Yes, people actually were writing in and requesting an update on the status of the new GTA IV billboard going up in SoHo, NYC. I guess word spread, and people knew about my previous post where I updated daily the progress of the sign-painters. This time around however I wasn’t working down there nearly as much, nor was near a terminal when I had free time to upload, tag and post. However I did manage to snap off a few shots, so what I have is below. Keep in mind they threw this mural up a lot faster too! They had two crews working at one paint point, and the mural is only greyscale, not advanced blending of skintones and shadows, etc. This mural went up in 7 days (including missing one or two days of work from raining), instead of 15 or so for the Lola billboard.
Enjoy!
I walk out of work one day and then BAM the new billboard had already begun!
Crews work long and late.
They finished the dude’s face and began the info below the mugshot.
I didn’t work down in SoHo for two days, then it was finished. This photo is from Saturday 8 March.
This photo from this afternoon, Monday 10 March, shows the billboard in exactly the same state as it was on Saturday. Odd, the crew haven’t removed the scaffolding equipment, hopefully tomorrow I can get a full shot (with blue sky?) without any hardware in the way!
as in, I’m taking it back over two weeks now. Recaps are kindafrequent around theseparts, because sometimes activities – life – take over to the extent that there just isn’t enough time to sum it all up. Hell sometimes there’s barely enough time to sleep!
Things have definitely slowed down a bit now, and all for the best, I need a little rest. But it’s been a good run the past 15 or so days:
Halloween
I think I might prefer the grounds upon which Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated – coupled with an aversion to the commodity nature of so many American holidays – but of course Halloween is guaranteed to be a pretty fun fucking time! Especially in a city like New York City, where it is that one time of the year where it really seems quite natural to be riding the subway with a zombie or someone with an arrow through their head.
At my home we hosted the Hunter MFA annual dance party for the second year running, and it was a complete blowout!
Me? I followed through with my plans and fabricated an outfit which commented on desires of the male form, inspired by guerilla (text-less glossy posters showing a chiseled male with a notable package) and overt (newspaper back-cover spreads commanding “Meet Clint”) advertising campaigns throughout SoHo and the city at large promoting male underwear. For one night I was Clint Mauro, the Armani Exchange underwear model. Consisting of digital prints mounted on cardboard and fastened with zip ties, my outfit became an exo-skeleton of sorts that also greatly improved my dance moves!
Later that night I attended the Performa07 opening at the Guggenheim with my matey Chen, which launched with a one-night only performance by Francesco Vezzoli. Contrary to what others had to say about the event organizing, not all hope was lost. Sure the line wrapped around the corner and nearly halfway to the next Avenue, and sure there was a fiasco surrounding the ticket issue, but eventually all punters made it inside and got to ‘view’ the performance in one way or another:
While some people got dugout-class chairs in the rotunda, and others got to stand along the signature spiral ramp, I still think I had one of the best seats in the house! Sent to one of the Gugg’s theatres, we didn’t get to see the ‘live’ performance but rather to watch it on two quad-split projection screens, with a model – someone by the name of Cate Blanchett or other – sitting on stage the entire time, who eventually got up and left to close out the performance, being video-tracked as she circled down the entire Guggenheim spiral ramp, to interrupt the scene and ask the cast what do they want, what is the truth?
The screen setup was spectacular, and between eight available screens it routinely switched between an array of around fourteen different shots or angles, constantly putting into question one’s perspective, placement and reading of the characters, their storied environment and interaction with each other. Remarkable!
A Psychic Vacuum
If you missed this one, you might possibly have missed the most important public art exhibition this year, anywhere! I’m referring to Mike Nelson’s Creative Time project that turned a dilapidated warehouse space right smack at the Delancey St and Essex St intersection, we’re talking the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge here, into a total apocalyptic fallout space, where you could only traverse by opening doors and passing through, sometimes getting caught in a labyrinth of similar paths and turns, and one encountered small shrines and references to war in the form of carcasses or the passing – almost absence – of time in the form of some old, old calendars.
The last room, which you had to encounter in order to exit back onto the street, was completely exhilarating. I actually laughed, quite heartily, when I entered: a giant warehouse room filled with tons and tons and tons of sand. I mean shit-tons! How did all this sand get here? This? This is what awaits the end? Oh man, talk about hitting the final nail on the coffin! I still laugh at the thought of that room, full of sand!
