weston culture » art

Craig fesses up: Original Notes From Chris

trish — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:22:19 +0000

New York bus stop Note From Chris by Todd Lamb

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some strange posters appearing around Melbourne inviting people to meet up with someone named Craig. (See Craig’s Other List) Well, it turns out that Craig’s notes were, um, inspired by a New York project by writer/director/maker, Todd Lamb entitled Notes From Chris.

Todd describes the project as “Notes stuck around NYC from a man named Chris who wants to do tedious things with people.” And when you check out Todd’s four original Notes From Chris, there is a striking resemblance.

When I heard about Todd’s work (thanks Neatorama reader, AP!) I wondered if it was an international collaboration. But no, Craig just liked Todd’s work and adapted it to his own neighbourhood.

Says Craig, “I have no connection with Chris I just liked the work that he’d done and thought I’d play with the concept locally in Melbourne. I didn’t expect it to take off like it has. And no, Chris isn’t happy so I must apologise. In my defense, Chris wrote 4 notes, I have written 18 so they’re not all copies, but the original concept is all his.”

Congrats to Todd for the original idea and to Craig for running with it.

You certainly got people talking!

Todd Lamb’s Notes From Chris

See zoomdoggle

See three thousand

Craig’s other list: Guerrilla graffiti brings humour to the streets

Apparently, Andy Warhol said

trish — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:10:17 +0000

Apparently, Andy Warhol said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating art”.

I love how Warhol refers to business as an art. Business is usually presented as this rational, hard-headed thing – and it rarely is. Being good in business? He’s right. That is an art.

Craig’s other list: Guerrilla graffiti brings humour to the streets

trish — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:16:21 +0000

Bizarre notices have been popping up on lampposts around Melbourne.

On the surface they seem like legitimate notices you’d see on community noticeboards: items for sale, lost and found, and invitations to join groups with those who have similar interests. But once you start reading them, you realise that something is amiss. The item for sale is the lamppost the note is attached to (“Meet me at midnight. You may need a spade.”). The lost item is a sweatband. (Reward for its return? “We could go and see a movie. G or GA only.”) The found item is a free newspaper with a half-done crossword (“So you should be able to identify it”). Oh, and they are all signed off by someone named Craig.

I like graffiti. I see it as art, expression, and often, a much-needed political statement. Before blogging and the internet, it was one of the few ways for those with little power or influence to express themselves publicly. But I have to admit that I am a graffiti snob. I have preferences. And one of them is for the graffiti to have some wit about it.

Craig’s notices are full of wit. They bring humour to the streets. How often do we get a chance to stop and smile as we’re rushing through our day? A little moment of joy. A reminder that life can be ridiculous.

What I really like about Craig’s humour is that, unlike a lot of humour and pranks floating around the internet, it’s not taking the mickey out of anyone. There are no casualties. Even its form is light – an A4 sheet of paper loosely taped to a pole.

Brilliant!

Thanks to Gai for passing these on.

UPDATE: Text art! It’s text art. Thanks Ev for the reminder. Oh, and I didn’t mention anything about the reclaiming of public space through art … but that will come in a later post …. in the meantime, enjoy!

UPDATE 2: If you read the comments below, you’ll realise that Craig’s notes caused a bit of a kerfuffle internationally… Read the update, Craig Fesses Up: Original Notes from Chris. Okay, now you can enjoy!!