Guia Rivera does "Graffiti"

Thanks to Breaker Ray for the tip!

Atom One - Tales from da Cans

Love that German hiphop. Not sure if we can get this in the US or not.

Lost Arts' photos of the Rio Whole Train project

(press the colored buttons to get into the photo albums)

Photographers' rights, UK, US

BTP rail enthusiasts guidelines (UK)

A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography (US)

Amtrak photo contestant arrested by Amtrak police in NYC

The linked article shows what idiots some train company police can be (arresting a photographer during an Amtrak photo contest and then lying about why), but nonetheless it's legal to take photos in public places in the US unless a sign prohibits it.

If you actually resist arrest, though, train security might shoot you dead, like a BART officer in Oakland did to Oscar Grant, just days ago. Oscar was not taking photos, but there too, the train police confiscated cameras and phones from witnesses after one of the cops killed Oscar. Some youtube footage is surfacing anyway, because so many people witnessed the killing.

The right to take photos is one we must all continue to fight to keep, but take that fight to the courtroom for your own safety, and to benefit everyone.

Against the System - trailer

Bozo Texino and Bill Daniel - collector alert

Vanessa Renwick has a really nice triple-photo piece of Bill Daniel and Bozo Texino in her latest show at Needles and Pens in San Francisco. It's unique. "3 spectra polaroids - edition of 1 - $600," and you can see it at the link above listed as "Grandpa and Bill" about halfway down the page or directly, here. Some other nice stuff is in the show. I love the nuclear plant demolition photo.

Bill Daniel made the fabulous documentary film called "Who is Bozo Texino". We still have a few copies left in our store if you haven't got one yet.

Contact Vanessa at qualitypie@gmail.com about the artwork.

Seattle's new train

Reportedly they chose to park the brand new train in a highly visible spot so that highway drivers could help with train security. And we all know about those highly visible spots.

Website selling freight photos is violating writers' copyrights

This isn't the first idiot selling artwork that doesn't belong to him online, and he probably won't be the last. It's amazing though that people doing this crap are so ignorant about copyright law. You'd think they would worry, since it's so expensive to violate.

Please take a moment to write and educate him. Ask your lawyer to send a cease and desist letter if your work is being exploited without your permission (to help protect your identity and your rights). If dude sells your artwork, he owes you 100% of the money for violating your copyright, at a minimum. Any lawyer for the arts can take care of this for you.

Given how seriously copyright is being prosecuted these days, it should be easy to have his hosting company boot him for this as well, if the cease and desist doesn't work immediately.

Copyright happens the moment an artist creates something. It is not something you have to apply for and it's not something that disappears because of the legal status of the work.

copyright.gov

Free Daze (UK) - UPDATE

UPDATE: Daze was freed from prison this week after his case went to appeal court. The protests helped to raise the profile of his case and generated lots of support mail from around the world.

---

Graffiti writer Daze (Gary Shields) from the UK was jailed in March for 28 months at Ayr Sheriff Court. This was for eight offences.

A protest and appeal are aimed at getting this ridiculously long sentence reduced. See the link for details and current petitions.

[Note that this is not the same Daze whose painting appears on Art Crimes' front page this month.]

Daze from Scotland, sentenced to 28 months: protest campaign

http://www.freedaze.co.uk

Shoot-self-in-foot public policy strikes again. The stupidest thing is that those who are arguing that the sentence fits the crime are up in arms about the damage amount claims. If they weren't idiots, they'd be arguing for restitution, not tax-paid incarceration, which likely will end up costing them more than the damage amount.

Scotland should let him go to school as planned. Education is more reformative than prison and it leads to more tax paying citizens.

Now if we could just get the US to wake up, where more than 2 million people are in prison, many for nonviolent offenses...

Mission Graffiti

Some great historical photos here.

Trains of Western Australia

Underpainted, but on the upside you can honk some of the horns.

via goodexperience.com

Live action train footage wanted for music video

"I am looking for a train or metro-graffiti for a music video clip.

"At the following link, you can see two examples:
[youtube]

"I pay $ 1000 and do not need a finished video, only the material that I can edit.

"If you are interested, send a message to :
klausgcb@live.de

SprayMasters to premiere in NYC Feb 13

SprayMasters, the new film by Manfred Kirchheimer, produced by Manny and his son Gabe, will be opening MoMA's Documentary Fortnight series on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in New York City.

The film features interviews with seminal graffiti artists Futura 2000, Lee, Lady Pink, and Zephyr, plus rare footage of painted trains from the late 1970s and its original soundtrack from Studio Chill includes Mark Shine, J-Illa, The Cultures of Rhythm, Ezekiel, Al Street, and Matt Ray.

This film is a follow-up to Kirchheimer's underground classic "Stations of the Elevated" (1980)

Transit Maps from Around the World

Book available at Amazon

Write and Unite

"Write and Unite" will be shown starting this Friday evening at microcinema.imeem.com

"Write and Unite" presents some of the world's greatest graffiti artists live in action. From subways to huge productions, street bombing to organized events, never before has there been such a complete, global documentation of today's top aerosolists and their work.

