obeying the giant
by Anthony gagliardi
Some professionals and experts define art as something that has no purpose other than itself. Famous philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle have their own opinions of art, which differ widely from what we as people define and accept as art today. However, even those people in the modern world who believe they have a firm definition of art, may be overlooking a particular art form, or may simply not know of it at all. Street Art is an art form that has come into the mainstream more and more in recent times. It covers many different mediums and artistic styles. Street art is more than just paintings, it is often a life style that the artist adapts so as to be able to express themselves, often in unique and personalized ways. Shepard Fairey’s “Obey Giant” campaign is possibly one of the most well-known street art campaigns, being present all over the world in many different incarnations, varieties, and forms. Adapting stickers and posters as the primary medium through which to convey his messages.
The art in its original and most simple form is no more than a stencil of the famous wrestler Andre the Giant and features the slogan “Andre the Giant has a Posse”, as well as his height and weight (7’4, 520 Lbs. respectively). Having been started by Fairey in Rhode Island (where he was going to school at the time) in 1989, it is today the basis for a clothing brand (Which Fairey started and now designs for, owns, and runs), is present in many different examples/forms/parodies/etc. in all sorts of media such as television and movies, and still persists all over the streets of the world in the form of stickers ranging from no more than a few square inches, to nearly billboard sized printings on the sides of buildings. In 1990, Fairey wrote what is referred to as “The Manifesto” for the Obey Giant campaign; in it he mentions the famous philosopher Martin Heidegger and his concept of Phenomenology. The manifesto very simply states; Heidegger describes Phenomenology as “the process of letting things manifest themselves”.
When one reads Heidegger’s Being and Time, there is much more to it than that. He devotes an entire section of the book to the topic, titled; The Phenomenological Method of Investigation (with subsections; The Concept of Phenomenon, The Concept of the Logos, and The Preliminary Conception of Phenomenology). In these sections he discusses our tendency to take in a space, process certain aspects of it, and thus assume its purpose, use, etc. and take said purpose or use for granted; as humans, we often fail to truly question our surroundings. We interpret, but do not truly ask ourselves what we see.
In Being and Time, and specifically the parts of it that speak on Phenomenology, one can gather how Heidegger’s beliefs and theories translate into the “Obey Giant” campaign.
Fairey’s stickers, posters, etc. (when they appear in a place we deem as unusual for its appearance) in fact cause us to question the surroundings we so normally take for granted. For example, a person walking through a school, which they have been attending for several years, passes through a hallway they have passed through countless numbers of times. Only this time, one of Shepard Fairey’s famous stickers has been placed on a wall. It can either be one of only a few square inches, or one closer to the size of a poster. Either way, this simple appearance of the sticker or poster has occurred unexpectedly for the person who attends this school. They may begin asking why it is there; in turn they ask more questions about this place that they have for so long taken for granted: Why shouldn’t this be here? At the other end of the spectrum one must also consider that there are in fact places where the “Obey Giant” stickers would not be out of place. For example, the clothing brand which stemmed from the campaign is associated with Skater culture, and is worn by man skaters. So were the stickers to appear somewhere in a skate park, or on the bottom of a skateboard, it would likely not cause as much questioning of one’s surroundings since chances are that those viewing it in this setting are not as alarmed by its presence, or may be familiar with the stickers (or even the concept of phenomenology behind it). So, in the correct location, this simple sticker can cause a person to truly look around at their surroundings and LOOK at where they are and question it, possibly doing both for the first time ever.
This street art campaign, started back in 1989 and only existing today in different incarnations of it original form, is indeed waking us up to our surroundings. Some are indeed annoyed or aggravated when it appears, as Shepard Fairey mentions in the “Obey Giant” manifesto, some see it as a form of vandalism. In reality, these people should be thankful for its appearance. One could almost say these stickers, posters, and massive signs, are turning those who view them in the correct setting, into philosophers. These stickers, whether on the back of a stop sign or on the side of building, are waking us up, telling us to ask questions, asking us (and sometimes forcing us) to be more attentive to the world that surrounds us.
The art in its original and most simple form is no more than a stencil of the famous wrestler Andre the Giant and features the slogan “Andre the Giant has a Posse”, as well as his height and weight (7’4, 520 Lbs. respectively). Having been started by Fairey in Rhode Island (where he was going to school at the time) in 1989, it is today the basis for a clothing brand (Which Fairey started and now designs for, owns, and runs), is present in many different examples/forms/parodies/etc. in all sorts of media such as television and movies, and still persists all over the streets of the world in the form of stickers ranging from no more than a few square inches, to nearly billboard sized printings on the sides of buildings. In 1990, Fairey wrote what is referred to as “The Manifesto” for the Obey Giant campaign; in it he mentions the famous philosopher Martin Heidegger and his concept of Phenomenology. The manifesto very simply states; Heidegger describes Phenomenology as “the process of letting things manifest themselves”.
When one reads Heidegger’s Being and Time, there is much more to it than that. He devotes an entire section of the book to the topic, titled; The Phenomenological Method of Investigation (with subsections; The Concept of Phenomenon, The Concept of the Logos, and The Preliminary Conception of Phenomenology). In these sections he discusses our tendency to take in a space, process certain aspects of it, and thus assume its purpose, use, etc. and take said purpose or use for granted; as humans, we often fail to truly question our surroundings. We interpret, but do not truly ask ourselves what we see.
In Being and Time, and specifically the parts of it that speak on Phenomenology, one can gather how Heidegger’s beliefs and theories translate into the “Obey Giant” campaign.
Fairey’s stickers, posters, etc. (when they appear in a place we deem as unusual for its appearance) in fact cause us to question the surroundings we so normally take for granted. For example, a person walking through a school, which they have been attending for several years, passes through a hallway they have passed through countless numbers of times. Only this time, one of Shepard Fairey’s famous stickers has been placed on a wall. It can either be one of only a few square inches, or one closer to the size of a poster. Either way, this simple appearance of the sticker or poster has occurred unexpectedly for the person who attends this school. They may begin asking why it is there; in turn they ask more questions about this place that they have for so long taken for granted: Why shouldn’t this be here? At the other end of the spectrum one must also consider that there are in fact places where the “Obey Giant” stickers would not be out of place. For example, the clothing brand which stemmed from the campaign is associated with Skater culture, and is worn by man skaters. So were the stickers to appear somewhere in a skate park, or on the bottom of a skateboard, it would likely not cause as much questioning of one’s surroundings since chances are that those viewing it in this setting are not as alarmed by its presence, or may be familiar with the stickers (or even the concept of phenomenology behind it). So, in the correct location, this simple sticker can cause a person to truly look around at their surroundings and LOOK at where they are and question it, possibly doing both for the first time ever.
This street art campaign, started back in 1989 and only existing today in different incarnations of it original form, is indeed waking us up to our surroundings. Some are indeed annoyed or aggravated when it appears, as Shepard Fairey mentions in the “Obey Giant” manifesto, some see it as a form of vandalism. In reality, these people should be thankful for its appearance. One could almost say these stickers, posters, and massive signs, are turning those who view them in the correct setting, into philosophers. These stickers, whether on the back of a stop sign or on the side of building, are waking us up, telling us to ask questions, asking us (and sometimes forcing us) to be more attentive to the world that surrounds us.