Painting Detroit

[ruffsicle]

I see the CCS contingent is joining the forum one by one.



It's not about the "sanctity" of sidewalks and overpasses, it is about the malicious destruction of public property. Whether you want to agree with it or not, malicious destruction of property is a crime. It's not really open for debate or interpretation.

And since when does house paint wash off?

ok. Well where is your righteous anger over the malicious threats? Not only to John Kuhn? But to people who happen to know him. Two wrongs don't make it right. Isn't that what your saying. "Just because the building is abandoned doesn't make it ok.... blah blah blah. I see it's ok when the people in the "right" break the law but it's not when John does.

[johnkuhnphoto]

I see the CCS contingent is joining the forum one by one.



It's not about the "sanctity" of sidewalks and overpasses, it is about the malicious destruction of public property. Whether you want to agree with it or not, malicious destruction of property is a crime. It's not really open for debate or interpretation.

And since when does house paint wash off?

we already know that its "destruction of property" i think we figured that out on page one

[johnkuhnphoto]

You think that was easy? I highly doubt it was. A lot of time and work clearly went into those images. I hear those same annoying comments all the time at the DIA: "My three year old could do that, ha-ha-ha." Little do they know..

many people wont see it that way... sadly....

[johnkuhnphoto]

It would be nice if people could give constructive criticism without petty insults and threats. John is not Detroit's biggest threat. I think we all know that there are definitely worse illegal activities happening in some [[if not all) of these buildings. I mean people are dealing crack in them, and you're bitching about some guy taking pictures? Paint can be washed off. Maybe lets direct some of that anger towards Detroit's real criminals.

i was coming in for a critique and different view points... and it turned into this...

[johnkuhnphoto]

The work so to speak, could be done by a three year old and it might make you angry over spilled paint, but being the open-minded person you are; you would probably say, aw shucks, he didnt know what he was doing...

that was such a poorly thought out comment i dont think i can respond

[johnkuhnphoto]

Hmm I would love to see a 3 year old make that kind of art.

haha. yes me too

[johnkuhnphoto]

how about if someone buys one of those buildings. ill bring a power washer. and help you remove the paint! or remove the wall when its worth something because someone did something. or, what will probably happen is ill watch the news and see they tore down yet another building that was painted because its not safe. some of the buildings are already torn down or are on the list for teardown this year.

[ruffsicle]

So you really need some guy to splatter a building to acknowledge your surroundings?

Is that the point of art? It doesnt remotely address anything.

You want DetroitPole to come and clean up empty lots in your hood, but dont think twice about the attractiveness of housepaint on a sidewalk.

I actually do find splattered paint attractive. So yup no problems there. And there is an obvious larger health public safety issue with garbage, tires, bottles, in lots. Paint on cement cannot physically hurt anyone.

I actually feel bad for you. Yes art is supposed to make you reevaluate your life and your surroundings. We are constantly bombarded with noise digital and otherwise and I think it says a lot about a piece of work that stops and make you think. It opens your eyes and it opens discussions**. I mean it can't all be poker playing dogs and superbowl commercials. Some of it is supposed to be ingested not forgotten

** Side note Im not sure you know what a real intelligent discussion is. We may have to cover that subject later.

[johnkuhnphoto]

thanks to the forum. painting detroit is now number 5 on google

[socks_mahoney]

I see the CCS contingent is joining the forum one by one.



It's not about the "sanctity" of sidewalks and overpasses, it is about the malicious destruction of public property. Whether you want to agree with it or not, malicious destruction of property is a crime. It's not really open for debate or interpretation.

And since when does house paint wash off?

It seems to me that all of these properties were malicously destroyed by their absent land owners well before our friend John arrived at them.

Would you rather have a shitty vacant building, or a shitty vacant building with some brilliant colors on it.

Seriously you can tell who the Baby Boomers on this forum are. These building are not coming back the way they use to be. The only thing to do is to move forward. We don't know what to do. People in this city and this nation are lost. When we don't know what to do we must create and that is exactly what John is doing. He is building the culture and environment of creation. We will not dig ourselves out of the hole that generations past dug us into by ignoring and/or running from real problems and creating fake ones like "high" taxes or so-called "welfare queens" [[read: everyone who voted for Regan I am calling you out).

Give up. You let it decay. Let someone else try to build it.

John what you are doing is creating the Genesis culture that is Detroit's only hope. We must all be a part of this new ethic of creation. No one cares if you own property, where you came from, or where you live. We're all in this together---so unless your planning on doing something truly economic with those buildings---leave it alone.

If I may, John, I would find it interesting if you began painting eyes in certain places. Studies in numerous cities [[especially NYC subway) have shown that areas with eyes painted in them [[even just one eye) are far less likely to be areas where a crime occurs. Now thats something we can all agree on doing.

[johnkuhnphoto]

It seems to me that all of these properties were malicously destroyed by their absent land owners well before our friend John arrived at them.

