As i was researching for my digital-themed traditional art travelogue, i had a revelation: street art and the web seemed to share many characteristics. Both are public, democratic, interactive, and transient. I had noticed from the beginning that a lot of what i was featuring happened to be street art, and i guess it was no coincidence; most digital-themed traditional art seemed to be on the streets. Maybe it’s because they share the aforementioned characteristics, maybe it’s because both are relatively new disciplines, maybe it’s because street art engages in a lot of cultural commentary, and our contemporary culture just so happens to be highly digital.
Back in Exhibit #5 of my first travelogue, i hinted at the connection (or what i saw of it):
(image via Kontraband)
There’s something ironic about this. The “NO TECH SHIT” response to the added “.com” tag is a perfect example of how the Web works. Street art is transient; it gets taken down, it gets embellished by other artists, it gets vandalized, it gets erased by natural forces… The streets are one collective canvas for all to embellish. It’s democratic and interactive. Often times, you’ll see artists responding to each other, commenting on each other’s contributions, as seen here. Sound familiar?
