Mission Mission

On 16th Street there’s no time for subtlety when it comes to BP (formerly British Petroleum).

Up in North Beach we find this helpful guide.

Back to Valencia, and I’m not actually sure what this one’s about.

Somebody erected this fertility monument on Shotwell and 19th. Note how when the sun is at it’s peak elevation in the summer sky, the shadow cast by this masterpiece forms a perfectly-rendered ball sack.

This may be the most important dong discovery since the Cerne Abbas Giant.

[Photo and title Jeff D., Spots Unknown]

Someone seems to be timing the re-issue of the Banksy film with some new art of the same style.

Regardless of who did it, what do you make of the message?

(Thanks for spotting and sending, reader Dave!)

Update: Another one spotted on Lexington at 19th. (Thanks Jeannine!)

Careful, bad guys, he can blow up a small hut with a bow and arrow.

[via streetexpression]

At first I thought Oddfellow got those shoes up on those power lines merely by tossing them up there.  However, it is now clear that he must have some sort of hovering ability.  Whether this is the result of technological innovation or magical aptitude remains to be discovered.

Previously:

Oddfellow Shoes-On-Wire Art

Debate:  Is Oddfellow Art?

Oddfellow Says “Get Even”

Hobo Oddfellow

Shoes-on-wire art is gonna be huge. What better way is there to get your name out and indicate that you can buy crack on this block?

Previously:

Hobo Oddfellow

Oddfellow’s First Appearance in Tales of the Mission Issue #16

Cone in a Hole and Other Codes of the City

Unearthed at Upper Playground.  Cowabunga dudes.

The art supplies in the bottom corner make this particularly sad.

S. Pigeon has the scoop.

I’m pretty sure this picture was taken in France. A lot of the other pictures on thesaddestofhappypeople seem to come from France. It’s always nice to see San Franciscans getting love abroad, right?

Previously:

The Next KKKatie?

KKKatie Upppdate

Something curious has unfolded on our Introduce Yourself page. First came a comment from Elle, a few weeks back:

hi, i’m elle. i walk around the hood in wings.

guess what? starting yesterday evening and throughout the summer, there is a security guard on duty 24-7 on the block of Valencia between 16th and 17th. this is private ‘police’ monitoring your activity in public space. they don’t stop people from being robbed or killed, they are just there to watch the stuff.

is hiring private security for public space even legal?

your neighbourhood is turning into someone’s private police state.

Today, reader Dave replies:

Elle Ko. I was talking with the security guard recently on my way home, and he told me that he’s there because you keep spray painting the building next to frjtz. He also said that you promised to continue vandalizing the building the moment he’s not there, so as a result, he simply has to be there. My guess is that if you weren’t committing crimes in the neighborhood, or at least telling people you were, he wouldn’t be there at all. My guess is you’ll get caught soon enough – but it seems like (according to the security guy anyway) that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. Personally, I’m glad he’s there. If what he says is true, I applaud the day you get bagged with a felony. Is hiring private security legal? I guess it’s at least a little more legal than tagging local businesses.

The image up top is a still from a video from Elle’s Flickr account, from a photo set which I think we’re supposed to believe depicts her stealing a Burberry coat from Bloomingdales. What do we think folks, is Elle the next KKKatie?

More importantly, how much do we all love the complex societal quandary this exchange puts forth? What is public? What is private? Why should Transformers 3 get to shut down downtown Chicago for a week and prevent me from getting to a coffee date on time? Why are college kids plagiarizing more? Why shouldn’t they be? Are you telling me this blog isn’t an original work? That as curators, we’re not working just as hard as bloggers that produce exclusively “original” content? Why is it okay that all the waterfront parks in Grosse Pointe are closed to non-residents? I just want to sit by the lake and read my book! On the other hand, the other night I was at a friend’s house and some teenager crept up next to an open window and yelled an obscenity at us and ran away laughing, and I swelled up with rage and started muttering about “private property” and thought about chasing the culprit and beating him with a U-lock. Complex!