Monday, February 09, 2009

Appropriation

The Quilt Art bunch is busily arguing about 'appropriation' of images, copyright, thievery, and all that entails.  This all started with outrage at AP wire service going after Shepard Fairey (oh damn, I am doing this blind and on the fly-  hope I have his name right) for his use of the Obama image in all the posters he did.  Seems that this is how he works, that all art belongs to all people and is free for the taking.  Well, that has some advantages but as far as I can see they all rest with the last artist to grab the image, and no trickle back to the person who actually took the photograph, or the wire service who paid for the image, or the paper who printed it.  In that light I found a couple of things that hit me as inappropriate under any circumstances!

First we have a lovely hand stamp with Obama's face. You can stamp him on anything you want. Make your own wrapping paper, maybe a bathroom wall of little Obama heads raining down- the imagination boggles.  Use permanent inks.

Next we have an example of another Obama head, this time in an upholstery fabric. How inappropriate to sit on his face! It's our President, folks, show some respect! 

Sit on J Edgar Hoover's face instead.




2 comments :

Deb Lacativa said...

Jeez..picture that in a sarong and sandals.

urk.

Carol Dean Sharpe said...

I've had my QuiltArt messages going into a separate folder for the last month and keep forgetting to check it...perhaps it is a good thing, for I can only imagine the "discussion."