For centuries various forms of art have been around to express ones creativity, interests, antiquity, and ideologies. Since the beginning of time every culture has had their own form of art, and from sculptures to paintings, each work of art has a meaning behind it. Today, art has deeply broadened, and due to the many technological advanced that are available, artists are now able to convey that message on a larger scale. From advertising their artwork through films and documentaries to the Internet, it is now easier for an artist to share their art and message on a larger scale.
At a TED2011 event featuring JR who is a semi-anonymous French street artist, JR spoke about his experiences “using his camera to show the world its true face, by pasting photos of the human face across massive canvases”. The massive canvasses that JR posted those photos on included buildings, bridges, houses, stores, shacks, and stairways. In a New York Times article, you can see several forms of JR’s work in areas of New York. His intentions were to post controversial photos everywhere to catch his viewer’s attention, and have them converse about the images they have seen. During the presentation, JR walked his audience through his journey of “exposing the world of its true face” as a fifteen year old graffiti artist to his adult years as a traveling photographer and filmmaker. As JR explained his experiences, he made it evident that he pasted those photos in any good public area that he could find because he wanted to get people to start thinking about certain issues, and to allow the story of those photographed to travel with him.
Aside from pasting pictures in public areas, JR made films to promote his Inside Out – Global Art Project and many of these films can be found on the Internet. Along with the films JR made, viewers are able to watch other Inside Out Project videos filmed by individuals from different locations regarding different issues. The fact that these videos and the Inside Out Project initiative are available online has not only increased the variety of people able to participate, it has helped to create a broader awareness for many important issues. This could have only been made possible with the digital revolution.
At the end of JR’s TED2011 presentation, JR made his bold TED Prize Wish “to use art to turn the world inside out”. Like many, JR believes that art can change the world because an image or film can speak volumes, and raise an awareness about issues that others may have been too afraid to address. With that being said, this wish could be fulfilled in various ways, and JR’s efforts show that with the correct plan and use of certain technologies, anyone can make a difference when using certain forms of art.
Below is a video featuring JR during his TED2011 presentation:
Below are some promotional Inside Out Project videos: