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19 Comments

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Humber; Or, Life in the Woods

By Val Dodge

2008-04-28-walden-isbn-01513s.jpg
It seems that some Toronto taggers are no longer content to scrawl their own names on blank concrete canvases around the city and are trying instead to make more of a cultural statement. Last year, references to composer Gustav Mahler popped up in several places around town. This year, a more cryptic stencil has appeared on the Humber Bay Arch Bridge, boldly proclaiming “ISBN 486-28495-6″ for all to see and ponder. This International Standard Book Number turns out to be a paperback edition of Henry David Thoreau‘s Walden; Or, Life in the Woods.
In Walden, Thoreau wrote, “A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” Although he wasn’t looking out over Lake Ontario from the mouth of the Humber River when he wrote that, it doesn’t make the sentiment any less appropriate.
Photo by Val Dodge.

Comments

  • james a

    There’s another one of these on the side of Sunnyside Pool. My friend snapped a pic and looked it up when she got home, and I could swear it wasn’t that book.

  • MariaPD

    No it wasn’t, it was isbn 6-093191-4, apparently for Demian, by Herman Hesse. I haven’t read it, so I have no idea how it would relate to the place where it is.
    Here’s the link to the pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/backroomproductions/2411252020/

  • claire_cameron

    Interesting that it’s a stencil.
    I’m collecting a tag I call ‘the lady’. Anyone seen a version of her that I haven’t?
    http://www.claire-cameron.com/

  • Mark Ostler

    I’ve seen ‘the lady’ in so many places that I can’t really remember specific locations. It’s a pretty widespread tag.

  • rek
  • claire_cameron

    I did miss it – how great.

  • WLH

    OOOOhhhh. Taggers are going ‘cultural’. Wow, how clever these little culture vultures are becoming. Hey, they can spell Mahler! Or how about spraying an ISBN # on a public bridge – or swimming pool yet! I am so like in awe of these ‘cultural’ taggers, or ‘artists’, as you sometimes refer to them. Hey look! There’s a beautiful Beaux Art building! Let’s spray paint it! I’m an artist! And I’m cultural to boot. My art includes defacement of other artist’s art. Hey, I’m profound too!

  • rek

    It’s not a tag.
    Interesting that the ISBN for Walden is done in a Star Trek-y typeface.

  • antiboy

    davedave isn’t here yet… I’ll wave my broom angrily on his behalf.

  • matty

    It’s ill conceived, poorly executed, not really graffitti and not really art either.
    This is more like a sophomoric prank. Oh and it’s criminal damage to property.

  • davedave

    I will not disappoint: whoever painted that fu**ing stencil is an asshole. Seriously.
    And it’s hilarious that people are judging its criminality based on whether they like it. As if you’re distancing yourself from it because it’s not cool enough for you. But ohhh, if it were something you liked, you’d be perfectly fine with it. So ridiculous.

  • matty

    i’m saying as an added bonus it’s criminal damage to property. All graffitti is the same to me, no matter what the content.

  • DaveH

    Vandalist has made me more keenly aware of graffitti and even made me try to look at it with a much more open mind.
    Now that I am more aware of it, I can`t help but dislike it more than before Vandalist started.
    That some people try to intellectualize it only makes it worse.
    It`s urban blight.

  • claire_cameron

    There’s an organization in San Francisco called Precita Eyes (http://www.precitaeyes.org/). They started painting elaborate murals in the Mission District (influenced by Diego Rivera etc), but people kept spray painting all over them.
    Precita Eyes figured out the spray painters were people in the neighbourhood, so invited them to participate in painting murals and, not surprisingly, the murals are now left alone for the most part.
    While I’m not for vandalizing property, graffiti often happens because someone feels marginalized. Painting over top, giving a ticket or putting someone in jail isn’t going to stop that.

  • stoli

    i love this anti-graffiti team that comes out for every street art post. you guys crack me up, keep posting please. i take exceptional pleasure in your disdain, now if you’ll excuse me, i’m going tagging.

  • WLH

    Hey stoli – you don’t have to tell us when you’re going to the bathroom.

  • DaveH

    (15)What art? It`s a bunch of numbers spray painted onto a bridge that actually has artistic merit in and of itself.
    It`s unsightly crap.

  • rek
  • http://undefined s’rose

    this might be an old post, but it hits the spot in Dec 09 for me. some poor guy was out by himself on Christmas Eve, with his marker, and tagged my garage door in the lamest way. He also did the entire alley garages. The retired couple who faithfully paint over their tagging will be adding another layer to their garage door.
    Could we please get around to being outraged about this? It’s not art. It’s not graffiti. And it should be stopped. It makes your community ugly and it’s depressing.