Posted on 06/17/2009 9:40:03 AM PDT by Abathar
RALEIGH, N.C. -- When Joseph Carnevale chopped up three stolen orange and white traffic barrels from a construction site to create a massive sculpture of a roadside monster thumbing a ride, the North Carolina college student said he saw it as a form of street art.
Police just saw vandalism.
They dismantled the 10-foot "barrel monster" and arrested Carnevale. Hundreds of online supporters want the charges dropped and the publicity has turned the history major and part-time construction worker into a local celebrity.
Even the construction company has become a fan, and wants the 21-year-old to create a replica of the figure that led to his arrest on June 10.
(Excerpt) Read more at theindychannel.com ...
"Carnevale, an Indianapolis native, prides himself on his street art, but said he's most interested in guerrilla photography -- making art and snapping images from restricted locations.
"If you can break the rules, and no one knows they were broken in the first place, then there's no point," he said."
I’m not siding with him at all, unless he owns the barrels and cones he used to make this.
The man has talent.
As it went on and on and the construction company is saying they would have given him the barrels if they kenew he was going to do that kind of art and get them all this publicity ...
It sounded as absurd as in Freddie Got F******d, when the exec suddenly decides to write Tom Green a $1 million check for his worthless cartoons.
“I wasn’t even thinking of writing a check today Gordie (as he writes the check), but with THAT kind of creativity, how does one million dollars sound?”
The company decided to let him go because of all the good publicity they received, so I felt they were the ones who should be handling any charges, not the police.
His attitude towards his photography makes him sound like a jerk though.
No Fun Allowed in the Era if Obama Government Nanny State (especially when it is making fun of rules....)
(If his next statue has Barrel Man performing the Tijuana Donkey Act, he just might win first prize in next year’s Three Rivers Arts Festival....)
If ‘street art’ is defined as stealing and vandalising property of others... he’s a criminal. Convict, lock-up, and pay restitution.
I bet this guy thinks that those construction cones cost nothing. That they’re probably owned by some eeeeeeevil corporation. He probably could make a good living as an artist, he would be wise to figure out how to do that lawfully.
He’s a thief. His other talents aren’t really on trial.
I have to admit this is kind of funny and creative, but obviously it isn't right to go around stealing these things... he should BUY his own materials for his "artwork"!
If he asked them up front, okay, but what about the next time?
What if he decides to go to an office building and break windows in some kind of pattern he finds attractive?
Or goes to a construction site without asking, takes a bunch of materials and make his “art”?
If I own a company and some guy does this stuff without asking, I don’t want to be put in the position of having to deal with the anarchist art types who are offended because my company is being used as this artist’s pallette.
This is small potatoes, and it worked out fine, but what if it doesn’t? What if someone gets into an accident gawking at my companies barrels that have been purloined without permission?
The company is delighted with the publicity, has stated they would have given the barrels away, but of course the local cops don’t have any real crimes to investigate so they’re doing the usual coffee & donut polka and locking the guy up.
Who is the victim? Anyone step forward to claim they were shock, surprised and *scared* by the big mean lookin’ monster?
I’ll bet it was some Raleigh cop on patrol who spilled his hot coffee in his lap.
Not only that, he destroyed some of them for his art.
If the thing could be taken apart with no holes, rips or screws sticking out and they perform their function, I must just say “get outta here”.
But he chopped some of those barrels up for this. Are they owned by the state? Taxpayer money?
Indiana has two seasons : winter and road construction.
The only reason it didn’t bother me was because it was small potatoes, and a one time joke like this is wrong but so is hacking into the warning flashers on the side of roads claiming aliens ahead.
Had it been my company and it happened just one time I would probably be likely to forgive him easier than the idiot who aims for the things at 2 a.m. and knocks them all over the place on purpose.
They were owned by the construction company, so since it was private property it should be up to the owners of the vandalized property to seek damages, not the police IMHO.
He wants to be an artist fine... go buy yourself some traffic cones and make your statue.. you stole them and destroyed them, that’s theft and vandalism.
It doesn’t look like private property to me. Looks like the side of a public road under construction.
So, to be the devil’s advocate here...you have a narrowed lane due to construction, at night, people whizzing by at 40-70 mph, turning their head to gawk at this.
This is a safety issue. I can easily see the police getting involved without the company.
What if the person had the thing holding a big sign saying ‘OBAMA’S STIMULATION MONEY ROCKS!’ Would that have been okay?
three stolen orange and white traffic barrels
If my aunt had testicles she woulda been my uncle. IF I hadn't been running with those scissors I'd be reading this with two eyes.......
IF I woulda stopped doing what I was doing my mom warned me then I wouldn't be wearing this monacle......
I’ve been following this story for quite a while on Jalopnik.
FREE TRAFFIC CONE MONSTER!
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