Hotel in Prague enhances workers' space with graffiti

"Graffiti art attack for Prague hotel "
11 February 2008

"In attempt to upgrade the back of the house areas and meet the new generations taste and expectations, General Manager of five-star hotel Corinthia Prague, Christian Grage invited local Graffiti artists, Lukáš Fokt and Zsolt Farkas to take charge and 'turn the place upside down'.

"Overall, six different designs for departments such as Maintenance, Training and Kitchen have been chosen to add 'spirit' to the otherwise white walls in the traditional back of house areas. The largest piece of art is over 4 meters high and 5 meters wide and decorates the lift landing of the two lifts for back of the house transportation.

"Christian Grage, General Manager commented:

"We agreed with both artists that it's great to do such graffiti pieces on unusual places such as the back of the five-star hotel as well as being a fantastic opportunity for young people to avoid illegal graffiti on facades of buildings.

"Employees love the new art initiatives and many more departments are now putting in requests for their own personalised Graffiti pieces. I have seen so many pictures taken by proud employees in front of those new images in the back house.

Grage, who has worked with a British graffiti artist before continued:

"We must enhance employee areas and keep their smiles going. The graffiti initiative is only one small aspect of many other initiatives driven by the creative management team of Corinthia Towers Hotel.?

corinthiahotels.com

New legal wall in CT (USA)

"Naugatuck looks to build 75-foot-long graffiti wall

"Mayor Mike Bronko is teaming up with police officers and local youth to design a graffiti wall that would allow spray paint artists to show their skills without fear of being arrested.

"The borough is looking to build an 8-foot-tall, 75-foot-long graffiti wall near the skateboard park at Linden Park in the Union City section. Bronko said the project could cost from $5,000 to $10,000, and local businesses have said they will donate to the project. The borough also would seek funding from the state Office of Policy and Management's police and youth program to offset the cost."

Way to go, Connecticut!

Prague graffiti project, penalties

"If caught, artists who spray graffiti in illegal areas face up to eight years in prison, Blažek says, but a majority receives lesser sentences to perform cleanups and other types of community service.

To help curb illegal street art, in 2001 the city designated several legal graffiti zones near Prague 5’s Barrandov bridge, Prague 1’s Těšnov tram stop and the Orionka zone in Prague 4–Modřany."

Graffiti artists break Guinness record in Serbia

Photos, please!

"Belgrade - Some 250 young graffiti artists painted a world record-long 605-metre piece on Wednesday in the Serbian city of Kragujevac.

"In a span of 24 hours, the artists topped the previous record of 507 metres held by Norwegian graffiti artists.

"Both local artists and graffiti writers from Germany, Italy and neighbouring Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina joined the event in Kragujevac, some 140 kilometres south of Belgrade."

China wants to keep graffiti for the Olympics

"A giant graffiti on the theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was done overnight in June in the northeast city of Changchun. While some of the citizens called to preserve it, city officials declared it unlawful.

"The 24-year-old graffiti artist who spent two nights creating the work with friends was surprised at how much support he received from residents who want to keep it as a piece of art.

"To be frank, I was feeling like a thief when I was doing it," said Li Xiang, who claimed his intention was to create some graffiti in the city and do something for the Beijing Games."

"... in the southwest municipality of Chongqing, the local government even designated a street for graffiti painters to show off their artistic skills. Local media reported the government is applying to the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest street covered in graffiti."

24-h Galerie

Outdoor aerosol gallery, with construction details, in German. (English version coming soon.)

Venice Art Walls Paintout - Los Angeles - June 3, 2007

10 AM - 7 PM FREE

Artist Crews from all over Los Angeles will be repainting the walls of the Art Park.
DJs Hip Hop and Reggae, Dub, Dancehall
MCs Open Mic o Spoken Word
Info: www.veniceartwalls.com or (310) 535-7729

Presented by ICU Art - In Creative Unity
Co-Sponsored By: The Chrysalis Project and Sol Foundation

Artist Info:

Artist Crews will submit sketches to secure apace on large walls and on the cone structures.
Large Walls are 6ft x 50ft and 6ft x 60ft.
Cones are 17ft tall with 3ft tall x 12ft wide Small Walls at the base.
Wooden Walls are 8ft x 8ft
Materials will be provided by ICU Art
Artists arrive by 9AM for wall assignments, paint and permits (bring valid ID)
Large Walls require crews of at least 3 artists.
Info call (310) 535-7729 or e-mail stash@icuart.com for more info.

Throughout the day we will be discussing the New Rules and the Pilot Program which will be going into effect with this event. Come make your voice heard on the Mic.

