Painting Detroit

**johnkuhnphoto** · February-15-11, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

Huh John... I just found some pretty distressing pictures of some tortured souls on your personal website. Please tell me these arent for real. Is there any way of erasing the hooks in them? Either you are a Photoshop wiz, which I suspect you aint, or they are the product of a mind that equates art with dumping tires on a vacant lot.

The "distressing" images on my site are real. It is know as body suspension and has been used for many reasons for a long... long time. Take some native american tribes for example. This was a ritual of becoming a man.
Actually yes, I know quite a bit about photoshop. I do a lot of post-produciton work and I teach classes on photoshop.

**East Detroit** · February-15-11, 07:29 PM

Oh, Bingham Farms on Telegraph. That will make the phone call easier, thanks.

**johnkuhnphoto** · February-15-11, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Oh, Bingham Farms on Telegraph. That will make the phone call easier, thanks.

not sure what your asking about. Yes Bingham Farms on Telegraph is my mailing address for my business. I live in Detroit.

**East Detroit** · February-15-11, 07:25 PM

Which suburban neighborhood are you from? I want to create what I want, also.

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

**East Detroit** · February-15-11, 07:36 PM

Detroit isn't your personal place to shit on.

You are breaking the law.

I consider accounting offices in Bingham Farms to be crappy buildings that I can tag, but I haven't yet broken into one and/or used one for my artistic endeavors. Are you saying that I should feel free?

**johnkuhnphoto** · February-15-11, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

You're an accountant, too?

By the way, Detroit isn't your personal place to shit on.

You are breaking the law.

no im not.
thats not what i am attempting to do.
but i know everyone sees things differently

**Downtown Lady** · February-17-11, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

You are breaking the law.

Originally Posted by johnkuhnphoto

no im not

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**johnkuhnphoto** · February-16-11, 12:42 AM

it says that there are a plethora of abandoned buildings and that they are easily accessible.
i havent seen anyone else do this. so im not sure how its "wannabe." the only thing that came close to this was in the early/mid 1900's by a photographer painting abandoned home interiors. i cannot remember his name off the top of my head.
as for the people suspending. it has nothing to do with crucifying anyone. from what i know and understand some do it because they like to push their bodies to the next level. some have spiritual thing happen. some just do it to try it. some do it just for the performance aspect [[concerts, haunted houses, and so on). some like the adrenaline and endorphin rush. and im sure there a many other reasons.
as you said "I am maybe not awake enough to see" maybe you just need to open your eyes a little and see, experience, and/or understand that people do what makes them happy.

**Richard** · February-16-11, 01:14 AM

it says that there are a plethora of abandoned buildings and that they are easily accessible.

Sorry, It screams "I am going to what I want to do with total disregard to the other taxpayers of public property and I will force my view of art upon them"

You have documented what is trespassing ,vandalism ,and destruction of private and public property for your own singular belief or agenda you are no different then a scrapper trying to justify destruction ,are you willing to foot the bill when it comes time for the clean up on those properties?

The poster above gave excellent advice: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
That is the signature of a respected professional and artist.

**gnome** · February-16-11, 06:41 AM

I will tell my friends about your gallery show, maybe you can meet them there.

**hamtown mike** · February-16-11, 01:14 PM

Painter/photographer, whatever you claim to be, there is no denying that you are a trespasser and a destroyer of property.

If you were truly doing this for the sake of art you would have no need to have your name attached to it.

bad form.

**detroitlives** · February-18-11, 08:02 AM

I too value artistic expression. I too love the creative impulse that gives rise to art. However this is condemnable breaking of the law.

The photographs that are in the gallery on the Paint Detroit site are --whatever their artistic value-- evidence of an ingnorance, a disrespect to others [[perhaps unconsciously) and clear evidence of breaking the law. To say " I create what I want" as a validation of this is silly; unless the owners of the properties that are being painted have expressly given consent, it is criminal activity and those doing it should be ashamed.

**canuck** · February-16-11, 08:49 AM

I just opened my eyes a little and still find it painful; not in anyway a happy thing.

**WPitonya** · February-16-11, 11:25 AM

If I lived in Detroit, I would become an artist who does the complete opposite....I would "urban explore" and set up classrooms in schools, dentist's offices in the Broderick, paint a single wall to look like new, etc. This would leave a real impression.....imagine walking though an abandoned building that is essentially destroyed and coming across one tidy room!

I started typing this as a joke, but I think it may have some validity hahaha.

**adamjab19** · February-16-11, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by WPitonya

If I lived in Detroit, I would become an artist who does the complete opposite....I would "urban explore" and set up classrooms in schools, dentist's offices in the Broderick, paint a single wall to look like new, etc. This would leave a real impression.....imagine walking though an abandoned building that is essentially destroyed and coming across one tidy room!

