Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I have attached an article reflecting a news report I watched on TV yesterday. I can't tell you how much I disagree with what the city is doing, not to mention how they are going about it.

Imagining a Queen west without any graffiti is sad. It will become void of character. Tags on bus stops and such are an eyesore but large murals (some of which are commissioned by store owners) are an art form and should be protected. (Sigh) I guess the city won't make money by cleaning up bus shelters but they can turn a profit by painting over the murals (at the property owners expense) if they don't comply with the new laws.

http://www.blogto.com/arts/2011/03/city ... _queen_st/

If you haven't already taken shots of graffiti alley you may want to move it up a spot or two on your bucket list. LOL.

What the heck!? Graffiti Alley is so iconic to Queen St. W.

It's like cereal without milk IMO.

I guess Ford's plan is to wipe out any unapproved by the city art and leave blank walls so the taggers and gangs have some new work space. All on the business owner's and tax payer's tab.

GAHHHHH!!!!!! A lot of the artists are friends of mine and man are they gonna be pissed to hear about this if they havent already!!!!

At least the second image says something. The first triptych is empty, although stylized, banality. Alice in Wonderland slutted up as a Barbie-esque whore, a three eyed dog(I'm assuming this is not original material(and if it is it's not adding that much credibility)) and a pedestrian iteration of the Eye of Providence? Bleh. And that's rather clever as far as that sort of thing usually goes. What does it say? The artist has great can technique? The cocks are at least a pursuit of freedom of expression, a commentary on the lack of it. The triptych, perhaps, is what happens when one gets too comfortable. There is the theory that art blossoms when under pressure of censor. That said, I'm probably not the best critic of graffiti I suppose, only children with crayons draw on walls.

The gang tagging needs to be stopped no matter what the cost. Only four year old minds are compelled to write their names all over everything. Them and Trump... another four year old mind.

you're a bitter man, ions. no fun left.

the mural was the work of three different artists - you can see their other work here:

http://www.daveymac.com/
http://www.funskull.com/
http://theopeninghours.com.au/roach/

sorry, but i'm no expert around downtown TO area, but where exactly is Graffiti Alley? i want to see before they paint it.

At all costs that's a laugh, the cops can't even keep the drunks and druggies from drinking, shooting up, pissing, shitting and f@cking (fornicating to appease the censors) in public! What help is this going to be in preventing tagging, maybe we should make carrying a spray can the equivalent of carrying a dangerous weapon? Oh I forgot about the knifings and shootings that go on in downtown on a regular basis.

Alley south of Queen West from Spadina to Portland

I saw on the news a while ago about some west-end alley that was "cleaned up" when they got local artists to paint the garages and fences -- stopped all of the tagging. I suppose that project will fall victim to this strange policy too.

Unfortunately 'street art' doesn't always stop tagging, because those who have no respect still have none. For example take a closer look at the 'dog garage', in the original link.

Well yeah, cops are useless. They don't keep people from doing things they just scold them after a tattling. And meh, as long as the drunks/druggies/whoever aren't writing their names on the walls I don't care what they do. Going weewee and boomboom in public isn't the greatest behaviour but most often the people that do that don't have a full 3 piece at their disposal now do they? Homelesssness, drug addiction and the mental issues that put people in that position is kinda a separate issue.

Admittedly "at all costs" is a touch dramatic, I just can't stand that tagging stuff and the douchebags that do it. I'm perfectly happy to see taggers shot in the street. There must be a correlation between tagging (gang behaviour) and "knifing and shootings" (also gang behaviour) so it makes sense to attempt to eliminate it through policy. As effective as that will turn out...

You say

"Admittedly "at all costs" is a touch dramatic,"

and then you say

"I'm perfectly happy to see taggers shot in the street."

who's being dramatic?

And apparently Evergreen is also being forced to cleanup the Brickworks which would just make it -- well not the Brickworks we know.

So the current art/graffitti will be removed and probably replaced by anti-Ford graffitti. Which will be covered up at great cost and replaced by yet more anti-Ford graffitti.
Hey Ford, I'm more concerned about the air quality in T.O. than the alley way graffitti.

And are we ever going to witness the day when huge billboards are considered an eyesore by the city officials? Oh yes, that would be 'bad for business', an umbrella term that runs our lives

But they are so beautiful I can't wait to buy some more stuff. Notice how the new crop has been re-branded to Green something or other just in case you believe in the power of advertisement.

So far as of Sunday, Graffiti Alley is still graffiti alley with some fresh spring murals.

Oh yes, indeed, we're so green, it hurts. In my hood (Yonge and St. Clair) you can see ladies from surrounding mansions and mil $ condos (with inevitable Louis Voitton bags across the shoulder) hysterically ripping off ads glued to electric polls angrily commenting 'we don't stand for free advertising'. I am sure they care about Graffiti Alley as much as I do about their makeup and plastic surgeries and it's precisely their money that influences how this city is being run. In this city the only thing that counts as "arts" is whatever is sponsored by Banks and Corporations.

yep we're surely in for a real treat with this government we have here now... dun dun dun

he's already a new icon....


Rob Ford stencil by jannx - equal eyes, on Flickr

Is it me, or is the image height from the ground and apparent seclusion of the surrounding area is almost suggestive?

Your avatar suggests it might as well be you

Let me get out my camera and you can test out your hypothesis

Ford's initiative to do away with street art is so mind-boggling and angering. Bundling random tags into genuine street art is absurd. I certainly hope street artists will replace the art once it's removed, and keep doing so until the city gets it through their thick skulls that this proposal is nonsensical.

Some street art was removed recently in my neighborhood, and someone replaced it with some absolutely clever stuff. I'm going to take a photo of it tonight and post when I can.

I would really like to set up a poll

1 I voted for Ford
2 I didn't vote for Ford
3 I abstained and will abstain again
4 I abstained and but next election I will vote for someone other than Ford
5 I abstained but next time I will vote for Ford
6 I going to move to Toronto just to help get rid of that red neck right wing _____hole

But alas the off topic section does not allow polls

7. Can't understand why anyone would vote for Ford

8. Vote to scrap the GTA region just so anyone that has to drive into Toronto can't be elected Mayor.

9. Vote to make all candidates for political position have to get at least 5 out of 10 skill testing question correct before they can put their name on a ballot.

Looks like philmar's analysis is spot on.

Given the height of the Ford face I might add that the anti-graffitti policy may result in an unintended increase in public urination.

City Hall may be coming to its senses.

http://www.toronto.com/article/689521-- ... -the-rules