The Walls are being threatened with removal unless tagging in the area is reduced and the area stays clean. Venice area residents have been complaining to the City of Los Angeles regarding tagging in the area. ICU Art has negotiated a Pilot Program with the City of Los Angeles in an effort to keep the walls up. We have developed this program as a six-month trial period to see if the program can succeed. The program is managed by ICU Art with the Graffiti Artist in mind. If the program is a success, there is the possibility of more yards in other parts of the city being opened. Please help make this program a success. Keep the walls alive.

Respect:

* no alcoholic beverages
* no illegal drugs
* no dogs on weekends at the beach
* no tagging in the neighborhood
* must be 18 years old to use spray paint
* help preserve this area for art

Tabling:
Human Rights Organizations, Arts Organizations are welcome to come. We have some tables, chairs and tents for non-vendors. Vendors working with a non-profit may be charged $50 per booth payable to the City of Los Angeles. Please e-mail stash@icuart.com to discuss or call (310) 309-7756.

Summary of the New Rules

* The area is being renamed the Venice Public Art Walls.
* The walls will be open only on weekends and City holidays.
* The walls will be closed on weekdays to painting. Enforced by LAPD.
* All artists will need a permit to paint at any time.
* Permits will be free, and will be issued on-site by ICU Art.
* Strict LAPD enforcement of anti-vandalism laws in the Venice area.
* Minors can paint with brushes and rollers only.
* Large walls are for pieces only.
* Last pieces up Sunday afternoon run all week.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia gives graffiti artists walls

"... But this week the Jeddah municipality sent an olive branch to the city?s graffiti artists with the inauguration of a 60-meter-long wall in the Briman district of north Jeddah intended to be an open and legal canvas for street artists.

?Now that we can work with peace and concentration, I?m sure that many talents and great graffiti will emerge,? said Ziad.

During Tuesday?s inauguration, about 50 young men showed up for a graffiti frenzy. The city even provided the young men with paint.

Some of the young men even confessed to being responsible for some of the illegal graffiti in the city and said they would stick to using the wall designated for their work from now on.

Nasir Al-Muttib, head of the municipality?s branch in Briman, said that the city established this wall at the local public park to positively harness the talents of young artists and to discourage them from defacing walls throughout the city.

Mohammed Al-Tamimi, supervisor of municipal offices around Jeddah, said that other graffiti canvases might be erected in other parts of the city to promote public arts. The city is also considering a best-in-show monthly prize. ..."

New legal wall in Louisville Kentucky USA

Congratulations to local artists Jeral Tidwell and Sean Griffin for hooking up such a great wall. He wants writers to paint on it anytime. (Maybe let his own first mural run for a minute though, right? Tip: it has roses and a traditional tattoo influence, very nicely done.)

Location: "The underpass of Interstate 65 on East Market Street, between Hancock and Jackson Streets. Sponsoring this project is the Mayor's Committee on Public Art (MCOPA), with support from the East Downtown Business Association.

"Louisville will be among many European and other American cities that provide a venue for an urban art form. Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, San Diego and Philadelphia have similar programs.

"Rules include painting within the designated area; keeping the sidewalk free of paint and passable at all times; no advertisements; and no inappropriate work. Inappropriate work will be covered. Artists Tidwell and Sean Griffin have agreed to monitor the wall, visiting periodically to make sure that all work is appropriate."

Richard Crawford, Rest in Peace
An avid graffiti photographer, Richard Crawford of Corvallis Oregon, passed away
unexpectedly on February 23, 2003. He leaves behind a legacy of photos, a legal wall, and many people who he managed to persuade to give this artform a chance to coexist with society. He will be sorely missed.

Belmont rocked in LA, covered at 50mmlosangeles.com

Speaking of LA, Asylm.sh has a whole new look, new stuff.

Kelzo's up to some new thangs too.

In San Francisco, the cops shot a bunch of protesters and dock workers (!) with "non-lethal" weapons. The military has threatened to shoot to kill any protesters that try to enter Vandenberg Air Force base.

Computer worm pretends to be game
Excellent collection of articles on Znet
Politechbot has interesting stories about all kinds of things you need to know.
We are all political prisoners

Alternative news sources about Iraq
thanks to someone on slashdot.org
Debka (Middle East News) [debka.com]
Warblogs.cc [warblogs.cc]
Agonist [agonist.org]

Weird but interesting: The Hedonistic Imperative

Finally a use for stickers (scroll to the bottom of the page to get in)

Other great war art projects

Art For Peace and The Wartime Project, both collaborations among many artists on the net.