What a shame, those murals look nice. 

Send your video clips, taken by your cell phones or any other video device, of the Olympic, Paralympic, Torch Relay and Celebrations to weRwatching2010 [at] gmail.com to participate in my art project. Video clips will be projected in a large-scale video public art project in Vancouver during the games. Project details can be found at www.liddlethought.blogspot.com Thanks, and pass it on! 

We had an amazing view of this mural from our apartment building. It looked incredible and I would often stop to stare at it while walking by.

Apparently this constitutes "graffiti" to VANOC who decided to paint over it with the most hideous shade of blue I've ever seen. This will of course be painted over, but hopefully the artist will continue putting his message there.

Thank you!  

how about some virtual graffitti protesting on the buildings downtown...or maybe onto the side of GM place.... 

This is an afront to free speech. When facisim comes to Canada it will be called "Democracy". 

Fucking city council. There isn't much one can say at this point! I'm young and I know things are already at the point of no return. 

Yep, we sure are a free country. Where you can only as free as they will allow you to be.

How do you feel about your life? Is this what you call an existence that is to your benefit? Do you have any say in this? or is the rich mofo who has control?

Never mind, you're probably watching Entertainment Tonight and don't want to be disturbed..... 

It is a shame when something so inspiring and beautiful can be destroyed because people could possibly consider this grafitti? It is terrible the government feels the need to ruin what little true culture we have left in this city.... And they consider a giant ball of shiny tinfoil "art"  

I agree.
Those were well done and I liked seeing them.
A solid bright blue wall is obviously so much better....?? 

How many of us and how much paint do you think it would take for a new nice mural to go up. I'm down with painting some orcas or something in the middle of the night!

Seriously though, I loved those murals, and every time I had out of province family visiting, they commented on them positively. Painting over them was definitely the wrong move. 

Note that it was the City of Vancouver who painted over this - not VANOC. But that IS an ugly shade of "bloo." 

Who says VANOC isn't doing anything for the arts; look at the blank canvas they've provided.

Yeah, the blue is bilious.
Miguel 

Michael ^^ the mural was covered up via VANOC. VANOC is a corporation and in it to make $$$ (and make lots of $$$ for their corporate friends - developers, managers, etc).

i agree with the commenter above calling for the virtual graffitti. There's ways to do it with a laptop/projector/laser pen (www.graffitiresearchlab.com). 

The Olympics came upon us
Like some kind of curse
Steal from the poor and give to the rich
Like Robin Hood in reverse 

I would like to know who made the call to cover up that beautiful mural. If we could only go back down the chain of command to find out and publicly shame them. It is a disgrace covering up local artists work. That is the kind of thing that Vancouverites can be proud of, it is what makes the city unique. It is what visitors are expecting to see. I have not heard one person say they found it offensive, only how much they enjoyed looking at it.  

Way to take the ownership of the city away from your people! Local artists worked hard on something ALL Vancouverites were proud about. Now our own city took our pride. All for what? To hide our culture, our sence community? City of Vancouver you contunue to dissapoint. What once was a symbol of community and a sence of togertherness is now all just a joke for some big-wigs from over seas.  

Thank you for painting over this non-graffiti. It makes it so much easier to decide who not to vote for.
Way to work for the people council members. 

That mural gave the street character. Why hide the culture and character of our city? What could possibly have been going through their minds when they painted it blue? When the Olympics came to Barcelona, did they try to cover up Gaudi?  

The best of graffiti is my favourite public art. Graffiti is art too. Long live graffiti!!  

Well done, i have been upset about this lost mural all week, and glad the arts community gave its voice to the afront. A good article on cbc to
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2008/10/22/vanoc-art.html 

Graffiti is not art and those murals were hideous. Lets get ride of more of them. 

I want a black velvet portrait of Elvis dressed as a matador doing some lines.
Miguel 

What about a huge PEPSI logo on that wall? 

I don't follow sports. What's this olympics thing people keep talking about?
 

I think that Mural kind of sucked, so it's hard to say. I don't think people should approach any mural being painted over as a being a bad thing by principle. I've noticed from looking at some of the murals around town, that there is something about that artform that brings out lazy-planning in artists. The only one I've liked is in Strathcona, and that's because it actually creates a feeling of history and community by being more than random imagery. 