Would you rather have a shitty vacant building, or a shitty vacant building with some brilliant colors on it.

Seriously you can tell who the Baby Boomers on this forum are. These building are not coming back the way they use to be. The only thing to do is to move forward. We don't know what to do. People in this city and this nation are lost. When we don't know what to do we must create and that is exactly what John is doing. He is building the culture and environment of creation. We will not dig ourselves out of the hole that generations past dug us into by ignoring and/or running from real problems and creating fake ones like "high" taxes or so-called "welfare queens" [[read: everyone who voted for Regan I am calling you out).

Give up. You let it decay. Let someone else try to build it.

John what you are doing is creating the Genesis culture that is Detroit's only hope. We must all be a part of this new ethic of creation. No one cares if you own property, where you came from, or where you live. We're all in this together---so unless your planning on doing something truly economic with those buildings---leave it alone.

If I may, John, I would find it interesting if you began painting eyes in certain places. Studies in numerous cities [[especially NYC subway) have shown that areas with eyes painted in them [[even just one eye) are far less likely to be areas where a crime occurs. Now thats something we can all agree on doing.

all i have to say is... well i dont know what to say besides THANKS

do you have any links of this eye thing? it would be interesting to look at

[Gistok]

John,

I've been one of the least critical people on this thread to what you did... and I'm a Baby Boomer... so please don't use generalizations... because the city has been decaying even as many Baby Boomers were young.

I love a lot of your work... especially the cart, boat, vehicle and human figure....

I was slightly unhappy with you getting paint on the sidewalk....

But the viaduct and especially the inside of a classroom of old Cass Tech High School were especially disturbing.

I live in St. Clair Shores... so when I see some grafitti on some of the new mile road bridges over I-94 in my area I do get annoyed... no more so than what you did to the viaduct.

But the Cass Tech image was shocking... and there are some [[not all) on this forum who wanted to save that venerable Albert Kahn structure... but due to the ineptness of the Detroit Public School System... securing school buildings is beyond their grasp of comprehension.

If you were to label your works... I'm sure that you would have gotten criticism for that Cass Tech image by some exhibition viewers.

But beyond all of that... don't think that we're all a bunch of keyboard commentators... many of us do contribute to the preservation of the city... as daunting a task as that can be...

As for anyone threatening you in any way... the forum admins will take care of that.... because that is unacceptable here.

I just would ask that you be more responsible in the future in how you create your art. Nothing more, nothing less....

Gistok

[Downtown Lady]

John what you are doing is creating the Genesis culture that is Detroit's only hope. We must all be a part of this new ethic of creation.

hahahahahaha -- that's awesome!!!

You know how people always say ROTFL? This is so incredibly hilarious that I actually fell out of my chair and literally started rolling on the floor. [[OK, not really.) But, my, that's funny!

[Downtown Lady]

thanks to the forum. painting detroit is now number 5 on google

Hey, you should quit making stuff up. Even if you narrow the Google search to Michigan and limit it to February 2011, it's still not even a blip on the radar.

[johnkuhnphoto]

John,

I've been one of the least critical people on this thread to what you did... and I'm a Baby Boomer... so please don't use generalizations... because the city has been decaying even as many Baby Boomers were young.

I love a lot of your work... especially the cart, boat, vehicle and human figure....

I was slightly unhappy with you getting paint on the sidewalk....

But the viaduct and especially the inside of a classroom of old Cass Tech High School were especially disturbing.

I live in St. Clair Shores... so when I see some grafitti on some of the new mile road bridges over I-94 in my area I do get annoyed... no more so than what you did to the viaduct.

But the Cass Tech image was shocking... and there are some [[not all) on this forum who wanted to save that venerable Albert Kahn structure... but due to the ineptness of the Detroit Public School System... securing school buildings is beyond their grasp of comprehension.

If you were to label your works... I'm sure that you would have gotten criticism for that Cass Tech image by some exhibition viewers.

But beyond all of that... don't think that we're all a bunch of keyboard commentators... many of us do contribute to the preservation of the city... as daunting a task as that can be...

As for anyone threatening you in any way... the forum admins will take care of that.... because that is unacceptable here.

I just would ask that you be more responsible in the future in how you create your art. Nothing more, nothing less....

Gistok

im sorry if i dis respected you in any way, thats not what i intended to do. i didnt say anything about baby boomers. i did say the people before me had the chance to fix this. you may be true about the cass tech school [[about the title). if people asked, i told them. the school was and is going to the destruction crew unfortunately. that place is beautiful.
thank you for you thoughtful post.

[johnkuhnphoto]

Hey, you should quit making stuff up. Even if you narrow the Google search to Michigan and limit it to February 2011, it's still not even a blip on the radar.

i cant even read those
on mine, and on other computers at the school it did, same with my friends comps...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paintin...5999/lightbox/

[DetroitPole]

were talking about buildings... not houses... but ok

from what i have read on them and have heard from things on city council.. many of them are structurally damaged.

and yes i do work. i run my own company which is mainly freelance right now. i dont have a steady job because im still in school.