ATOM, CAP, CODEROCK, COPE2, DASH167, DENZ, FX CREW, GOAL, GREY, JUST195, KACAO77, KENT, MAC CREW, MEAR, MOAS CREW, RISKY, SABE, SABER, SEEN, SKETCH, SMASH, SWET, T-KID, TOOMR, ZEBSTER, AND MANY, MANY MORE.

[We carry this DVD in the Art Crimes Store for only $17.50, and we'll match anyone else's price to earn your business.]

(update) Young men jailed in UK for painting trains, citizens are outraged

UPDATE:

The judges at the Court of Appeal decided each should receive a two-year conditional discharge. They have served two months of their original sentences.

Their prison sentences prompted protests by their parents and a petition on the social networking website Facebook.

Five-year Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) were also quashed by Mr Justice Grigson sitting with Lord Justice Latham and Mr Justice Aikens in London. They said the Asbos were "inappropriate" because the graffiti was not threatening or offensive.

The "positive features" in their cases should also have persuaded the original trial judge a community sentence was the appropriate punishment, said Mr Justice Grigson.

Mers (18) and Krek (20) got thrown in jail (in a police station, since the prisons are full) in Manchester England. Their sentences are 12 and 15 months.

You can see in the [original] article comments that reasonable adults in the area think these sentences are ridiculously harsh. And no wonder. It doesn't make any sense to put kids in jail for nonviolent offenses. Not for the kids and not for the society. At least one of these guys is a first offender also.

But in any country, it's easiest to jail people who can't afford good legal help and to let rich celebrities and white-collar criminals who actually endanger other people's lives go free after token jail visits. Blind justice indeed. We need to reform the stupid policies that result in such society-harming results.

I hope the UK citizens will continue to condemn this sort of destructive sentencing and work to free these kids. Nonviolent first offenders need to be sent to school and to work, not to jail. Otherwise, England risks becoming a prison state like the USA, where more than 2 million people are in prison, a large proportion of which are in for nonviolent and victimless offenses such as drug possession.

Painted motion-animation on Belgium trackside

by Bonom and Lork at Etterbeek Station

Ruedione Photography

A haunting black and white (Flash) slide tour of a train mission set to sinister German graffiti-rap soundtrack.

Ket busted in Ecko-Vallone free speech struggle, NYC

Will the rule of law triumph over the rule of the mayor?

This reminds me of Rudy G's vendetta against Espo after the effigy and elephant dung episode.

There will be benefit activities for Ket's legal defense fund, to be announced.

3 other guys are facing 43 counts for painting tunnel walls in New York. The city claims an unlikely $10,000 in damages, and for that they want 7 years of these young men's lives. Sounds like they need a good lawyer too.

Naturally 7 rocks the paris metro

Concert sauvage dans le métro !
Uploaded by lapapsprod

This is wonderful in so many ways. Check out how many people are recording it. Now imagine how many people will see/hear it. And it's an awesome performance of course. Is that the sound of MTV rolling in its grave?

Thanks to Keenyu for the link!

Track tragedy ruled accidental

Thanks to Deal for the sad news.

Islington Tribune [London] - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 23 February 2007
Graffiti artist died on tracks

A graphic designer was electrocuted when he slipped on train tracks after drunkenly reverting to the graffiti lifestyle he had abandoned since the birth of his child, an inquest heard yesterday (Thursday). George Andrew King, 22, was hit by 750 volts of electricity when he fell on the live rail near Caledonian Road and Barnsbury railway station during a graffiti spree in the early hours of Saturday September 16 last year.

After a night at a media party, he had gone on to the rails with friend and fellow spray-canner Jason Edwards, who ended up trying to prise his convulsing body from the line with a plank of wood before calling for an ambulance.

Mr Edwards said he had been walking ahead of Mr King as they returned to the station after tagging a bridge.

He said: "I just turned round and he was lying on the rail. I know from before - it's instant death on that track."

Though they risked their lives and broke their own safety protocols by rushing to the still-live line, the paramedics could see instantly that Mr King was dead, Coroner Dr Andrew Reid was told. Katherine Ketchaev, Mr King's partner and the mother of his young son, said he had given up graffiti on the railways since she had become concerned for his safety - but had given in to temptation after a few drinks while she slept.

Police experts said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

Verdict: accidental death.

Snafu

Snafu
Originally uploaded by TheFormer.

benching on flickr ...

love the black outline, reds on red.

Police make fake MUL site

NYPD have apparently set up a fake MUL website to trap the unwary.

The bogus site is http://www.madeulooknyc.com

Two Writers Killed by London Underground Train

WISE/WANTS DFC
OZONE SRW

Rest in Peace

Condolences to all those they left behind.

Graffiti is not worth dying for. Please everyone be careful out there.

RIP KOS

13 year old killed by train after painting near the tracks in Long Island NY.

Words can't express the tragedy of losing someone so young and full of promise. The only thing we can do is to try to learn the hard lessons that each disaster brings us.

Train yards and tracks are way more dangerous than you think they are. Even veterans have trains sneak up on them. Never let your guard down, and watch out for your friends. Don't expect to hear or feel the train first.

Let's all be more careful out there this year.

Rest in peace, KOS ...

Our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.

Graffiti @ Metro Madrid (Linea 5)

Thanks to Huderon for pointing this out.

Project: Trains