thought bubbles

yesterday i came to the conclusion that i need to share my voice, literally. ninja and i spent the day creating thought bubbles on 8.5x11 printer paper, upon which we stenciled some of our simpler phrases and pasted them in the streets. the aim is to have the work itself be more engaging to the public and to urge people to interact with their environment, the message indeed changes with a person in frame. conversations and comic strips is where i plan on going with this, but that's for another blog.

last night was amazing. coming from ontario, the cold air and snow gave the night a very nostalgic feel. it rarely snows in vancouver. a flash mob of at least a hundred santa's storming through gastown as massive snowflakes raced towards the ground was surreal. every time we opened the back-pack to put up a piece it was covered in snow. on main st. at the edge of chinatown we put up this piece, the photo's in this blog were taken early this morning and are of passers-by.



a few hours and a few pieces later, we're in an infamous drug alley in downtown vancouver pasting up an "i love this city" thought bubble. everything is covered in snow and my paste is in a yogurt container in a plastic grocery bag in the snow at my feet. the alley is unusually quiet as orange light spills over us from a pole with a leonard asper sticker on it. my brush is on the wall, pasting the paper to the red brick, as i look over my shoulder and say...
"there's a cop on pender", still pasting, oblivious to the obvious.
"cop", ninja whispers as he pulls into the alley. headlights are illuminating me as i toss the brush into the bag at my feet. the driver isn't even out of the car when he says "what did you throw sir?"
i confidently spout out "no sir, i assure you i did not." two flashlights perform a light show in circles on the snow covered cement around the bag and brush, ignoring them as he repeats his question.
"i'm sure i saw you throw something."
"so, what are you, shepard fairey?", officer two asks.
"who?" i stutter back. haha.
"how much have you had to drink tonight sir?" from officer one.
i say "around three". six or seven away from three, i think to myself.
officer two continues, "so, what is this, a collaboration?"
"what?" i say.
"well two people and art, that's a collaboration, right?" he says as i giggle inside like a school girl.
i tell him "we've been together for almost 13 years, so yeah, i guess we're a collaboration."
i picture him talking to his wife like that, 'hey honey, wanna collaborate on some children?'
anyway, cops, i think as i light yet another smoke. i peel the piece off the brick and put it back in ninja's bag as if that's protocol as we chat small talk while they run our names.
"you know what neighborhood you're in right?'
"yeah"
"Then you know why we stopped you?"
"yeah, i know."
"have a good night" they simultaneously say as they get back in their cruiser.

they had little interest and no concern for my art pasting, it was very re-assuring.

Ten minutes later we are a few blocks away unfolding the sopping wet piece and putting it up again.




DIRECT QUOTES
the direct quotes series is fun for me, like many of them, this quote is from an underground rapper. Ill Bill
it may be offensive to some, but that is the point. war is pretty fucking offensive.