Last time I checked a house was a building, Einstein.

"From what I have read and have heard from things on city council"
Great citations, by the way. Bet you really put a lot of time and effort into researching which buildings you decided to deface.

You would have thrown your paint all over Orchestra Hall or the Opera House or the Book Cadillac or Willys Overland Lofts because you deemed them unsalvageable in your infinite wisdom and therefore that would have given you the right to destroy them.

Real life isn't a fucking photography class, John. You can't throw paint all over buildings and expect the world to critique it and give you constructive criticism. To even claim to expect that shows what a self-centered narcissist you are.

In fact, I think you and your little friends are getting a little too much pleasure out of this "sticking it to the man" and the pedestrian baby boomers who don't understand your profound and insightful self-expression and who obviously do nothing to help Detroit, unlike you and friends. You are no different than a child who does something wrong to get attention, except your actions have gravity and consequences that you are unable to recognize. So I'm done with you until I meet you in real life; I'm not feeding into your ego on this thread anymore. Pissing people off does not make you an avant-guard artist.

And I'm in my '20's. I was just taught to respect other people and their environment. You don't have to be a baby boomer to do that.

[detroitlives]

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.

[detr0itkid]

last time i checked i don't shoot ruin porn. and im not doing this project for shits and giggles. and yes im looking at getting a property in the city, but i do currently rent. if you feel that strongly about nothing happening to the numerous abandoned buildings, they why don't you go and do something about it instead of sitting on the internet and just complaining?

You shoot ruin porn with paint on it.
I own and am currently renovating both a house in North Corktown and a storefront w/ apartment above in South West Detroit. I’m spending a lot of money on both projects. Both had stolen plumbing, leaky roofs, had most of the windows smashed out/boarded up, and sat abandoned for extended periods of time. The house has been protected as I have fenced it in, have dogs living there and I am there daily. The store which had a fire is being renovated from the inside out, and has been a different story. Kids who don’t know shit about shit have tagged the exterior on multiple occasions, making it look more neglected than it is. Shortly there after crack heads who also don’t know shit about shit then came and stole my electrical service from the pole. I’m invested in the city. I know lots of people in the city with similar situations with similar good intentions. Yes, the idea is to eventually see a profit, but we’re well aware that there is a good chance we will loose money in the end. Every small bit of vandalism to our properties cuts into the small budget we have. Every bit of the city that is vandalized helps to perpetuate a negative image and bring down everyone’s property value. You are doing nothing good.
I also am an active member of my community and even though I am well tied up in my two personal projects I still donate time and money to other community revitalization efforts when I can. Try to get involved in something positive, you might realize the actual damage you do with your “art.”

[canuck]

Apart from the obvious disregard for public and private property, the work is ordinary, it is run of the mill, dime a dozen, pointless, inane, immature, boring, sad, but it does have one saving grace; it is colorful.

[majohnson]

I am going to put together some documentation demonstrating this 'artist' knowingly vandalized a building not belonging to him.
Based on his website, comments in this forum, and legal documentation of the building ownership.
I will combine that with a letter of concern to CCS.
Would anyone be willing to take part in a group email when I get the documents together?

email me at:
marcus_dag@hotmail.com

[laurie1st]

how about if someone buys one of those buildings. ill bring a power washer. and help you remove the paint! or remove the wall when its worth something because someone did something. or, what will probably happen is ill watch the news and see they tore down yet another building that was painted because its not safe. some of the buildings are already torn down or are on the list for teardown this year.

No, no. How about if YOU buy the building, and then you could paint [[and clean) your own property? Also, even if no one HERE owns the buildings that you have already vandalized, SOMEONE does. So, why DON'T you go back and clean it up?

[jcole]

Originally Posted by hermousefriday
Hmm I would love to see a 3 year old make that kind of art.

haha. yes me too

3 yr olds don't make this kind of 'art' because they are being taught to respect other people's property at about that age. They'd know better than to paint on someone else's toys; apparently that lesson has been forgotten by this boy.

[southen]

still everything you just said is illegal. plain and simple. taking pictures of abandoned buildings is extremely overdone. thats why its not exactly what im donig.

i wasnt questioning the legality of what you were doing, i was questioning the artistic merit which you chose to ignore in my post.

isnt that the challenge of a good photographer? ive lost interest in these places but while i was shooting them i was doing so in new and interesting ways, challenging myself. i think the easy way out is to throw some paint down, photograph, and call it art.

[Det_ard]

thanks to the forum. painting detroit is now number 5 on google

And thanks to another forum, d o u c h e b a g painting detroit yields you the #1 spot on google! Better get a screenshot of that for your portfolio, you're a rising star.