It’s all too easy to get stuck in a routine, walking through the city on autopilot without even noticing what’s around you. Urban guerrilla street artists seek to shake things up, force you to take a second look, change your preconceptions about your everyday surroundings.
Street art is any art that is created in public spaces, or, “in the streets!” It is unsanctioned art - art that is not sponsored by the government.
On Thursday, August 4th the QuEST Project of Out Now set out to the streets of Springfield to do some urban guerilla street art. We decided to take to the streets and fill in some of those pesky potholes that have taken over our some of our city streets. And, we chose to fill the potholes with flowers. Flowers would change the landscape; make people look twice, maybe three times; and, would get people wondering what we were up to.
As we went to into the neighborhoods, some people asked us what we were doing. Others asked if we were filling all the potholes in the city with flowers! Some young boys just stared at us with smiles. One couple, watching us from their front yard, gave a heartfelt, “Thank you.” At the end of our adventure, one woman approached us and said with negativity and skepticism, “What are you trying to prove…did you steal those from someone’s flower garden?”
Whatever the range of responses, we sure had some fun together and made people on our streets look twice!
1 comment:
Yes! I did a similar action with Keith Snow back in the day. We planted sapling trees in a mall pothole in Hadley and up at GCC. It was in memory of Dr. Michael Perlman, early spokesperson and writer on climate disruption.
A "plaque" explaining the installation said "FOR EARTH - Clandestine Tree Planting #2" and then a reference to Perlman.
Here's a link to a piece Bob Leverett of the Native Tree Society wrote in memory of Perlman. What he doesn't say is that it was believed Michael Perlman took his own life in despair over the climate crisis and peoples' lack of action and/or concern.
http://www.nativetreesociety.org/people/dr_michael_perlman.htm
BTW, i recommend clandestine plantings by everyone everywhere!
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