Stickin' It to the Streets
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rotest art is nothing new, especially in a “woke” place like Seattle, where the left is fractured into numerous clans and tribes, and anarchists take over the streets every May Day.
I’ve always been struck by the sheer volume of vigilante graffiti on the sign poles and flat surfaces of Seattle’s streets and sidewalks. And for years I’ve “collected” photos of these messages; fascinated, perhaps, by the anger or outrage or creativity (or all of the above) that inspires people to make them.
Sticker art is what I particularly look out for. To me, it’s an even more determined sort of political speech, as it requires the creator to not only make an image, but to affix it to an adhesive backing.
I’ve been taking photos of this art for years. But I noticed that the Trumpian dystopia that descended on Seattle like an abrupt smack last year has inspired a new wave of sticker art, at least along the streets I frequent.
Before Trump, there was the fractious fight between Bernie and Hillary. Sanders, after all, lit a fire in Seattle in the first half of 2016, as evident on the streets…
inally, from one protestor in Portland, the ultimate insult…
