Steet Grafiti project

So, what do I want to do for this project. I need something meaningful, yet not cliche. I want to do something that nobody else is doing, but I don't have a lot of time to do it. And it has to be about some issue. Hmmm. To the internet I go.



Aha!

This image was very popular on the internet for a few days last year. It's a photo of an art exhibit that was modeled after movies. This particular shot was of Guy Fawkes masks that were used in the 2005 movie V for Vendetta directed by The Wachowski Brothers of Matrix fame.

Making a stencil out of it was somewhat difficult, given the reflection of the photographer in the photo. But while the class has its own cop-out site for pre-made stencils, I found something better.

The result?



Went shopping for some cereal and an xacto knife.



Mmmmmmmm. Cookie Crisp.

Anyway. Printed out the stencil. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate this weekend or else I would've been able to spray chalk the stencil somewhere, but with time running out, had to go with poster board.

After three solid hours with the knife, I got a good stencil. I wanted to go outside and spray paint, but remains of Hurricane Ike got in the way until Sunday night.

The result?



Not bad. But compared to the size of the poster board, it's small. Unfortunately, I was rather limited on how big I could make the stencil picture, even though I did find some 11 by 17in paper lying around the DI.

Another problem? The text did not show up how I wanted it to. But it's amazing what some white out can do.



There. Much better. And now by changing the fonts a little bit, I've given it a little bit more attitude.

So why V for Vendetta? Well, the movie is about the UK after it has succumbed to a totalitarian government. V, a classically educated rebel, has devoted his life to resisting the status quo. His plan is to destroy the government in a blaze of glory, just like his mask's namesake, Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up England's parliament in 1605.

Since the movie premiered, the mask has skyrocketed in popularity. I think this is party due not only to how good the movie is, but because it speaks to a growing concern in the Western world: That we are being watched.

V is wearing the Guy Fawkes mask to maintain his anonymity. He wants his ideas to talked about, not his name or personality. Without fear of personal reprisal, he stages grand crimes (like taking over a government TV station) and use them to promote his views on freedom and revolution.

After a year of evading authorities, V's plan comes to fruition with the help of thousands of Britains who converge on Trafalgar Square. But they are kept safe because they are all anonymous under their Guy Fawkes masks.

In a way, this is a common way to address our problems. The anonymity the internet gives us allows everyone to speak their mind with varying degrees of secrecy. This stencil is articulating that when the next great revolution happens, it will be done under masks.