Gothamist: Street Graffiti Party Kibosh

unique

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:23:38 -0500

yo people graffiti is all bout gettin respect and expressing your self and the game just gives u a lil tast bout what we do in real life.(((graffiti 4 life)))by .unique. +88_________________+880_______ _+880_______________++80_______ _++88______________+880________ _++88_____________++88________ __+880___________++88_________ __+888_________++880__________ __++880_______++880___________ __++888_____+++880____________ __++8888__+++8880++88_________ __+++8888+++8880++8888________ ___++888++8888+++888888+80____ ___++88++8888++8888888++888___ ___++++++888888fx88888888888___ ____++++++88888888888888888___ ____++++++++000888888888888___ _____+++++++00008f8888888888___ ______+++++++00088888888888___ _______+++++++0888f8888888____ _______+++++++08888l888888____ ________+++++++88888e8888_____ ________+++++++008888x888_____

hasslebad

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:18:36 -0500

some good points above, but I disagree on 2 points: just because a market is there, it doesn't mean that it needs to be filled. I thinkt that it would be pretty safe to say that the game is not made with just having a respect for graffiti culture in mind.

b.Mackin

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 15:51:58 -0500

reading these makes me want to stab myself in the face... and Hector..."Graffiti is boring."? Dood, you participate in a blog...it clearly doesn't take much to entertain you. The reason graffiti is boring to you is because you don't do it. But obviously this $hit wasn't put up FOR you. It's about the action of "bombing". I find it hard to believe you wouldn't stop and watch for a minute if stroling home at 3am one night caught a kid, 50 feet in the air catching a fill while hanging on with one hand off a 6 inch i-Beam. To the rest...this is censorship. It's not the mayors preferred brand of "art" so he doesn't like it. I don't expect him to, it IS still held as a crime and he IS the mayor. What I do expect him to do, is, however, honor a permit for an entirely legal event, that was approached in all the legal and necessary ways of getting a city permit. Otherwise, why wouldn't it be resonable for the city to stop alowing permits to those who shoot music videos in the city that have criminal violence in them, or anything else that is deemed reprehensible by the governing party. to the cat who said... "this is not at all about freedom of expression for Atari & Ecko, this is about a video game company and a millionaire clothing company owner trying to make more money by pimping a valid urban phenomenon to kids." I would typically aggree with this, had it been any other party. BUT a respect for graffiti culture is what ecko is based on. Keeping it tied to the legit rawness of the culture is more of what this game is than anything. Granted i don't even play video games, and I'm more of an advocate for "get off your ass and do the real $hit" as opposed to synthesizing it on a screen, but the market is there. So fill it. That's the hustle, and we all know you can't knock the hustle. Besides this won't endanger graffiti, because there will always be disenfranchised fame-starved kids and graf always be illegal. That's all you need for that bread to rise. Sure the're might be more yoyo's trying to bomb after all this, but that inevitable with a pop culture that we have these days with rapping McD's comercials and Xtreeeeem Mountain Dew. It just means more kids that AREN'T me getting locked up for this garbage, while I'm running around under the radar.

s

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 14:01:39 -0500

matt made that flyer... but the type is screwed up

hector

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 13:32:08 -0500

Bucky, it's the idea that the art being created is a replica of illegal activity which has a huge and storied history in NYC: train bombing. It's the same idea as if someone wanted to, say, stage a re-inactment of lynchings in the South or the riots in LA under the guise of art...even if there was a video game component. Not that it's on the same level but you get the idea. I think the mayor is wrong and it's pure censorship, but that's the way things are. Graffiti is boring.

Bucky da ANIMAL

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:26:05 -0500

Regardless of your feelings for Ecko, Atari, or the whole sell out culture argument, should the mayor be allowed to pull the plug on an event that involved an artistic component he didn't find favorable. We can argue all day long about corporate sponsorship of the underground, but this is outright censorship. And regardless if it's a corporate giant or 20 graffiti writers, shouldn't they be allowed to express themselves without restriction? Just asking....

JP

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 12:12:34 -0500

C makes a good point. If it was a genuine case of government censoring the arts, I'd be upset. But it's not - it's about a corporate party to promote a product.

c

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 10:42:17 -0500

this is not at all about freedom of expression for Atari & Ecko, this is about a video game company and a millionaire clothing company owner trying to make more money by pimping a valid urban phenomenon to kids.

Bucky

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 09:45:39 -0500

I'm more concerned about the censorship part of it.

B-Dog

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 09:00:37 -0500

It is in the interest of street art to NOT have coorporate or government approval. As soon as street art is given a proper place in the coorporate/marketing/city government world, it will destroy it as an art by taking away it's very reason for existence. Long live street art! Long live the goon squad!