I started typing this as a joke, but I think it may have some validity hahaha.

You are right that would be a GREAT idea! Seriously. It's almost like when you drive through a shitty neighborhood and there is that one awesome house. Honestly, this would be very cool to see!!

And to the artist with this paint scheme. I don't get it and technically you are breaking the law regardless of your point. But between the orange dots and orange houses etc. abandoned things have been painted in Detroit before....

**izzyindetroit** · February-16-11, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by WPitonya

If I lived in Detroit, I would become an artist who does the complete opposite....I would "urban explore" and set up classrooms in schools, dentist's offices in the Broderick, paint a single wall to look like new, etc. This would leave a real impression.....imagine walking though an abandoned building that is essentially destroyed and coming across one tidy room!

I started typing this as a joke, but I think it may have some validity hahaha.

http://www.reversegraffitiproject.com/index.html

this is a few years old.

**majohnson** · February-16-11, 10:17 AM

Wow, isn't it great? You can do whatever you want to do in Detroit.

You want to break into a building and cover it with paint? Just make sure you are in Detroit and call it 'art'.
Wanna take rip through the streets in a snowmobile? Just make sure you are in Detroit and have enough people with you to feel legitimate.

I have a problem with people who [[1) do wrong in Detroit and [[2) popularize their activities as cool.
They fail to see that illegal activities, when committed in Detroit, are still illegal.

"I am not a bad person, I am making the city more hip and thus contributing to its comeback."
Contributing to law-does-not-matter/criminal mideset is hurting Detroit.

How about actually contributing to society by doing something useful.
Create legal art or open an art gallery.
Create a business where people can ride snomobiles or motocross bikes depending on the season.

For clarification . . .
This is not about who commits the crime or even the obvious fact that people commit crimes.
It is the smugness that leads a person to draw public attention to the crime and the implication that flows from it- That the illegal activity is not a crime!

For example:
You are a bad person for beating a homeless man for no reason, you are worse for posting the video on Youtube.com.
You are a bad person for vandalizing community buildings and even a worse person for enshrining the activity with a public website and solicitng online traffic from those interested in the community generally.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-16-11, 11:08 AM

Nah I just want to litter my neighborhood with tire dumps, get drunk and pee in alleys.

I am glad I am not the only who feels ma's pain!

**jbd441** · February-16-11, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by majohnson

Wow, isn't it great? You can do whatever you want to do in Detroit.

You want to break into a building and cover it with paint? Just make sure you are in Detroit and call it 'art'.
Wanna take rip through the streets in a snowmobile? Just make sure you are in Detroit and have enough people with you to feel legitimate.

Wow, you must have seen the YouTube video. I think some people feel legitimate by themselves.

**adamjab19** · February-16-11, 11:22 AM

That snowmobile video was pretty cool actually!

Anyway, not sure if you are saying, "Go away you unruly suburbanites creating the havoc in my city." But really it's been the city residents who have slowly shown that you can dismantle a city with petty crimes and unruly behavior and have no punishment or law come in their way. Not that this justifies anyone's actions, but it's a general feeling of the region that Detroit is somewhat lawless...

**WPitonya** · February-16-11, 11:26 AM

Please see my post in "Painting Detroit."

citylover · February-16-11, 11:26 AM

you sure can...

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110...body-under-bed

**bailey** · February-16-11, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by majohnson

Wow, isn't it great? You can do whatever you want to do in Detroit.

You want to break into a building and cover it with paint? Just make sure you are in Detroit and call it 'art'.
Wanna take rip through the streets in a snowmobile? Just make sure you are in Detroit and have enough people with you to feel legitimate.

Wanna put up a statue of a dystopian sci fi character? Just throw out a tweet and 50k will show up in the mail to make it happen....and no one will note the irony of the subject matter.

Mr. Houdini · February-16-11, 01:18 PM

When I lived in Downtown Detroit in the mid-90s, I wouldn't stop for traffic lights at night. I'd look both ways and drive right through. There was never anyone around anyway. Plus, I know that if I got a ticket, you can fight it in court by simply saying, "There was a car following me. I was getting away from them." I saw that excuse work in court. So, I'd drive up the curbs, down sidewalks, through red lights, speed. Whatever. It didn't matter. There was no one around to harm anyway.

**Carey** · February-16-11, 02:17 PM

Outsiders disrespecting Detroit is an old issue, not that longevity makes it any less legitimate today.. The Metro Times did an excellent article on the subject about 25 years ago. And, in 1984, Detroit Police officials blamed the post-World Series riot on suburban young people [[who spent Game Five drinking outside of Tiger Stadium while the cops worried about the crowd misbheaving inside).