PhotoDude.com

Thu. May 09, 2002

Prank-N-Art

Prank-N-Art – Creative people are, well, strange sometimes. I’m not sure if the act described in this article is art, or a prank, or a public service, but it definitely speaks to our times, for better or worse.

To begin, the LA artist: "From his tiny Brewery Art Complex loft, [Richard] Ankrom said he tries to use his work to comment on current trends [...] To pay the bills, he is also a freelance sign maker." One day, those two skills had a chance to mingle, to solve a public problem that had bothered the artist.

He took some chances, and did it creatively: "Ankrom affixed a contractor-style logo on the side of his pickup truck to add authenticity during the project. But closer examination might have raised suspicions. It read: Aesthetic De Construction."

It’s hard to explain, as I said, it’s an ill-defined act. You should just go read the article. In the end, the experts say he did a fantastic job, so much so it fooled everyone for nine months, and the state authority tweaked by the act has decided for the time being to leave it in place … because it was a good idea!

Individual creative initiative in the name of public service, art, and cheap thrills. Only in America.