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| by id-iom, click for full size |
Difficulty level: High
Step 1
Choose a billboard.
It should be at street level, one that you can easily access. Take a picture of it and remember where it is.
Step 2
Go home and plan.
How do you want to interact with the billboard? If there is already an image on it, what do you like/dislike about it? What could you add or cover up? What is the message behind the image? Who paid for it? What is happening nearby/in the neighbourhood, or even elsewhere in the world, that might be related?
Step 3
Gather your materials and combine them to create your visual contribution to the billboard.
Some ideas:
Use an X-acto knife/scissors to cut a stencil into thin cardboard or bristol board. You can hold it up and use spray paint to apply it to the billboard.
Cut images/text out of magazines and newspapers and use white glue and a large paint brush to apply to the billboard.
Google "street art" and "billboard liberations" for inspiration.
Step 4
Choose an opportune time to go back to your billboard and make you contribution. If there's time, document the process and take photos.
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| Duplicity |
Banksy said that the greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules.
It is legal to advertise in public spaces and illegal to deface this private property, but I think Banksy has it right in reversing this. Our personal identities are deeply affected by what we see every day, and for those of us living in urban areas, much of what we see is advertising. Someone who wants us to buy something creates an image to persuade us.
The images are full of subtle messages about how we should look, feel, speak, and behave. They feed us ideas about our identities without us even noticing. Learning environments for young children are often much the same - covered in commercial, store-bought materials that say nothing of the children's uniqueness, culture or interests.
By actively interacting with some of the images around us, we make choices about personal identity. By adding or subtracting visual elements, we re-create the images and participate in the process of building a self, inviting others to do the same. We are no longer passive observers.
Children can participate in the same process within a classroom context, by re-appropriating the walls as space for documentation, for identity exploration, for interaction and dialogue. Tarr (2004) writes that "classroom environments are public statements about the educational values of the institution and the teacher" (p. 2). Do we want children to silently consume the information we put up on the walls, or become actively engaged in a co-creative process?
My art word of the week is shape, both as a noun and a verb. According to Schirrmacher and Fox (2009), shape "is defined by a line or outline, or by contrasting color or texture in the surrounding area" and it can be "active or quiet" (p. 140). I suggest active, bold, and decisive shapes for this art project.
Use strong lines, sharp contrast, and shape your identity for yourself.
*I'm not actually recommending anyone do this (or am I?) since it is technically against the law.
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References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J. E. (2009). Art and creative
development for young children. Belmont, CA:
Delmar.
Tarr, P. (2004). Consider the walls. Beyond the Journal: Young
Children on the Web. Retrieved from
journal.naeyc.org/btj/200405/ConsidertheWalls.pdf
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