Monday, September 22, 2008

Graffiti City

Paris has the outdoor stairwell at Centre Pompidou and we have ours at 5 Pointz in Long Island City, New York. This converted warehouse, across the street from the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, is home to many artists who work in their studios here. These graffitis are part of their work and they are totally approved by the building owner.

So do you have a monument or place in your city that resembles one in another city?

24 comments:

NYD said...

We used to have a replica of the statue of liberty on the roof of a pachinko parlor here. The strange thing (Replicas of Lady Liberty are not so unusual here.) is that the name of the place was Pachinko Miami.

It's one of those things I never took a picture of but wish I did.
That ever happen to you?

dianasfaria.com said...

what a cool photo/building. I must go visit. Ming, I'll have to sleep on that question and see what I come up with in the morning!

• Eliane • said...

Oh, this is just fabulous! I've always dreamt of looking at these closer. I've seen them from the subway window but never seen them up close.

Tash said...

The art is great!
PV has the Neptune fountain - a replica of the real thing in Bologna. It's under 24-7 video survailance for ... graffiti artists? Someone still managed to stick a Coke can on the trident (in one of my photos.)

Anonymous said...

A great picture! Talking about Paris... I just posted last week. Pariiis... differently, huh!
http://www.makinen.fr/susa/wordpress/2008/09/18/colooz/

Olivier said...

on avait un vieux parking, qui servait de ferme aux graffitis, mais la ville la détruit pour en faire des bureaux, dommage.

it was an old terminal, which served as farm graffiti, but the city destroyed to make offices, damage.

PeterParis said...

You already referred to Paris, so I din't have to do it!

Graffitis are really nice - at the right place!

Jane Hards Photography said...

No. Not a one now I think about it,good question. That building is amazing. For me he photographer and my partner the artist it's fantatstic to a place like this that is approved of. My kind of office.

Lori said...

That place is so cool!! I guess this is where the graffiti artists go to learn their craft. It must be fun to watch them at work. Great shot!

Virginia said...

Well we had a big insurance co called Liberty National.
They had a Miss Liberty replete with burning torch on their roof. They moved the statue to a park. Hey, I need to go get a shot of her for all my NYC pals.
I like this place Ming. As Peter said , graffiti in the right place.

Chris said...

Interesting photo. . .Not wild about graffiti, but. . . .

We have the Parthenon. . .full-size replica of the real thing.

Janet Kincaid said...

Excellent photo!

We have a lot of Greek architecture that mimics the Parthenon, but nothing specifically similar or a replica of something else. I wish they'd tear down Roosevelt Bridge and built a replica of the Golden Gate over the Potomac. That'd be sort of cool. (And stupid.)

Anonymous said...

Yes this place is really amazing.
I really enjoyed to turn around it to see all the different paintings there were. I didn't know all the building was a studio for the artists. I discovered it on a sunday and everything was closed.

In my city of Rennes, there is an old beer factory that is painted with all kinds of grafitis, but it is not as official as 5 pointz is.
I read that they're gonna use this place to make a cultural center...

Shammickite said...

WOW this is great... all those unreadable words in that foreign graffiti language, and weird people and fab colours and... it's great! But not in my neighbourhood thanks!

Chuck Pefley said...

Nicely done, Ming. I like the saw-tooth shadows under the stairway. Caught my eye, too. Thanks for taking my by this building last weekend :)

Anonymous said...

Great photo. I'm not sure that we have a replica building of anything, but it made me think of a castle in Ayrshire which is covered in graffiti as an art project for 2 years before the entire exterior is going to be restored.

Alexa said...

Ming -- super! I've never seen this. Not so fond of graffiti, but graffiti art is another thing altogether.
As for monuments that mimic, Brooklyn has the arch at Grand Army Plaza (and there's yet another Paris reference!).

Anonymous said...

Nice clour
Excellent photo.

Ken Mac said...

wow, what a staircase. Too much. Ming, that little pup is a lab of some sort...

GMG said...

Nice graffiti! As for the staircase, the comparison with Beaubourg demands a lot of creative imagination... ;)
We have a bridge quite similar to the Golden Gate, a Christ like the Corcovado... but Lisbon is unique. Still waiting for you to stop here on your way to Rome... ;))

annulla said...

I love 5 Pointz! I posted a bunch of photos from my visit earlier this summer, but I really need to go back soon and catch up on the changes.

Blather From Brooklyn

Just Roaming The Cities said...

I happen to love looking at good graffiti, not the stupid kind with just black letters but this kind with so much art inside of it.
I love the Homies on the bottom right of the photo. Great capture!

NormanTheDoxie said...

hmmm... I can't think of anything offhand to answer your question.

Love the graffiti though.

Anonymous said...

I have done same pic frome the crane street studios, too.

Look --> http://www.rustandchrome.com/?p=33