(Check out our complete collection of 100+ Works of Creative and Geeky Art and Graffiti.)
What qualifies something as unusually geeky street graffiti? In some cases it is the content but in many instances it is the methods employed in its creation. Here are seven more geek graffiti projects that comment on and employ tools of the digital age to reinterpret traditional street art approaches or convey contemporary messages via new media.
The GraffitiWriter is a remote-control robot that can write any programmed or instructed text message on the ground as it travels at speeds of up to 8 miles per hour. This dot matrix printer-on-wheels circumvents the potential problems graffiti writers might encounter with the authorities. It can also be equipped with non-permanent rain washable paints and deploy these rather than normal graffiti sprays as it traverses the urban environment.
The PixelRoller is an intentional cross between conventional and manual printing methods, combining the ease of computer-age printing with the creativity of manual printing. This graffiti creation tool can be programmed to print any number of patterns with uniqueness and variability contingent upon the way these patterns are then ‘rolled’ on to a surface.
A few magnets, cheap cardboard, a laser cutter and a few other odds and ends were used to create the so-called CCTV Reminder. The basic idea is to leave non-operational reminders of the closed circuit television surveillance one might find oneself in when in various public contexts. In addition to the silhouette of a camera a simply battery-operated red light adds a final jarring touch of realism.
The Graffiti Research Lab, known for architectural light projection graffiti and other projects, developed the ElectroGraff method for embedding movable LED display electronics. Using conductive spray-paint and magnetic paint they are able to attach the display elements and power them without recourse to traditional and more-visible methods.
This simple Hello Nametag device replicates a common mode of self-labeling found in stranger-filled situations like business conferences and reapplies them to objects in the public realm. Programmed to speak the name of any desired urban furniture these can be stuck to virtually any surface and invite interaction by passers by.
Ascii Graffiti is perhaps some of the earliest computer geek-oriented graffiti around. While it rarely leaves the digital realm it does appropriate compositional and stylistic conventions from traditional spray-painted graffiti and reinterprets them for computer display.
Perhaps the ultimate in digital-age geek graffiti, Tagging in Motion (shown above) is a kind of three-dimensional street graffiti using a virtual reality interface coupled with digital rendering. The graffiti artist is taped by multiple cameras throughout his spraying motions in 3D space, generating street art that requires no physical surface and leaves no trace in physical reality like other creative urban light art
Previously: Unusually Geeky Graffiti
Next: Hilariously Geeky Art and Graffiti
If you are new to WebUrbanist, click here to sign up for the RSS feed and take a look through our archives and urban galleries. Also be sure visit our green twin the wonderful WebEcoist and and see architecture, interiors, fantastic furniture and more designs at Dornob or click here if you need to design a free flash website.
Great Related WebUrbanist Articles:
Even More Urban Light Graffiti
Architectural light graffiti, or projection bombing, falls somewhere curiously in between.
Motion-Blur and Time-Lapse Photography
Most photographs only freeze a moment in time. Long exposures can create an image that encompasses several moments; time lapse photography can even span years.
3 Kinds of Urban Light Graffiti and Art
Here's a look at three types of urban light art: dorm room tetris, lightstick air animation and architectural projection bombing.
44 Comments
February 18th, 2008 at 6:02 am
By the way I was one of the ascii artists of that time and I was also doing the actual “paint the wall stuff” quite a lot (with different tag naturally).
So it’s not like some of us old ascii beards have not done actual graffiti too..
February 18th, 2008 at 10:42 am
this graffiti is really interesting unusual graffiti. Thanks for this great article!
February 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
This article describes it. I should like them all.
February 18th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
so simple but so effective …
hehe … really kewl stuff here …
February 18th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
man this is all artsy shit, no where near real graff
February 18th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
How About the Graffiti Research Labs own L.A.S.E.R tag project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbtTPYZEig
February 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
rad!
February 18th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I was one of the old ascii/ANSI artists from the BBS days also, good to see it still making some news. A lot of distro groups around the underground still include ascii (albeit the lousy Windows variety) nfo text files with each rar/zip as a method of tagging. *breaks out the screamtracker 3 modules*
February 19th, 2008 at 9:09 am
My favorite is still the Hektor from the original article, but I really dig what the G.R.L. does. I made a few of their toys such as the “Throwies” and a small scale electrograph for a “Hello” tag. Good stuff.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:35 am
ZELDA BEST
February 26th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Thanks for this :)
February 26th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Man i love the guys at GRL they do some of the coolest stuff, the laser garf was aresome. The 3d tagging looks pretty insane too, can’t wait to see some more of it
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 am
I am filming an Art documentary in the States this summer and looking for some unusual artists who we can hang out with and film. Really keen to find some graffiti artists or anyone who is doing something slightly different. We are travelling from LA to New York and will go on whatever route is necessary to meet interesting people. If you can recommend any artists please pass my details onto them.
email: clare@illuminationsmedia.co.uk
Thanks
Clare
August 1st, 2008 at 10:15 am
????? ? ??????????????? ?? ????? ?????? … :)
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:45 am
ur good graffiti
January 17th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
were can get some for a sample
January 29th, 2009 at 8:39 am
olla comuestas mi nombre es rosamaria
January 29th, 2009 at 8:47 am
i luv da gerffiti its sooo awsome
February 1st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
It’s not fair. I want to graffiti like that.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
that graffiti is so freeken cool
March 7th, 2009 at 10:17 am
it is so fake even i can do better atleast let us do it.
March 30th, 2009 at 9:52 am
slt je suis un graffer marocain
a la ville mohammedia
voila mon blog du mes graff lach t com’s stp
merci bcp
by trick 54
mgm crew
April 1st, 2009 at 8:00 am
graffiti is so freaken awesome!!!!!!!!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:19 am
great shit. the last one is augmented reality thou. not virtual.
April 28th, 2009 at 8:10 am
IT ALL RIGHT
May 11th, 2009 at 7:49 am
You guis are cool wen I grow up I gana
Make graffity like you keep doinit looks
Fuckin cool on the streets (-_-)$$$$
May 30th, 2009 at 7:07 am
ilike going on the computer and serching graffiti
alot of times becues you learn how to do it
Trackbacks
What do you think? Leave a comment!