Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Kiwi cops do Banksy-style recruitment street ads.



(click images, via) I was ready to torch this campaign for its blatant unoriginality, but the backstory of these graffiti executions has stayed my flamethrower. The scenes are from real New Zealand police stories and were drawn on walls near the actual events.
Top: constables Julia Vahry and Madeline Roberts carry out the ole “pincer” bust move; Bottom left: Kylie Schaare’s case work in Wellington led to the conviction of a man who had been abusing his own children; Bottom right: Constable Spence Kingi helped people escape from the rubble of the February Christchurch earthquake. I guess this isn't considered illegal graffiti?
Ad agency: M&C Saatchi, Auckland. Artist: Otis Frizzell.
Related: Kiwi army seeks a few good Tetris players.

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

still idea theft - however well intentioned

9:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's not idea theft. It's double irony. Banksy creates ironic illegal street art of the police. The police create legal street art reminiscent of the former. Genius.

6:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Totally agree on Genius part, they are the best example to follow, using art (and i can't see it as theft) to call the citizens to is duty's and responsibilities it's the best form of showing their open mind to reality after all they've been through...

7:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If people stopped crying BANKSY every time someone created a stencil based work then we might get over this shit.

Saying that this campaign is far from genius, it's nothing more than an agency trying a bit too hard to be cool and street. And I know for sure that Otis has copped more flack than he expected from local street artists.

It is a blurry line working on the street for a corporate campaign. But when the campaign is street art trying to recruit police to, among other things, go out and catch street artists, well then it gets messy.

11:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's not double irony - it's lame. Police's Ad Agency creates legal street art reminiscent of illegal street art of Police's Ad Agency would be irony.
They going to arrest people who tag over it?

1:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's not a corporate campaign. The Police are employed by the people and serve the people. They work on, and protect our streets. And it's not government propaganda either. It's not pushing an agenda, it's opening an unexpected conversation with people who may never have considered being a cop. Otis has received props from local street arts too.

1:53 AM  
Anonymous We Make Prints said...

c'mon, it's not like Bansky invented stencils. Like a previous commenter said, people need to get over that way of thinking. I like these - nice to see cops trying to engage with people, unlike in the UK where cops have a strained relationship with the public.

Why were other street artists giving this guy flak? Too much snobbery in the art n design world IMO.

7:54 AM  
Blogger Happy Chaos said...

Couple of subversions of the police street art here:

http://www.hdadhd.com/2012/02/06/cops-co-opted-street-art-co-opted/

5:41 PM  
Anonymous Alfie,,, Knowle west,,,, BRISTOL said...

I would like to know why making a wall look nice with one OF THE BEST ARTIST'S IN THE WORLD,,,BANKSY !!! *_*,, how can they call it crime,,, the WORLD has gone mad !!!
UNSAVIBLE STYLE,,,LOL ..

5:40 PM  

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