(no subject)

[olivermoss]

* For isometric stuff, I have a process I swear it's just a mess:



* If you live in Portland and are recently like 'woah that's a lot of ghost bikes', it's because of an idiot transplant who is just putting them up willy-nilly. Like, kid's bikes in front of schools and even people's fucking houses.

(Context for non-Cascadians - Ghost Bikes are white painted bikes used to memorialize cyclists who died in traffic accidents. This is not exclusively a Portland thing, but we have a local group that coordinates, maintains and fights to protect the memorials. So, waking up and seeing one in front of your house or at your kid's school would make you think a kid literally just died right there, maybe one you knew.)

He's been spoken to by local bike activists and says he 'may consider' doing them in a different color and apparently people are 'free to repaint' his existing 'installments'. The correct response would have been 'sorry, I'll take down the bikes that are upsetting people and move onto a different art project'

Obviously, I am very pro-Portland's urban art scene but the breathtaking entitlement and disregard for the local culture is amazing here. I mean, he's put them up on elementary school property and in other people's yards. wtf...

Comments

[dine]

thanks for the info! a few weeks ago one appeared a block from ACME - given I'd not heard that a kid had died there, I was surprised. you'd think Clueless would have done a bit of research into what they were about before deciding he needed to get in on the 'cool' project. obviously, he should go with your correct response - but I'm sure he won't

[olivermoss]

Here's a Bike Portland article on him if you want it to send to anyone in your area for info, let people at ACME know. I've also seen his work in the wild and reactions to it. The article treats him with kid gloves, which makes sense as they don't want people ptchforking and they likely are trying to build bridges with the guy. But, I, uh, have opinions, and also one that is definitely his work was installed between the sidewalk and street in front of a house near me and I know that's causes confusion and upset.

[alexseanchai]

you'd think!

[mistressofmuses]

I like how the room is looking!

And UGH, that's deeply shitty. Copying an existing thing that's specifically a memorial for people who have been killed is just such a garbage thing on so many levels.

That is a horrible amount of entitlement and disregard. Fucking hell.

[olivermoss]

Thanks!

Yeah, hopefully the guy realized that if your art misses it's mark that badly, it's time to change your approach... by like a lot

[mistressofmuses]

I really hope so. That's just such a mindblowingly tone-deaf thing for that guy to do.