Core77

Sebastian Errazuriz Take$ to the $treet$

By Ray Hu - May 24, 2012

in Fine Art

Brooklyn-based designer Sebastián Errázuriz is prolific if nothing else, as evidenced by his strong showing during New York Design Week. Of course, seeing as we saw fit to include his "Chicken Chair in the First Annual Core77 OPEN he's clearly something else: a hybrid artist/designer who is as comfortable producing commercial work as he is with realizing conceptual projects, transcending both the line between art and design, as well as the dichotomy between novelty and philosophy... often within a single work.

His latest urban intervention, "Wall Street Nation," might be considered a follow-up to his "Occupy Chairs"... or a riff on the notion of 'painting the town red':Following his signature style of minimal yet uniquely creative designs and public interventions; Sebastian Errazuriz unveils his latest project titled "Wall Street Nation". The artist has started to transform street lines into "Dollar Signs" by simply painting a white letter "S" across each line. The project wishes to express the fear and impotence that people are currently experiencing while seeing the growing greed that is transforming the way we live.

"I'm afraid greed is rapidly changing life as we know it; it's become normal that while home owners are being evicted, banks considered "too big to fail" are shamelessly gambling to with citizens money. The 99% are intimidated by their own police force while judges rule that companies have the same rights as people. Now corporations are pouring unregulated amounts of money into Super PACs to influence the elections and secure politicians that will continue to de-regulate the market and make them more money. It's all spiraling out of control; greed is taking over and people are loosing all sense of proportion and justice."

The artist hopes his painted Dollar signs on street lines are taken up by others who also believe that greed has been taking over their cities and displacing their way of life. "If people feel impotent and cornered by how greed is transforming everything; I invite them to get a brush, a can of paint and go out and change their street lines into Dollar signs. People need to find new ways to remind others of the general discontent. I need to go and mark some Dollar signs on Wall Street..."

The money shot...

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Onshay

12 years ago

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This simple act of painting on a street spread the message of one person to tens or hundreds of thousands of people via sites like ArchDaily. The coverage may not be as loud as the Occupy protests but its heard nonetheless.

When you complain about the cost to clean it up - a few hundred dollars? - and suggest that Sebastian become another cog in the Occupy movement you miss a few things. First, you miss the point that one person still has the power to make a statement, whatever it may be. Second, you ignore the costs associated with something like the Occupy protests - including, ironically, clean-up.
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Coganoid

12 years ago

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This frustrates me. It takes little to try and make a point with this but like the previous comment said, this requires my money to clean up. I also don't suggest protesting as that too hurts me and other small businesses in the area of protests. If you want to fight the system then be the anti-system. Make something of your own and do it your way. This country allows for that. Then have your equal shares company and show others how it is better.
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Stephan

12 years ago

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So you're angry about greed taking over the city, so what do you do? Vandalize public streets and use our tax dollars to clean it up?

If you want to protest join the Occupy Protestors instead of vandalizing public property. Plaster the corporate offices of the companies that are buying off our government, don't damage public spaces that our tax dollars are spent on repairing and maintaining.
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