Paul, you have completely missed the point my friend. It's not about the quality of the mural itself. That doesn't define it as good or bad. The real "beauty" of art lies in its' "meaning." Emotions and voices being hear through a visual medium, not just something "pretty pictures" that are nice to look at.

But the way, I love the stencil! Keep em coming! Let your voices be heard Vancouver. Speak YOUR truth!

 

Lethal E: I don't think so. As a person who makes art, I can tell you it is not the sacred process you may believe. Art is related to the pursuit of status just like many things in our lives, and I say we deny artists art-status unless they can actually provide something of worth, especially if their chosen artform is massive public paintings. 

Anyone thinking of adding to the artwork on that wall should keep in mind there is an armoury across the street and security is being ramped up.
Miguel 

webbgerl, you nailed it. It was quite beautiful.
Anyone know who painted the original?
I for one would chip in for a fresh one. 

I've never had a problem with the Olympics until now.
What is wrong with city council??? The random murals downtown were some of the most culturally distinct parts of this city, they also helped to get limit random graffiti. (most "graffitti artists" don't spray anything where something better is already displayed).

Stupid!! 

Agree that the paint-over is a shame. One city official said it was "just routine maintenance" but the sanitization effort comes at just the right time, eh?.

To clarify, the City owns the site (which, incidentally, used to be a park in the early 1900s) and gave the ok for the murals in the first place... as part of their now axed "graffiti management program." They were subsequently paid for by the Steve Nash foundation. 

hmmm, interested in the -15 points I got, perhaps some didn't read between the lines? There is nothing more subversive then asking people to consider how vanoc is allowing the people to participate, how the audience is watching and being watched. This project turn surveillance into sousveillence, and subverts how the city officially represents the games and itself. I hope you will take the time to read the catalogue essays.

www.liddlethought.blogspot.com 

I recreated the stencil for anyone who'd like to use the image for their own use. With props to this article of course =)

http://blog.factoryonfire.com/?p=206 

Similar thing happened in Zagreb,Croatia,in the eighties during the Olympics! City authorities buffed every wall in the city,and many walls wasn't even been done with spray paint!!! I wonder,when destroying something beautiful became the idea of Olympic games? And one more thing-when someone makes graet mural,it's called vandalism,and when they terrorize us with giant commercial billboards,it's ok? Well,im really sick and tired of commercials,we are forced to look at them all the time.... 

I have to say I was not really a fan of the murals. I love natural graffiti (great stuff on the trains in New West and just before Waterfront station) but planned murals always seem to look off and stuck in the 70's? But it seems like a lot of the community liked them and felt they represented them well so in that case it's sad to see the community culture covered up so we can present ourselves in a generic way.  

F*ck the Olympics. Keep painting, spraying, demonstrating, protesting right through the Olympics. 

Those murals were beautiful and they also demonstrated what thoughtful philanthropy and investing can achieve, via the Steve Nash Foundation. I'd be curious to find out what Steve has to say about it....
I will miss the murals and I will relish the sight of the stencils. Clever word play! 

boy i can't wait for the olympics to be over and all the Vanoc people being out of work. I hope no one rehires them...... 

This is a great response to an awful act by VANOC. I am ashamed of our city, a little more every day.  

Oh no the end of the world is coming.

Actually I see no mention of VANOC at all in the article. It was city council.

Some of you need to put your efforts into real issues.

VANOC is not the enemy. If any of you actually dealt with them you know how ridiculous and unfounded your posts are.

 

Dethe Elza: Tell me what was stolen from the poor?

You bleeding hearts are all talk. Start housing the poor in your place, yard, etc. All I see is talk on this topic. How many of you are you actually doing anything?

Protesting is for the weak. It accomplishes nothing.

me: the VANOC people will have nothing to worry about as they are doing their job. Nothing like people on the outside commentating issues they nothing about.

Anne: Move then. If you are ashamed that a mural was painted over by the City of Vancouver, simply move. I am tired of all you people that are complaining about Vancouver, the provincial government, etc, etc...the list goes on. Simply leave. It is that easy! 

