December 06, 2005 | Sony PSP conversation

The Wooster Collective, a website devoted to promoting and talking about street art, has been all over the Sony PSP graffiti ads story, and is now featuring an interesting conversation about commercialism/patronage/art/independence.

Photo by Irena Kittenclaw.

They perceive the story to be a tipping point.

Maybe it's just us, but as we start to receive photos from all over the country showing defaced Sony PSP ads, we're starting to think that the Sony PSP "graffiti" campaign may indeed be a watershed moment in the battle between graffiti culture and advertising.

Why?

1. Because of it's scale.

With the Sony PSP ads, activists now have possibly hundreds of the same ads from one single campaign in many different cities to deface and to make a statement. To our knowledge, no brand has ever done as many ads like this for one single campaign. Collectively, as more and more of the graffiti ads get defaced, it makes for a very strong statement. Individuals are now joining a collective group.

2. Because it's Sony.

Obviously Sony is not a small company. Their size gives them the resources to pull off this campaign. Because it's Sony, more people will take up the fight to rebel against it (as we're seeing now)

3. Because of the Internet.

[...]

Full post here.

The debate over there is more than worth a few clicks.

Try this one by dixon:

When I see brands, I see....sweat shops, enough plastic wrapping in the land fills to choke a horse and one dozen men in the belly of the machine, driving their S.U.V.s while sipping a $5 latte. I was told that you guys have some kind of connection to the corporations? Tell them this. KEEP YOUR DESPERATE CORPORATE LONG ARM OUT OF A MOVEMENT THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS OURS!!!!!

Or this one, a long meander on corporate patronage, vandalism and street art:

SO What is the Right way to Write? I thought the car tag was funny, (often think about tagging hummers and escalates with some relevant stencil to Excessive size,myself). My laughing was what escalated the situation. My mother in laws car was tagged recently too. Laughed but it just one kid with a red can spraying 5 cars as he runs by. pure vandalism, he cops the art urge plea? so what is right. and who decides? artist versus vandal versus corporate whore, skill wielding, mac drivers. This much I can say if my town were one of the real anti street art towns and talking about fining the companies who stickers were found etc. I would be cutting SONY stencils and waiting for night fall.... tryin to DoIT wRIGHTe

Wooster Collective is also cataloging photos of defaced Sony ads. (1, 2)

Update:Piers Fawkes, of the PSFK blog, has a different take -- he thinks everyone should take a deep breath.

Sony just didn't go out with a spray can one night and daub the walls. Sony PSP paid for all the space.

For a long time street artists have been courting ad agencies for work - and then when one agency makes a noticeable campaign - then suddenly there's a witch hunt against PSP by the blogs

We should be very careful about how to read the situation. San Francisco is a wonderful city with a thirst for culture unlike many American cities - and at the same time it harbors a counter culture rarely seen in any city too. To find that the art kids in San Fran didn't like the commercialization of street art isn't that surprising. Let them have their say - but recognize that it's the kids of San Fran saying it, not the US.

Posted by Ryan Singel at December 6, 2005 09:32 AM

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