docoBanksy has emerged from their bunker, taking a road trip down the M4 to That London last week. It was a pilgrimage of sorts and a kind of celebration. They were visiting the Beyond The Streets exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. It’s an exploration of the history and legacy of street art. Our merry prankster felt right at home.
doco tried a little stickery intervention of their own, but polite and observant gallery staff foiled the effort. Oh well, always worth a try. Di-faced goodies were dropped elsewhere in the vicinity. Eagle-eyed observers might want to keep an eye open. doco is always happy to make an exhibition of themselves in public.
Attempted contribution to the show stymied, they contented themselves with a dignified exit through the gift shop and a couple of supportive purchases. When in doubt, indulge in retail therapy.
But the episode put the urge to restart the fire and bring art to the people raging into doco’s fevered little brain. What to do? How to kick things up a notch? doco deals in the interconnection between subject and artist. The two loop together, informing and generating, subtext piling on subtext, theme and commentary spinning in a self-powering cycle. Who is doco? Where is doco? Why is doco? At what point does the art stop and the person begin? If there isn’t a clearly defined point (and kids, if you’ve been with us on the ride this long you know nothing about this project is clearly defined) then wherewhathow do the cross points and borders of myth and mania combine?
It’s easy to get lost in all this. The gods of graffiti and and the saints of street art are cruel and fickle deities. Their church is cavernously vast. The best thing you can do is pick a wall and start stickering or spraying. Make a mark. Shout your name. The fundamental need for human self-expression is at the core of street art. If you can land your tag in a place where everyone can see it, then you have a chance, however fleeting, for immortality. At least until the council guy with the paint pot and the big brush comes around.
What, then, is doco planning? Let’s put it like this. Hollywood managed three billboards. We don’t have that sort of budget. But prepare to see our sticker game get well and truly pimped. Somehow, doco has gathered friends who are happy to help out and bring the maddest of their ideas to life. doco is humbled. doco is grateful. doco is–honestly a little confused as to why people would want to keep this crazy train rolling. But they do, so doco blows the whistle and shovels coal into the engine. Are they just blowing off steam, or are they on track this time? Is there a destination or are we, as ever, just going round and round in circles? Inevitably, the only way to find out is to watch the streets. Let’s just say we’re going big for this one. We don’t think you’re going to miss it. Keep your feeds locked to this channel, and doco will make dang sure you won’t.