Digg This Story   May 07 08

/ by rich auger

I know that most of you have already heard about and seen the pics from the Cans Festival this past weekend in London so I will not bore you by telling you that Banksy and other stencil artists took over part of London to provide the public with an overwhelming display of street art while giving them their own chance to contribute. What I will bore you with are my views on the weekend.

I just happened to be in London last weekend on vacation from Toronto and was lucky enough to hear about the exhibit in time to go and check it out. As far as the exhibit itself goes it was a pretty sweet display of artwork and messages but in all honesty I really hope that this was a one time gig. I know that this is an unpopular opinion but the show really lacked that same feeling you get when you round the corner and happen upon a piece that you have not seen before or walking down Brick Lane in London and seeing the numerous pieces by local artists that decorate the landscape and help make the area what it is.

If you disagree with me please let me know. I will say however that there were several things that I quite loved about the exhibit. Watching a father and son work together pulling out stencils, taping them up, shaking the can and handing it off to eachother as they contribute their own piece was a beautiful thing to see and giving them that opportunity is a definite point in favour of doing something similar once again. I also saw kids as young as 10 (rough guess without asking them) spraying through stencils as people watched on while taking pics - another beautiful thing to witness. I even saw a elderly woman in a wheelchair pulling out her camera and taking shots while being pushed around - another plus for the show.

Hmm on second thought, please allow me the opportunity to change my opinion. I really hope that this is not the last time that an exhibit like this takes place. Even though seeing the art in a staged setting does not offer the same emotional reaction as seeing a fresh piece in the streets the benefits of opening it up to the people who may never have that experience are well worth it. Good job guys!

Check out the official site or browse Flickr to view the artwork.