Graffiti

Artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada makes urban murals of everyday people...

Reverse Graffiti

Brazilian artist Alexandre Orion creates reverse graffiti by removing dirt from walls...



Thanks Brad! Via Milk and Cookies

Spotted in NYC: Corporate Anti-Graffiti

Graffiti is illegal, even when corporations do it, though that never seems to stop them. But maybe Spike TV is trying to avoid trouble by creating their new guerrilla marketing ads by removing dirt on the sidewalks on New York City. I think folks living in the city would actually appreciate the ads more if they finished the job of cleaning the sidewalk, but the ads will probably stay there until someone else decides to clean them. [On the same trip that I spotted this I actually saw an old adhesive plastic street ad that the city just painted crosswalk lines on top of!]

Corporate Vandals

Corporate Vandals Not Welcome has a clear agenda: treat advertisers who use the guerrilla style advertising that mimics graffiti as the vandals that they really are. Their site gives a concise overview of the reasons behind the campaign and images of their work.

via Anti-Advertising Agency