The Scotch, “Off the Roll Tape Sculpture Contest” judged by the street artist innovator who mastered the medium himself, Mark Jenkins, had a giant goldfish bag the $5K grand prize. Three humanoid sculptures picked up three $500 1st Prizes. Captioned highlights of the sticky enterprise can be seen below.

Tomorrow night, public hactivist and street artist that we like, Mark Jenkins, is opening a show of new work at the Carmichael Gallery. Here’s a preview of only two pieces from the show, as they appear to be holding out with the rest of the images, but if it matches up to the stuff he does in the streets, this could be pretty spectacular.

“Meaning Is Overrated,” Jan 21 – Feb, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles

What with all the artists working in tape, it’s no surprise that the medium and method continues being used for commercial purposes. A new video for Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” features what appears to be the work of Aakash Nihilani, but is not according to the Village Voice.

Some street art enthusiasts are chagrined that the production didn’t pay, or get permission from, the tape-laying artist to mask off Cortlandt Alley in similarly simple fluorescent designs. Other anonymous commenters are debating which permutation of artists Aakash Nihilani, Sam Bassett and Vampire Weekend, ripped off whom.

Meanwhile, 3M is sponsoring a competition for sculptors working with Scotch-brand tape, giving everyone a chance to cash in. Plastic polar bear-making artist Mark Jenkins has even been brought on to judge the winner of the $5k prize in the “Off the Roll Tape Sculpture Contest.”

After the bomb squad was called in on his PETA bear statue, police continue taking an interest in the life-like sculptures of Mark Jenkins. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, police attempted to rescue a female figure laying on top a billboard, only to climb up and discover it was just a mannequin, part of “Sleepers,” the street artist’s outdoor exhibition sponsored by the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. In hopes that Jenkins’ installations might last longer than 20 minutes, the museum promised to warn police before dumping any more bodies in public.

Photos by Mark Jenkins

The long dormant Victorian train tunnels below London’s Waterloo Station have been brought to life for a temporary performance art installation by Pay It Forward star Kevin Spacey and his cohorts at the Old Vic Theater. Called Tunnel 228, the new venture is a collaboration with the performance group Punchdrunk that also includes work from about 20 artists, including Mark Jenkins among others. The subterranean show has stayed a secret, spread last minute by word of mouth and a secretive website to dispense the free tickets, now sold out. But after the positive response so far, Spacey twittered that he hopes to bring the show back come fall. Click the images above for a taste of Tunnel 228.

Photos by Romanwyg

“For this series, Greenpeace and Jenkins added polar bear heads and ragged clothing to human figures to convey a sense of displacement and homelessness. To date, four sculptures have been deployed throughout the D.C. area in locations chosen to reach a variety of audiences and address different aspects of the global warming crisis.”

Below are some more of the hobo bear installations and a video of people’s reaction—most weren’t so worried about them being stuffed with bombs.





(Photos: PolarPicPool)