Takin' It To The Street

So, last week-end we went from the high art of the ballet on Saturday, to the low (some would call criminal) art of the street - i.e. Graffiti, on Sunday. This week-end we focused on getting last minute things done for Christmas prep, so I am harking back to last Sunday for this post.

We got up and got ourselves moving more quickly than usual on a Sunday morning because the forecast called for rain and it was the last day of this show that had been up for about a month (typical). It was hot and sunny and we slathered on the sunscreen, grabbed our hats (and I brought an umbrella), and took the bus to the ferry terminal. We got there just in time to catch one that was so loaded down with passengers that it looked a little like a refugee boat. The water in the harbour was really choppy as we stood jammed up against the railing and headed for Cockatoo Island.

I am not sure what this little harbour island was originally used for, but it is now a basically denuded island with several abandoned warehouse and factory type buildings on it. It was a fitting and super-cool place for a show called OUTPOST Art from the Streets. Check out the link for more details.

I won't go into too much description as I think the pictures speak for themselves. We had a great time milling through tunnels, huge warehouses, and outdoor spaces, soaking up the humor, socio/political messages, and creativity of all these artists. The final bit was a collection of art by Banksy.

As we were getting ready to leave, a huge, black cloud blew in like a blast from a spray paint can, (cute huh?) and we stood with the crowd in line, in the rain, waiting for extra ferries to come over and ship us all back to the mainland. We were home getting warm and drinking tea by 4:oo.

(the photo of the Banksy art was a small file that is hard to see so I posted the second to the top one from his website. It isn't the most typical of his work but I like the message.)