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About the Author
—
Steven Heller is the cofounder and the cochair of the MFA Designer as
Author program at the School of Visual Arts. He writes the Visuals
column for the New York Times Book Review and the Graphic Content
blog for T-Style; is editor of AIGA Voice; and is a contributor to Design Observer. He is the author, coauthor, and/or editor of more
than 120 books on design and popular culture, including the forthcoming
New Ornamental Type (Thames and Hudson). More information can be found at his homepage.
See all Daily Heller posts here.
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Mr. Bill(board)
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by Steven Heller
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While we are worrying about the specter of print's demise, the death of hand-painted billboards and wall paintings is happening right now. Fortunately, the brewers of Stella Artois beer have funded an excellent short documentary about the arts and crafts persons who climb high to make monumental images. "Up There," directed by Malcolm Murray, is based on an idea by the ad agency Mother New York and produced by Mekanism with music by The Album Leaf. Shot over two months, the film tells the stories of the New York painters who are struggling to keep this method alive.
"Up There," which you can see right here, was filmed high above the streets of NYC and chronicles the painting of a five-story Stella Artois billboard known as "The Ritual Project" in NYC’s SoHo Cast Iron Historic District. The project featured the painters from Sky High Murals. With many billboard companies turning to digital printing, this is a welcome chronicle of the daredevils who make these spectaculars.
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Reader Comments
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I live in Chicago and love looking for the faded billboards on the sides of buildings in the older/non-gentrified neighborhoods. I know of two buildings, one on Belmont Ave and another north of the loop, that are newly painted with current ads. I truly hope this form of art never dies.
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By
PurplePhoenixFire
April 20, 2010
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i used to do this in DC years ago. Honestly, it's not the economic unfeasibility of the craft as much as the fact that no one appreciates hand painting any more that is bothersome. The funny thing is that even when there was $$ in it, people didn't see us as artists, and in order to gain a little respect a lot of us went into print design. Amazing what a suit does for perceptions. Thanks for the film and glad to see there are a couple of survivors out there.
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By
plihal
April 20, 2010
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Hhhmm. I was just in Chicago for the FUSE conference and noticed the giant billboards on the sides of their lovely brick buildings. They caught my interest, but they are... advertisements. I have a fascination with street art and graffiti and I noticed that the River North area of Chicago is graffiti free. Except for one doorway that I found and photographed. It was actually quite beautiful and graphic for spray painted letters. What I love about Los Angeles is the giant art murals that I randomly come upon. Also the art walk in San Diego with everything from giant wall murals by Rafael Lopez to painted converter boxes, meant to draw attention and keep the drug dealers away from those spots. We do have the ability to bring art to the streets. Personally, I'd like to see more of that, versus billboards, but I do have great respect for people that keep the old traditional ways alive. Interesting commentary Steven.
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By
Bobbi
April 20, 2010
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