Hasta La Creative!

As if the Photoshop-perfect faces on outdoor ads weren't nightmarish enough, German street artist Vermibus ratchets up the horror by using chemicals to transform such posters into grotesque visions for an art project called "Dissolving Europe."

This guy's acid wash has nothing to do with jeans. He targets noses, lips, cheeks, chins, ears and eyes. By the time he's done, his subjects resemble nuclear-blast victims, their features twisted into misshapen parodies of the human form.

Of course, "ugly" is in the eye of the beholder. Some will find his creations possessed of a certain warped beauty that exposes the truth underlying our pervasive consumer culture.

That's a valid interpretation, and it's clearly in line with the artist's view as he traversed Europe, removing promotional posters from their displays and replacing them with his freakish creations. (You can view more of his projects on his website.) A 10-minute film chronicles his journey, and it's fairly hypnotic. The best scene shows Vermibus wearing a gas mask to protect himself from toxins, like some hybrid artist/terrorist, as he defaces/transforms an advertisement.

Of late, there have been many examples of public advertising being replaced or subverted to make broader social statements. There's Banksy, of course, railing against capitalism. And those fake ads about NYPD drones. Outdoor ads were swapped out for classic paintings in recent French and English installations. And Richard Sargent's photographs of decaying billboards in California were especially evocative.

Ultimately and unfortunately, these efforts become footnotes on the overloaded media landscape. They're fodder for thoughtful articles and blog posts, but all too quickly forgotten. Billboards brake for no one. Ad campaigns keep coming. There's always another pretty face.

Via Fast Company.

Photos and artwork via Vermibus.com.

Banksy is leading the way on a new campaign called “#WithSyria,” re-working his iconic “Girl with a Red Balloon” image for a campaign timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the brutal conflict on March 15th.

“Banksy’s image and its red balloon inspires the central theme for all communications and activity across all communications across film, social, online, live and PR” aspects of the campaign, “based on a strategy developed by Sunshine, Freuds, Global Cause Consultancy and Chappell Productions and creatively led by Sunshine.” At the center of the campaign is “#WithSyria,” an animation narrated by actor Idris Elba (who you may know as “Stringer” Bell from The Wire) and featuring exclusive music from Elbow, the Britrock vets who donated their song “The Blanket of Night” for the soundtrack. The animation, created and written by Sunshine, directed and produced by RSA Films, can be seen on the #WithSyria site here. The film, which we believe is worth a view, will be shown across the globe everywhere from an inflatable cinema in Za’atari Refugee camp in Jordan to the big screen in Times Square.”

The huge effort includes “a  coalition  of  115  humanitarian  and  human rights  groups  from  24  countries” calling for action to ensure Syrians (especially civilians in areas under siege) receive the aid they desperately need, and also “for the voices of ordinary Syrians to be heard and heeded in reconvened peace talks” so that this can be the last anniversary of bloodshed in Syria.\

As Justin Forsyth, CEO  of Save the Children explains, “For  three  years  Syria’s children  have  endured  unacceptable  suffering…Doctors  that  we  work  with  on  the  ground  have told us children are having limbs amputated because basic antibiotics  for less  serious  wounds  are  not  available  and  newborn  babies  are  dying  in incubators  due  to  frequent  power  cuts. Full  humanitarian  access  would help injured and sick children receive the medical care that they need.”

To show that they are “#WithSyria,” thousands of people will attend candlelight vigils held in over 40 countries, starting tonight, with many recreating Banksy’s image by releasing red balloons as a show of solidarity. A Banksy light projection will also factor into many of the vigils, and the Lincoln Memorial, Eiffel Tower, and Nelson’s Column will be lit up in a message of hope, supported by Chappell Productions. A social media campaign includes international celebrities uploading pictures of themselves with red balloons accompanied by the hashtag #WithSyria.

