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Thursday

Byron Bay's Utility Box Art: Russell and Callie

Posted by vergelimbo On 1:53 AM 8 comments


Wandering around the beachside town of Byron Bay, New South Wales, you won't spot any of those eyesores of modern electrical convenience known as "utility boxes". Instead, those banal and industrial-looking urban warts have been given a makeover by two Lismore-based artists, Russell and Callie.  Their artistic boxes blend thematically into their environment, highlighting nearby subjects of interest and emphasizing the surfside imagery of Byron Bay. Art and Utility in Byron Bay!

HERE ARE JUST A FEW THAT I HAVE FOUND SO FAR:



So what is the difference between Graffiti and Street Art? When pressed, most people would seem comfortable with the distinction being made along the lines of artistic skill or technique. But such criteria can be quite subjective, and easily lead to a blurring of graffiti and street art in many cases. In Australia, the legal distinction between the two artforms is made simply on the basis of permission. Graffiti is defined under the law as "the marking of another person's property without permission". Graffiti is illegal throughout Australia. Street Art, such as the examples in the slideshow above, meet the crieria of "artistic work done with the permission of the person who owns the wall (or object) that the work is being done on, and the permission of the local council". As an example of this criteria, it can be said that the street art rendering of the Volkswagen van (top image) has thus been tagged illegally with graffiti! Ironically, the graffiti (in red) is sprayed directly above "Keep Byron Clean". Don't you just love irony?

What do you think? Have you seen anything like this in your neighbourhood?

8 comments:

Is it Art or is it Grafitti? Discuss.

@miss lily: i just added a second paragraph discussing the Australian distinction between graffiti and street art...where do you live? What do you think distinguishes them?

vl

Street Art, based on the photos you posted , often has a less daring sensory feel to it than Graffiti. What I like about street art is that it can be easy on the eye and that's a good thing to have around. What I like about graffiti is the daringness of it all mixed with the potential for something really incredible and beautiful to emerge. What I don't like about graffiti is that it can be ugly. It is when someone indiscriminately uses the spray can to get off but there is no sensuality or "je ne sais quoi" behind it. That's when graffiti is a real bore and a drag to have around.

Hi Phil,

Two recent shows at SECCA here in Winston-Salem in the States has focused upon the fact that old distinctions between high and low art, museum quality art and street art are rapidly falling apart. Two years ago a show involving art revealed how far the art world has evolved, often beyond the perceptions of the general public. Several pieces of "street art" were placed around our town (with the support of the museum) and a number of them were subsequently removed by the local police due to complaints (all pieces were placed on public space - including one placed on the grounds of another museum that was removed when a 3rd party complained without the cooperation of the other museum). I think the work displayed with your photos is beautiful and Byron Bay is lovely and lovelier for having such additons to an already beautiful natural environment.

I think graffiti is a great way to even up the score regarding messages in the public domain. Without these all we would have is loaded commercial imagery. The owners can always clean it off. When it's ugly dross this is a good thing; when it's a political message, at least for those few hours or days the alternative message is up there for all to see. As for street art, it's nearly always better than advertising.

Wow, those are really nice! You can't always compartmentalize such things but... I think graffiti is largely self serving and/or esoteric. Where as street art offers an accessible experience that most people would appreciate. Both have the benefit of being seen out of the context of commercial "art" which lends itself to a more honest response.

Thanks for taking this opportunity to discuss this, I feel strongly about this and I enjoy learning about this topic. I have found it enormously useful. I like the way of representation about the topic. Great stuff and great efforts.Thanks.

Utility Box Art Transforms Cities, Impacts Lives >> http://segmation.com/blog/2015/10/04/utility-box-art/