Carla Gypsygirl's Blurty

Being arty and dangerous

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Does anyone else watch that show on the ABC about art, hosted by that guy who looks like an artier John Safran? I saw it last week, and it really inspired me. There was a segment on street art, and how it is a more democratic form of art than hanging it in galleries. I have to say that I totally agree. One thing that turns me off the design and art world is that I always felt like I had to beg to get my work shown or published. A suck-up email here, an earnest meeting there, and maybe you could get published in a magazine. I also have the classic complaint that so much art and design has its aesthetics dictated by profitability.

So, in the style of famous grafitti artists Fafi and Banksy, I decided to take to the streets and become a street artist. I went to an art exhibition this week with my friend Carly- her sister, Marcelle Robbins, has done a very clever piece on her recent experiences in post-Holocaust Germany. I love hanging out with Carly- she is one of my best friends, and of course, I do love the novelty of our similar names. Anyway, going to arty gigs can be intimidating...you need to strike the balance between acting like a total drop-kick lazy artist, and an over-enthusiastic art nerd. Carly was very helpful- every time I met someone, Carly would say, "Carla is going to be a street artist." And of course, I laughed.

I am too chicken at the moment to actually take to the streets with a spray can and/or paintbrushes. A few years ago, I drew chalk pictures on the sidewalks of Leichardt, and I got semi-arrested by this irritating sheriff council dude. I am ashamed to say that I almost cried. Actually, I think that I did cry. I didn't even get charged for it, but they did make me wipe off my designs with a bucket of water and a mop. That was just too humiliating. So anyway, this time around, I am older and wiser, and I am starting off small. I decided to put stickers everywhere that I went. I hadn't designed the stickers myself- I bought them in a $2 shop- and I can't actually think of any meaning behind the stickers. Right now, I can see that the fact that they are pictures of chickens ties in well with my feelings of being a chicken. But the truth is that I thought the chickens were cute, and nicely meaningless.

So I have stuck a few chickens around Sydney, and also in the bathroom of the art gallery Gaffa, where Marcelle had her exhibition. I thought it was funny, and it made me giggle. Sticking chickens around the grittier parts of Sydney is not that scary. But putting stickers around more business-focussed areas of Sydney did strike fear in my heart. I felt a bit mean...what about the poor cleaner who has to peel them off? What if the stickers melt in the rain? What if everyone thinks it's stupid? But I guess that that's part of the appeal of street art...the danger and adrenalin. So keep an eye out on those streets, I hope to make some more original street art pieces soon. I just need a groovy grafitti moniker.

And, don't forget...I have a new zine out! It's called Peachy Street, and it's a bit weird and very arty, and I would love you to have a copy. If you would like a copy, please email me at carlagypsygirl@yahoo.com.au and I will send you one, free of any charge. The zine is free, and postage is free. Also, tell me which colour you would like- green, pink or blue. One kind reader asked if I had sold out, which I found to be rather amusing...I do wish that was the case, indeed! But anyway, don't be scared to email me, I don't bite. I do write a lot, but no, no biting.

Thanks for reading...I am trying to get over this web-life crisis, so I am hoping to be more frequent with my writing.

Carla xxx