The Things I See When I Walk My Dog (3)

Yes, I said  would not be doing this.

I've broken my word already, but, on this day of thawing in the northeastern United States (we're looking at 48 Fahrenheit in Philly today) I think I will take to the streets. Not literally, at least not this time, but with a short display and analysis of the things I've seen done to parking meters. Commonly, parking meters are at best innocuous. At their worst meters are impatiently hungry and threatening (as much as inanimate objects can be). In part because I have a parking pass, and thus need not worry about them, I see the traditional parking meter as an opportunity. For an example of what I'm talking about look below.

I posted that picture on twitter this morning as well. To any followers of @ahminnick, I apologize for the repetition...but not that much. I did not do this, but I like it. The picture is not current either. Right now there is blackened snow where that car was, I assume it is melting now, and an upright traditional parking meter in the place of that fantastically re-imagined one.

Too bad.

I am not one for graffiti as it is often practiced. Tags on walls and mailboxes, trains, bridges, and so forth do not appeal to me. The difference between blemish and art is in the balance whenever a street project is undertaken, particularly with painting. Though not a painting the above is an example of the latter. It causes people to pay attention to an otherwise overlooked object (I was not the only one who snapped that same picture) and causes little to no obstructive destruction. Sure, the city of Philadelphia might not agree with me but the fact is that the angular parking meter is a working one. Did it work as well as it might have? Probably not, but it did function. So, I find less fault in it then if the meter were simply cut apart or, say, replaced upside down. For a similar example look below.

This example is probably a better illustration of my points (however vague those are). Taken before the snowfall (Again, though it was beginning to snow the morning that I took this), this is the post of what was once a double headed meter. I do not know all of the details but I believe this was one piece in a series of similar street art projects taken on by one (or many) student(s) from Moore College of Art and Design.The college is little more than a block away from the brownstone which houses my apartment, and on the edge of Logan Square park, in which I walk Odin every day. This particular piece is a better example of responsible street art only because the meter it surrounds is a useless blight anyway. Where the meters on ruled here a green box that prints parking passes does now. The meter heads were removed from this one time Orthus leaving it without a function. Like the angled work above this knit (or crocheted?) covering draws attention to something overlooked and leaves everything in working order. There are better pieces in this series (a gorgeous, large, crocheted flower for one) but I have only the one picture and it illustrates the point. What is there is better than what was. What is there is not disruptive.

Can there be reasons for art to destroy? Certainly, but only in extremes, and only as the topic of another blog post. For now I will leave you with a video. The travelpulse video today is a trade specific interview that I had nothing to do with. Check it our here if you would like. Otherwise watch the trailer below. I'm no authority on art and most definitely no voice of street art. Banksy is, and his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop is an entertaining look at both street art and an unconventional character whose success questions the nature of artistic merit and, especially, financial success. I recommended it highly.