Tuesday, September 25, 2007

living in poverty--sidewalk street art


today i stumbled across this message in front of the haven savings bank on washington street. i took some pixs and stood nearby and watched reactions from people passing by. most just walked on by or walked over the chalked message, oblivious, while chatting on their cells or listening to their ipods. one woman stopped, read it and looked at me, curious. but we only exchanged a few words. the old street sweeper man noticed it, took his time and read the words. on my watch, most folks just walked on by...
36 million people in the USA are in poverty <------ that's about the population of california!
update: just saw another sighting, same message in front of mcdonald's at washington and 3rd street. here's to you, street messenger, for trying to get people to think.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

it is always fascinating when something is right in people's face, or at their feet, but mostly it's invisible to them. ad's for tv shows burn into their minds. so groups like the billboard liberation front, paste-up peoples, stickers, anything to reclaim the visual space is great. and nicole i checked out Femi Ford's art, it is massively beautiful, i can't wait to see some of it in person at the Hoboken exhibit, i love her abstract pieces especially, thanks for telling me about her.

Unknown said...

thanks john, so true. we are bombarded with ads on tv, etc., to buy stuff and more stuff!

i told femi, she will be pleased. my favorite piece is supernova.

Femi Ford said...

thanks john! i like your work too and hope to see it in person sometime.
-ff