And shame, there is certainly plenty to be ashamed of, Olympic proportions no doubt. 

You shouldn't have to move.
What was stolen from the poor? How about all the living spaces in the DTES?
Oh right, the subsidized housing! Olympic Village! Imagine that!?

Okay, well what about the freedom to choose wether or not they want to be put in a shelter? How about the ability to speak and act in opposition of the Olympic games? How about the freedom to assemble and protest on our own terms? How about the ability to look at a mural that was put up legally by local artists that made an ugly parking lot look a lot less ugly? What about all the loss in arts funding? How about the fact that my school is cancelled for two weeks so it can be used as parking? I pay for that? Steal from the poor! The students, the future...Yeah Maybe i'll just move..Oh no, I can't do that because I AM THE POOR.

Clearly the only people that agree with this sort of police state type action are the people who are reaping the monetary benefits.
Keep panting. Keep being pissed off. Keep being dissidents. It's all we have left at this point.  

protesting is for the weak, you can only get your point across with violence. authority is only afraid of violence. for everything else they have bylaws. gear up, the revolution is near. 

c'mon what the hell! they didn't just paint over a commissioned painting of the lower mainlands best graffitti artists but they friggin' showed once again 3 things 1. vanoc screws up most everything 2. graffitti is always being painted over because of prejudice 3. they come up with a bunch of bs when they piss off the people! 

Alex, if you don't see what they took away from the poor them you've had your eyes closed for a long time. Condo dwellers just want everyone to hit the road while our affordable rentals get knocked over for more concrete and steel. We all can't afford to buy $500,000 condos and the loss of warehouse space is displacing all the local artists. 

@ hiyah & fan22.....I also paint graffiti and murals,and i know how much effort,time and talent it takes to paint something that large...it doesn't matter if you like it or not,it's legally painted,comissioned and no doubt it looks much better than empty grey walls! And fan22,you know that many people live there their entire life,everything they love is there...it's rediculous to say to them to leave,if they don't like what somebody's doing with their neighborhood! Let me ask you-would you leave,if you was in their place? 

I'm not sure why you are saying I suck. I agree with you. I think you misread my little comment. Maybe the sarcasm was lost.  

THE PEOPLE ON EAST HASTINGS NEED TO EXPOSE THE EXPERIMENTS THAT ARE BEING CONDUCTED ON THE HOMELESS AND THE PEOPLE THAT RENT ROOMS IN THE WAR ZONE. THIS WOULD BE THE PERFECT OPPOURTUNITY TO DO SO AND BEING A FORMER TENENT OF THE WAR ZONE I AM VERY AWARE OF THE CIA PRESENCE AND THE MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY ARE DOING ON EVERYONE THAT WILL HIT THE REGULAR PUBLIC ONCE IT IS PERFECTED. THIS CHIP CAN READ YOUR THOUGHTS,YOUR PAST AND YOUR FUTURE BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT YOUR GOING TO DO BEFORE YOU DO IT. THIS MAY SEEM FAR FETCHED TO MOST BUT GO TALK TO THE PEOPLE IN THE WAR ZONE. TO MANY PEOPLE GIVE IT UP TO COINCEDENCE ON HOW THINGS COME ABOUT LIKE FOR EXAMPLE DRUG BUSTS, CIGARETTE BUSTS AND SO ON PUNCH IN CANADA HIJACKED BY BIG BROTHER AND VIEW IT AND THEY WILL SHOW YOU THE CHIP. JUST KEEP IN MIND THIS IS ALREADY IN PLACE BEFORE THEY CHANGED THE LAW. 

The city-sponsored vandalism of the public art on that block-long wall will only provoke more of the same. I look out at that wall from my home and office and it is a hideous industrial blue wall that clashes with all the other colours in the area. Anything would be an improvement, as it is a daily reminder of VANOC's defacing of the beautiful mural that once brightened our neighbourhood. There is no excuse for this kind of anti-art cretinism, and those responsible should be held to account for their destruction of public property and should pay to have a new mural painted.