This campaign comes on the heels of Don’t Panic’s viral PSA for Save the Children UK’s initiative supporting child victims in Syria, which, as you may remember, we covered last week. We’ve included it after the jump as a refresher. For more on the #WithSyria campaign and how you can show your support, head on over to withsyria.com. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Th1ng director/animator Sylvain Chomet received a personal request from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening to animate the iconic “couch gag” that concludes the opening credits of the show, now entering its 26th season. Obviously, you don’t turn down a personal request from Matt Groenig, so the three-time Oscar nominee Chomet offered up a distinctly French take on the gag, which was just revealed online today.

Chomet joins an illustrious list of individuals invited by Groening to animate the sequence, including Bill Plympton, Banksy, and Guillermo Del Toro. Indeed, in recent years the couch gag has all too often overshadowed the rest of the episode. Executive producer Dominic Buttimore (Bart Simpson would have a field day with that one), a longtime collaborator, “worked closely with Chomet to create and storyboard the concept for the animation sequence, which was immediately met with ‘laughter and appreciation’ by Groening and Simpsons’ longtime show-runner/producer Al Jean. Jean went as far as to call the experience a “dream come true.”

The new couch gag (featured above) is one of the show’s best, thanks to some great jokes and Chomet’s inimitable animation style. It will air during the episode “Diggs” this Sunday, March 9th. Stick around after the jump for credits and couch gags from Plympton and Banksy. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Como parte do projeto “Better Out Than In” que o Banksy está realizando em Nova York – envolvendo criações que já renderam bastante repercursão nos últimos dias – um novo trabalho agora toma as ruas do Chelsea.

Desta vez, são duas pinturas que tiveram a colaboração da dupla brasileira Os Gemeos.

Inspiradas no movimento Occupy , estas artes foram recentemente capa do jornal Village Voice, acompanhadas de uma entrevista exclusiva cedida pelo Banksy por email. O jornal em questão é distribuído gratuitamente em Nova York e não foi escolhido por acaso pelo artista, que comentou ”sentir uma afinidade com pessoas que oferecem conteúdo de qualidade de graça pelas ruas”.

“People ask why I want to have an exhibition in the streets, but have you been to an art gallery recently? They’re full.” – Bansky, sobre sua “exposição“ temporária

As pinturas estão penduradas na West 24th Street, embaixo de uma ponte e com um banco de frente para elas, satirizando as galerias de arte e seus espaços superficiais de contemplação e reclusos círculos sociais.

O local escolhido pelo artista desta vez é o mais “amigável” dentre os anteriores, um bairro residencial e também tido como “centro de arte”, com uma tradicional concentração de galerias e afins.

As artes ficarão expostas de hoje até domingo, das 11 da manhã à meia noite.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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Anti-Ronald McDonald art has a long, proud, often vomitous history. Banksy adds to that tradition today, unveiling a menacing Ronald having his giant shoes shined as part of his "Better Out Than In" artist residency on the streets of New York. According to Banksy's site:

"A fibreglass replica of Ronald McDonald having his shoes shined by a real live boy. The sculpture will visit the sidewalk outside a different McDonald's every lunchtime for the next week. Today: South Bronx."

It's going to be a long week for McDonald's store managers. Via ANIMAL NY.

UPDATE: Here's an Instagram video of the first McDonald's visit.

Kidult nous propose de découvrir cette vidéo documentaire appelée Visual Dictatorship. Expliquant comment les marques utilisent le graffiti pour en fait un art, ce dernier prône un retour à la rue. Visuellement réussie, cette vidéo le montrant apposant différents messages est à découvrir dans la suite.

Banksy est un artiste dont l’identité civile est inconnue, mais dont les œuvres sont reconnues mondialement. Nick Stern s’est amusé à reprendre les collages et interventions urbaines de l’artiste anglais et d’en faire des clichés très réussis. Un projet complet à découvrir en photos dans la suite de l’article.

Le célèbre artiste Banksy a très récemment placé de nouvelles œuvres dans la capitale anglaise. Toujours en jouant avec les éléments de la ville, et avec son style si particulier, les dernières installations sont à découvrir dans la suite de l’article.

Previously on Fubiz

• Sense Of Flying
• Artisme Collective
• James Boast

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