“Imagine if art suddenly appeared in the real world, on the street.”

This video is absolutely brilliant.

It’s an experiment. What if you took a famous contemporary studio artists work and plunked it on the streets? Would anyone notice? Would anyone care? Would it rise above the visual clutter we all navigate daily? Or would it be ignored as most ads and graff are? Most of us don’t really take notice of the urban wallpaper while on our way from A to B. It takes something special to shake us. It takes planning for that space, a work made for that space. It takes more than a transplanted image. It takes a Roadsworth, a Bansky, a Storker. I would love to recreate this experiment with their work. I would love to see how my own work fares!

The video begins with expert testimony, speaking to the importance of the artist, verifying his high standing in the art world and the relevancy and power of his work. (just in case the relevancy and power of the work wasn’t observable to you) The experts go on to explain the artists broad appeal. They speak about how you don’t need to be someone steeped in the arcane language and history of fine art to appreciate his work. Then they make (some rather naïve) predictions about the success of his work on the street. One thinks it will “stop people, make them think, and wake them up.” Another guesses that maybe 90% will notice it.

Turns out 96% did not.

It’s rough out there on the street.

It’s maybe too comfy here on the internet.