The Law of Art and the Art of Law

What is art? What is it for? What makes art good or bad?

A TV show that I watched recently made me think about these questions and it seemed like just the thing for the Graffiti Mine.

A fellow called Roadsworth was arrested in Montreal for painting the streets. His stencil art reminded me a lot of Banksy. You can check out the show here. It’s called Roadsworth: Crossing the line. Click here to see his webpage. He sums up his position by saying “…there is nevertheless a growing recognition that an industrial-age mentality is no longer adequate to the challenges that humanity is faced with.” If you have no time for environmentalists and what they might have to say, his story will probably not interest you. But I think the issue of environmental stewardship deserves our attention and that’s why I’m blogging.

Roadsworth knows what art is and what it is for. But he got busted for coloring outside the lines. This is what inspired me to think about good and bad art. I once had a commission to work on the air conditioning system for a house that a man had devoted to his favorite kind of art – mid 20^th century abstract. The guy had money to burn and, in my opinion, that’s just what he did. Some of the installations in his house displayed good technical execution, but the message was lost on me. It looked like it was deliberately ugly. Ugliness can serve an artistic purpose, but I don’t like it when it seems to be the end in itself. I’m sure the stuff in my client’s house was judged by critics of modern art to be excellent. On the other hand, Roadsworth has an aesthetic sense of beauty that appeals to me. His art was judged in the Montreal court of law.

Roadsworth broke the law and he was punished for it. But here is where the art of law comes into the story. His art is beautiful – not the graceless scrawl of some tagger who only wants everyone to see his name; not the brutal ugliness of some deconstructionist misanthrope. The court recognized this and gave him a minimum sentence, part of which included 40 hours community service; a chance to do his work legally. How’s that for punishment? I guess if you get caught doing graffiti, it will go better for you if it’s well done.

The show focuses on the debate about who has the right to decorate the public spaces – spaces that are owned by us all. I think the guerilla art of Banksy and Roadsworth defy the notion of the orderly pursuit of public welfare. I just wish there was a better, more orderly way to get a chance to see good stuff like Roadsworth’s around town.

I See Dead People...

...is the name of a brand-new blog by my friend and pastor, Andy. He collects pictures at the graves of important people from history. The inaugural post is about Jonathan Edwards, a noteworthy pastor and theologian who lived in the 18th century. He's famous for, among other things, being the first president of what would become Princeton University.

Edwards lived an inspiring life as a christian and a pastor. Check him out on Andy's blog.

Periodic Tables

Today's theme is Periodic Tables. Our first example comes from Theodore Gray, who has built a Periodic Coffee Table to house his collection of elements. The workmanship looks exquisite in the pictures...


Our next example is a very geeky tattoo. Yes, that's a real tattoo. No, I don't know why he did it, but it sure must have helped during his chemistry finals. I haven't been able to trace this to its origins, although many people have posted it. Feel free to knock yourself out looking for a primary source.

The third and final example is, in my opinion, the best of all. It's the Periodic Table of Science Fiction. Created by Michael Swanwick , it was an ongoing column of short-short fiction for the defunct webzine SciFiction. It was later published in book form, but you can read the whole thing on line on his blog.

Let it Snow!

I'm in hibernation mode this weekend. It snowed a lot yesterday.

Here what 21" of snow on a patio table looks like from my living room.

The Graffiti Mine

Welcome to the graffiti mine. I would like to discuss the things we've read - especially fantasy and science fiction related books and stories. I hope we can share some inspired art and literature that moves us enough to write about.

The title is inspired by a mock-cave painting by the English graffiti artist Banksy;



I'm pretty sure Banksy's not a Conservative. I don't always agree with his urban guerrilla style approach to art, but some of his stuff makes me laugh.