ANIMAL » Los Angeles

Los Angeles Rethinks Its War on Murals

Marina Galperina — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:20:02 +0000

After pressure from local artis, the Los Angeles City Council has agreed to revise its 2002 law banning murals that has been used to indiscriminately buff 300+ works, whether they’ve been done with the wall owners’ permission or not.

Of course, we’re back to the matters of aesthetics: If you want your work to survive, make sure it doesn’t look like an ad (the original excuse for destroying murals). They’re still figuring out the proper procedures in classifying all that.

California-based graffiti artist SABER, who tagged the sky to protest the current laws, tells the LA Times: “They buff beautiful pieces, harass property owners and threaten us like we are in street gangs.” While the new (yet unwritten) law might “legalize the city’s best-known works and some more recent pieces,” the key words here are “some,” so put your time and talent into it at your own risk.

Ron English ‘Smacks’-Up the Cereal Section at Ralphs

Marina Galperina — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:15:25 +0000

POPagandist extraordinaire Ron English celebrates his English 101 show at Post No Bills in Venice/LA by slipping some Cap’n Corn Starch and Killfrog’s Sugar Smack among the more lucratively packaged cereal at a local Ralph’s grocery store in an intervention dubbed Short Shelf Life.

They’re Grrrross! West Coast treasure hunt time? If you find one, you can get it autographed. Happy hunting.

Occupy Los Angeles: Bilingual Chants and Friendlier Coppers

Marina Galperina — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:55:52 +0000

The #OccupyLA protests started yesterday morning at Pershing Square where the National Lawyer’s Guild had initially estimated the crowd as 500 strong. The number seemed to grow as we marched towards City Hall in Downton LA. The cops were actually helpful, blocking the intersection so the marchers could cross on red lights. When we got to the steps, a particularly surly fella with a badge kicked the protestors off the main steps, so the momentum was broken a bit as the crowd dispersed and re-clustered around City Hall steps and lawns. The occupation had began.

The chants sounded great in Spanish. The crowd fluctuated throughout the day. The speakers reiterated that these protests were organized specifically in solidarity with #OccupyWallSt. “We are the 99%” on site: Public school teachers, immigration rights activists, professors, Libertarians, Communists, Anonymous, intensely normal-looking families with toddlers and puppies, protestors in “billionaire” drag…

Those who camped out through the night set up tents on the sidewalk, as instructed, and moved back on the lawn by 6am. There were no arrests. It’s still happening right now. (Photos: Marina Galperina/ANIMAL New York)

Forrest & Bob Promote Lingerie with Model-Happy Orgy

Tabatha McGurr — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:38:49 +0000

Internationally based apparel and accessories brand Forrest & Bob have just launched their latest NSFW video campaign dubbed “The Fallen,” which features an assortment of Next Los Angeles models writhing around before the camera in nothing but their bras and panties.

We first see each girl individually – stripping, dancing, or touching herself – followed by an orgy-like finale where all six gather on the sofa for a session of heavy petting. So ladies, when’s the next slumber party?

Graffiti Writer Tags the Skies Over LA

Bucky Turco — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:46:34 +0000

SABER, a California-based graffiti artist, dispatched skywriting planes over Downtown Los Angeles earlier today to challenge the city’s controversial moratorium on murals. New laws that were meant to curb the proliferation of advertisements and signage, have instead been used by officials to basically make it illegal for artists to paint large scale works, specifically if they involve spray paint and regardless if they have the owner’s permission.

The aircraft “put up” his name along with other prominent writers, supporters, and words of protest with the hope that it will spread awareness about the ordinance that is a direct threat to common sense, but more importantly, free speech! (Photo: @SaberAWR) UPDATE: More photos here.

Street Photographer Abuses Los Angelinos

Marina Galperina — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:20:16 +0000

Watch as photographer Eric Kim employs extreme ambushing techniques and goes on a spree on Hollywood Blvd with a Canon and a hand-held flash, snapping people left and right. So in your face! So… zzzzz.

Now, we’re 100% committed to photographers’ rights to take photos of people in public, psychotically overzealous cops be damned… but this fella is useless. No, there’s nothing illegal about what he’s doing and the technique isn’t novel. There are actually photogs that are/were good at this.

There’s also nothing illegal about running up to people and hollering “Boo!!!” (provided your genitals are not exposed). Pretty much all he’s doing is just that. Boo. Nothing to be giddy about.

Behold! The wonderful, revelatory range of expressions captured with this technique…

WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF, WTF and of course, the WTF.

Rave-like Near-Riot on Hollywood Blvd

Marina Galperina — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:45:21 +0000

The premiere of a documentary about Electric Daisy Carnival at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre got crowded last night when DJ Kaskade tweeted “ME+BIG SPEAKERS+MUSIC=BLOCK PARTY!!!” and 2,000 people showed up, followed by the LAPD, followed by a “near-riot.”

By 6pm, Kaskade’s tweets turned into “Everybody CHILL OUT!!! The cops are freaking out BE SAFE AND LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!” and by 7:30pm it was “EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO HOME NOW!”

Witnesses say that when the police tried to clear out the crowd, that’s when “the trouble happened.” People got crazy. Cop cars got trampled. Windows got smashed. People “wearing lingerie and elaborate chandelier hats” started trampling police cars and smashing windows.

The madness! The horror! At least Hollywood mascot Paris Hilton got out safely! Wheh…

Narrow Los Angeles: A Fantasy Urban Makeover

Marina Galperina — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:00:35 +0000

You need to have lived in Los Angeles for a bit to appreciate the mind fuck of designer David Yoon’s photo manipulations. Observe as dozens of familiar streets shrink in width for project Narrow Streets: Los Angeles. Witness the mammoth PCH turned into a cozy crevice, Santa Monica smooshed and Echo Park suddenly made neighborhoodier!

Take a trip to an alternate reality of a pedestrian-friendly Los Angeles where urban space isn’t dominated by sprawling concrete channels that accommodate the constipated flow of exhaust-spewing machines:

Doc about Fixed Gears in LA Will Anger Most

Bucky Turco — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:40:39 +0000

In less than two weeks, fixed gear documentary To Live and Ride in LA drops, and judging by the trailer, will undoubtedly attract the ire of pretty much anyone not familiar with the scene or track bikes. If you thought this “3 Way Street” video showed some irresponsible cyclists, wait till you press play.

REVOK Arrested for Like the Millionth Time

Bucky Turco — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:21:54 +0000

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that MOCA contributor and graffiti artist REVOK was arrested on Thursday while attempting to board a flight out of LAX to Ireland, but it wasn’t for any new acts of vandalism, he had an outstanding warrant. His bail was set at a whopping $320,000 which is $300k more than his last bullshit arrest in ’09 and as LA Taco notes, higher than both a child molester and corrupt public official’s combined. UPDATE: He was sentenced to 180 days.

(Photo: constructivexdestruction/flickr)