(nearly finished)
on the set with Law & Order
Two Mondays ago started early, at 6:30am – like I said, little time to sleep! – on set with the crew of NBC’s Law & Order. Nearly a 16-hour gig, they were doing a shoot at Location One, as their script called for an art gallery, so I was their facilities manager for the day. This was an amazing bunch of people, and the crew totaled easily around 60 people. And they all fit their roles perfectly: the actors were self-involved; the producers made influential decisions on the fly; the electricians were the biggest, nerdiest, thickest-glasses-wearing ones around! I got to see some pretty unique hardware, and it was pretty amazing to see how a shot gets made and furthermore to imagine how it will all be stitched together later for television! And thankfully they did their work when they did, as that night the Writers Guild of America strike went into full-swing, and within a day they were reportedly picketing the Law & Order set (which could have potentially made me a scab for crossing the picket line to open the facility!).
Fat Lipstick and the World Famous Bob
the Fat Lipstick film series opened with the screening of (breathe) Terrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law Classroom. Perhaps it rolls off the tongue easier in Japanese: Kyôfu joshikôkô: bôkô rinchi kyôshitsu. A steamy and raunchy film that was probably the perfect touch to welcome in the deep autumn chill of November, involving multiple girl-gangs whose members all had some brilliant cognomens like pipe-crusher or the-boss-with-the-cross; and corrupt politicians and high-school administrators and the multiple parties looking to expose them through blackmail, debauchery and group sex! All the while managing to throw in a comment or two about the American bombing of Japanese port cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I can’t think of a comparable American film to be honest, they definitely have something totally unique with this one!
Oh, and did I mention we were offered an exclusive performance by the World Famous Bob:
A performance you won’t see repeated ever again. As you can assess from the snapshot, if you missed it you missed it!
freeDimensional and Censorship opening
Closing out the run, if you missed the opening for Censorship organized by freeDimensional then you may very well have missed the best opening of the week! If not for the work – which was itself pretty spot-on – then for the party, you missed a great party! Complete with Censored ale, naked people (in that not-so-invasive sort of fashion, but somehow sensible), a raffle and a sound troupe that seemed to follow me from room to room as the evening progressed! And the crowd was really great, supportive and best-of-all willing to dance!
Additional asides:
The Altman Building
let me just say if you get a chance to attend an event at the Altman Building on W 18th Street @ 6th Ave, then go! It’s a gorgeous building. Expansive, open, bricked ceiling, huge riveted beams, a spectacular place for any type of event!
Helicopter chase
Oh and then there was that night that began with some typical NYPD undercover-but-not-so-undercover vehicles creeping up and down our block for some time, before eventually the helicopter showed up and a pursuit of some sort ensued. That was exciting.
Old feet, new shoes
Some new shoes were in order, as my last pair developed a sizable hole on the right sole which I didn’t find out about until I stepped into a puddle of murky water – fun fun. And as it turns out my feet have grown a full shoe size in the past year.
Closing
So all that and then some. I hope this post will keep y’all busy for a while. I know it sure kept me busy.
Following on from the evolution of a (GTA 4) billboard, Sam Roberts from the almost-investigative blog Ghost Signs, which highlights vestigial ads and trace billboards around the world, sent me notice of the following YouTube video produced by Colossal Media showing how they develop and fabricate their painted-brick advertisements.
Colossal’s work makes me ponder the notion of the painted city. The fine art of painting has never really been a medium that moves me, rather it makes me suspicious of its association with aristocratic portraits and bourgeois desires, but of course, there are other applications of paint. From the painted rooftops of Iceland to any of the myriadexamples from the book Russian Painted Shop Signs and Avant-Garde Artists, the thought of a building or an entire city painted – collaged signs and textual-graphic overload – makes me be somewhat at ease with the possibilities of paint. And while advertising is the least of my concerns when considering the painted city, the resurgence of these painted signs is still rather exciting. Anyday i would prefer looking at a painted sign to a JCDecaux box-framed poster ad (but I admit it’s difficult to deny the seductiveness of those high-definition screens at JFK airport’s Terminal 9 – this past summer I found myself stuck in that hallway for a good 20 minutes watching that eye candy jostle around!).
(my feetsies in the boat, with north edge of Roosevelt Island off to the left)
anybody who lives in NYC must do this! You’re in a kayak, in the East River! How cool is that? And the water wasn’t all that cold either, so the splish splash and wet bum was actually quite pleasant. Anybody can do this, and it’s completely free! Did I mention it is FREE!? Visit licboathouse for details.
I got re-blogged by one of the best blogs around, Newsgrist, regarding galleries, museums, photography and social networks. I’ve always considered re-blogging as a type of acknowledgment, or a social networking type of homage, or simply a hat tip from one blogger to another. So thanks, Joy!
