When the art goes outside

Avlogiari Dimitra

Have you ever noticed the graffiti which adorn the abandoned building opposite your house or have you ever stopped for a while to hear the mucisian or the band that plays at the subway? Have you ever noticed a pair of sneakers that are hanged over a power line?  Well, this is ‘Street Art’. Street art has been widely associated with graffiti .However, it is any “craftsmanship” that you may come across in your  everyday life. Graffity, Shoefit , street bands and dancers who can neither afford to expose their creations in an exhibition nor play on big stages prefer to express themselves at the streets .

Graffiti

To begin with,  graffiti has its roots back to ancient Rome where Scribbling emotions on walls used to be a tradition . Even the word "graffiti" was first used for markings found in the ruins of Pompeii. (graffiti < graffito < graffiato (latin) < graffiare = write). It is visual art created in public locations, sometimes unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. It is one of the most difficult and demanding forms of painting. It is important to clarify tagging from graffiti, as many people get confused.  The term gained popularity during the graffiti art boom of the early 1980s and continues to be applied to subsequent incarnations. Furthermore, every graffiti wants to give a social message. It is very common for graffiti artists to accompany their painting with a quote. Usually intense vivid spray colours are used because it is easier for artists   to cover huge  . Nowadays, every urban area has its own unique graffiti and if you just go for a walk in narrow streets of Thessaloniki you will have the opportunity to glance at the most imposing graffiti in whole Europe.

Shoefiti or Shoe tossing

There are various theories behind this new movement. Many people claim that shoefiti represents the different rites of life, while others argue that hanged shoes are a signal of gang territory. Shoe dangling, shoe flinging is the practice of throwing shoes whose shoelaces have been tied together so that they hang from overhead wires such as power lines or telephone cables . The shoes are tied together by their laces, and the pair is then thrown at the wires as a sort of bolas. The practice, despite its widespread use throughout the United States has been one of curiosity over the years as a number of possible explanations for the act have cropped up without any general consensus on its origins. Shoe flinging has also been reported in many other countries.

Street bands

The majority of people are prejudiced and avoid standing for a while to listen the musicians of the streets. Actually in 2012, a social experiment took place. A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.  Prohibition of musical performance During the 45 minutes that the musician was playing, only 6 people stopped and stayed there for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. The most impressive was that the one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.  However, the residents of the New York City daily enjoy live music performances in NYC subway by bands which play Jazz , soul , blues and pop.

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM21gPmkDpI