Same Old Song...

Everybody Up!

I try not to post on things that are anything less than thoughtful, but I feel this might help reiterate something I've been trying to tell people for ages.

Yesterday I participated in HomeGrown's "Writer's Block" 2006. It's essentially a large gathering of people who are interested in Hip-Hop. We had DJs, Emcees, B-Boys, and plenty of people who are just interested in the like. However, the main focus of the "Writer's Block" is obviously graffiti. There were 35 registered writers, 2,500 Square Feet of highly visible brick wall, hundreds of cans of paint, five storeys of scaffolding, and a crowd to match. The turn-out was simply incredible. There is a whole arts festival going on this weekend all along Whyte Ave, and it was nice to see so many people on the Avenue for a reason other than a Sports team. (For my non-local readers: During the Oiler's run in the NHL Playoffs, Whyte Ave. became the site of mini-riots, fights, and other forms of intoxicated chaos.)

This Is Just A Small Part Of The Whole Event.

We had many people cross the street from the Farmer's Market to come see what the noise was about. We had speaker's blaring live cuts thanks to my man Dice, and it attracted quite a large number of passerby's. However, once they saw the scaffolding the music was immediately forgotten. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap any flicks of the looks of awe on the faces of the aforementioned people. We had everyone from children under the age of ten, to seniors gazing up at us with incredulous expressions. It was a really good feeling, knowing that these people appreciated what we were doing. I heard more than a few people say things along the lines of "Hey, that's really neat!" or "How do they do that with a can of spray-paint?!". These comments were really appreciated, however there were other types of compliments that, while flattering, just go to show how so many people are narrow-minded. Such as: "That's not Graffiti, it's too beautiful." It's still graffiti. It's simply legal. There are piece that are just as "beautiful" (I prefer "Ill") that were done illegally, but if they saw that piece on the side of a bridge or the back of a building...it's simply vandalism.

I won't drone on with yet another rant about the same thing...but I thought it was interesting that these people will only appreciate some things under specific circumstances. One way or another, this year's "Writer's Block" was definitely a success. Special thanks to Mic and the HomeGrown Crew, all artists, staff and volunteers involved, Montana Cans, SEAZ, FLOW and the rest of the guys at Under Pressure Magazine!

(C) 2006 Sean Slater. All Rights Reserved, All Wrongs Justified. SEASE Productions.
Picture by Sean Slater. All rights are those of the artists. Unauthorized reproduction of this post or photograph in part or in whole is prohibited by law. If that doesn't discourage you, maybe the thought of a severe beatdown will.