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attended an opening at Y Gallery, a new space in East Elmhurst, Queens.
whereas most people couldn’t fathom traveling this far out into Queens for a small opening, it reminded me that good art and even greater spaces are always possible outside the confines of Manhattan, and indeed in the coming years and decades this is where most of us, artists and curators and viewers alike, will be migrating to encounter art.
server upgrade was completely successful, and already worth the investment: the backend is extremely feature-rich, and I can’t recommend mediatemple enough for their great customer service and smooth operation (the upgrade was literally only 3 clicks and some patience).
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Fall has finally rolled in, and it’s sweater weather time. Me, I enjoy the cold. Fashion makes more sense in colder climates (after all what is there to wear really on the beach, in the sun?). Food not only seems to taste better but tastes more, especially hot food. And the tension of hot and cold when drinking a tea or coffee but standing outside in the cold, it’s soooooo satisfying!
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taking advantage of the server upgrade (which was already in the planning stages), because of my documenting the process of changing a Grand Theft Auto 4 billboard wall-painting in Canal Street/SoHo, NYC
(yes, I normally keep that many tabs open!)
I got picked up by some gaming blogs, and even got one of my images published on the frontpage of planetgta.com (owned by gamespy, which I’ve been a member of for well over 6 years), got dugg, and linked on gamekings which altogether made my stats absolutely shoot through the roof!
Gamers, dorks and geeks abound seem to have no problem leaving comments, and encouraging the documentation process. They seem to be less-reserved, and aware that this is just a ‘moment’. We’re all just living in the moment.
Thursday 11 October: sorry everybody I am off work today, so I don’t have any updated photos at the moment. It is raining here at the moment so I don’t suspect they’ll get terribly far today, but I will post updates as I take them.
Friday 12 October:
you can see the scaffolding is missing from the left side now, so that side is done; the wires are hanging on the right side; they have to whitewash the wall first, then draw out the design before painting.
they did the whitewash so fast!
how to draw a billboard on the side of a building! the art is printed on some paper, they roll it out a couple feet at a time, line it up, and do a rubbing. sort of like a giant paint by numbers.
by evening, nothing new to report really. they finished the template art and obviously paced themselves to take a solid day to lay it down.
i might add, those guys are having so much fun! they hoot and holler at streetwalkers and are just making the most of being 30 feet off the ground painting a building! it’s hilarious to watch.
Saturday 13 October:
morning! Indeed, they are at work today. I too am at work and will step out a couple times to take some extra snaps. unfortunately in the template art that is on the wall, I don’t see any text. but the graphic-to-be looks incredible!
Sunday 14 October:
unfortunately I won’t have another update today because I’m going kayaking in the East River and won’t be heading to that part of town! so I’ll leave you to mull over how it was at dusk when I left work on Saturday, yesterday. will they be working on Sunday anyhow? actually, probably, yes. I’ll have images up Monday then!
(she’s got those big brown eyes…. hey, is that a cherry she’s popping in her mouth?!)
Monday 15 October: updated photos coming shortly. you should all be quite pleased with the progress!
finish tomorrow??
Tuesday morning 16 October:
you can see the building, and thus the billboard, from a couple blocks away!
walking back to work I overheard on the street, man 1: Whoah. Is that paint? man 2: Yeah. man 1: Holy shit!
it’s a very impressive piece of work! but it looks like it will take one more day yet. Lola’s cleavage is done but there’s still a fair amount of hair to paint, the Rockstar logo, and touchup on the ‘V’ in ‘IV’ for the game title.
Wednesday 17 October:
overcast and cloudy day. they’re finishing up on the logo, then will probably blaze through the rest of the right side. unfortunately i can’t say i see room for a release date or any last-minute guerilla tactics, but it’s still a fucking impressive ad campaign!
lunchtime: nearly done!
packing up the gear a little after 7pm. I wasn’t able to get a ‘finished’ shot in the daylight because they were literally still touching up at dusk, and didn’t remove the scaffolding and equipment out of the shot until after sunset. will post completed shots ASAP (i’m not supposed to be at work tomorrow, but maybe I make a special trip for all of you!).
Thursday 18 October:
Finished, final shots. This post is officially closed! Sorry it was an overcast day again, so the photos aren’t saturated with color. But you get the effect. It’s an impressive billboard. It’s been fun watching this thing transform, and I really appreciate all the visitors and comments. But alas, we wait for a release date, and more importantly, to play! GAME ON!
update:
one more final shot that shows the building in good sunlight with saturated color, and also exemplifies the number of pedestrians who parade up and down Canal Street every day – tourists #$^!&*!! and thanks to Patrick from WikiGTA.org for the animated gif!
(see here for previous incarnations)
(or here for these images larger from my Flickr)
Update 2 Jan 2008:
As you can see, the billboard has been painted over. It ran for just over two months. Thanks everyone for watching!
