Hi all,

I've just returned from Sydney NSW and had a fantastic time but was underwhelmed by the amount of quality Street Art, maybe the following article is part of the reason for such an underwhelming presence in the Harbour City.

Excerpt from The Sydney Morning Herald

"Graffiti now a $100m crime in NSW
February 20, 2009
Tougher laws for graffiti offences will outlaw the carrying of marker pens and etching implements in NSW in some instances, the state government says.
The laws, which come into effect today, follow last month's government announcement that graffiti crime was escalating and costing NSW more than $100 million a year.
The package of new laws will help tackle the proliferation of graffiti, NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos said.
"The community has had enough of having to repair damage left behind by this senseless crime," Mr Hatzistergos said in a statement.
The legislation makes it illegal to possess implements with the intention of using them to damage or deface premises or property, a law previously applicable only to spray paint cans.
Fair Trading representatives and police officers will also be able to issue on-the-spot fines to retailers who fail to properly secure spray paint cans.
Damaging or defacing property carries a fine of $2,200 or six months jail, while possessing an instrument suspected of being used to graffiti property attracts a fine of $1,100 or three months jail. "

Of course this is not the full outline of the new law but you get the idea.

People who sexually assualt, violently abuse, speed and steal get lighter sentences than this, what is it with a society that is more offended by the scribblings and artwork of Urban community members that of what have been recognised as crimes that cause long term physical, mental and emotional trauma.

I've never been happier to "Stick it to the Man"

Here are a couple of pics for you.

Take it Easy.

The ManAnchor.

Natural Disaster and Life goes on.

Bad news about the weather and the current situations that communities and individuals find themselves in. I will acknowledge that I am deeply concerned for their welfare and that of our native fauna and domesticated animals.

Aside from that life will continue and The ManAnchor will continue, I am about to journey to NSW and hope to get a few more Soft Kocks up (no pun intended) and maybe deliver a slightly different drop off piece that I have been working on.

If your listening or watching check out ReFace on the ABC website it's a great opportunity to read about other street artists and to see their work it's also a fantastic chance to get your own work out there, I know I did. So in the words of the ephemeral Trent from Punchy...."Check it!"

Take it Easy

The ManAnchor.

Under the Road in the beginners Space.

I managed to get out and get the other Soft Kocks documented, here they are for your viewing pleasure.

The ManAnchor.

What a great day for getting out and about, I've decided to document some of the Street Art that is being done in my home town. For your sake I hope it makes the blog a little more interesting. The ManAnchor Soft Kocks are up, made out of particle board they are attached to various structures about the place, hope someone finds them amusing. I was going to take a few more pics but the camera went flat as I put up the other Soft Kock, once that is charged back up I'll head out to document the other pieces.

Take it Easy.

The ManAnchor

New work in progress

It's been awhile but still the ideas are percolating...next is the stick up and then the infiltration!

This Future in the Hands of our Forebears

"This Future in the Hands of our Forebears"
A beautiful day for some Street Art the park is full of people and after I had taken the initial images and came home to load them up I discovered I had not put the memory card in. It had been half an hour before when I had placed the piece and so expected it to be gone. It was a great surprise to find that it was exactly as I had left it and people were continuing to meander past without regard, either to contented too notice or too embarrassed to remark. It was great fun to watch.

Well the project has started and probably has not had the visual impact I was hoping for but I was rushed for time due to other commitments and had to find the first place that was handy. The mobile LIES phone photo's are of another artists work, the mobile phone is cast in cement and has been glued in place, someone put a great deal of effort into that piece. Fitzroy was a bit of a hot spot for Street Art and a favourite of mine (I didn't get a photo) was of a tree which had had the trunk covered in white crochet and gave the tree a distinctively threatening demeanour.

Again I did not finish the installation as wholly as I would have liked and the "tag" was not put in place for the photo but should have read "Hi my name is Richard, I'm a Sagittariun who likes to travel."

Hope someone gets a kick out of it.

Melbourne Fitzroy Australia

The Man Anchor blog is an opportunity for me to announce a Street Art Project that will begin this coming weekend in the Melbourne Laneways (Australia). The Man Anchor project is derived from my questioning of men's contemporary place within today's society. In particular this project aims through the random placement of art pieces to help me focus on the dislocation of men from traditional roles within society and the thought processes behind reconsidering their "self" along with the opportunity to redefine an historical expectation of "manhood". These questions are mine, I beg your indulgence and welcome your feedback.

This project is not about assigning blame but about the exploration of a theme and is hopefully an exploration conducted with humour, should I offend anyone by the placement of these metaphors I apologise for your unease it is not my intent to offend.