VOA慢速英语2011-You Can See This Art for Free on City Str

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember with Explorations in VOA Special English. Today, we travel through city streets all over the world to explore street art, a popular and lively art movement.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trashcans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers. Its international presence¹ is supported by Web sites, artist communities, books and magazines. Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the work of street artists.

STEVE EMBER: It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, street artists usually work secretly because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission. This secretive nature of street art and its countless² forms make it hard to define³ exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.

A popular spot for street art in New York's Greenwich village in 2007

BARBARA KLEIN: Many experts say the movement began in New York City in the nineteen sixties. Young adults would use paint in special cans to spray⁴ their “tag⁵” on walls and train cars around the city.

This tag was a name they created to identify themselves and their artwork. This colorful style of writing is also called graffiti. It is visually exciting and energetic. Some graffiti paintings were signs marking the territories of city gangs⁶ or illegal crime groups.

STEVE EMBER: Graffiti also became a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. Graffiti art represented social and political rebellion⁷. This art rejected the accepted rules of culture and power. These artists could travel around areas of the city making creative paintings for everyone to see. The artists could become famous without being officially recognized. Sometimes this street art created a dispute⁸ between artists and city officials. Graffiti artists created their images and city officials quickly painted over them.

During the nineteen eighties two New York painters who began as street artists became very famous. Keith Haring⁹ and Jean Michel Basquiat started creating their paintings on the streets. But soon they began showing their work in art galleries and museums. This is when street art started to become part of the popular culture.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Street art today takes many forms. One well known New York City street artist goes by the name of Swoon. Swoon creates detailed¹⁰ paper cutouts of people that she observes around her. She places these life-size images on walls in different areas of New York. For example, one of her artworks is of a little boy playing. He is turning his smiling face and seems to be running into the distance. The lines of Swoon’s drawing give energy and movement to the picture. She placed the picture of the boy next to other large graffiti images. It looks like he is running around between the different pieces of artwork.

Swoon did not start her career making street art. She studied fine art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. But she says she lost interest in the official workings of art galleries. She soon started taking her art into the streets.

Swoon likes how her work changes slowly after it is outside for a while. The art slowly disappears because of the effects of time, sun and rain. She also enjoys the freedom of expression which street art permits. And people enjoy Swoon’s strong and imaginative¹² pictures. In fact, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City has bought several of her works¹¹.

STEVE EMBER: Many street corners in Paris, France show the work of an artist known as Space Invader¹³. Space Invader was the name of a video game that was very popular in the nineteen eighties. This French artist uses small colorful squares of glass to make an image of a space creature. He then places these creations¹⁴ on buildings all around Paris. He has been arrested several times. But this does not stop him from working. He says that he is leaving a gift to the city with his art.

On Space Invader’s Web site, you can see the many other cities where he has placed his art. Space Invader has traveled to places like Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mombasa, Kenya, and Istanbul, Turkey.

BARBARA KLEIN: The streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil are also rich with artwork. For example, you can find the work of two brothers who go by the name Os Gemeos. They paint images of funny flat-faced people with orange-yellow skin. Their imaginative characters have many different forms and expressions. Art galleries all over the world have shown the artwork of Os Gemeos.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, visitors can take a street art tour organized by the company Graffitimundo. The tour guides help visitors explore many kinds of exciting street art in different areas of the city.

The street art movement in this city was influenced by the economic collapse¹⁵ in Argentina in two thousand one. Many artists went into the streets and began making playful and colorful art to lift the spirits of people in the city.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: Street artists have different reasons for choosing this special kind of creative act. Some artists do not approve of the profit-making business of galleries and museums. They think that these organizations disconnect art from everyday life. They also like the fact that street art stays part of the city environment.

Other artists express their political beliefs with their art. Some see street art as protesting¹⁶ the culture of big business and corporations¹⁷. They do not like the city walls covered with advertisements that sell products. These artists see these advertisements as examples of corporate¹⁸ aggression¹⁹. They think that if an advertisement can be on a wall, so can their art. Still other artists like the excitement of working in the streets and trying not to get caught.

BARBARA KLEIN: But some people pay a price for making street art. Shepard Fairey is a street artist who became famous for his image of Barack Obama that became popular during the last presidential campaign. But Fairey has been arrested several times for making his art. In two thousand nine, Fairey was arrested as he arrived at a party to celebrate an exhibit²⁰ of his work at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Police arrested him on several graffiti charges. Fairey said he was being punished for suggesting that public space should be filled with more than just advertising²¹ for companies.

STEVE EMBER: Shepard Fairey has also been involved in legal action with the Associated Press. The AP accused him of using one of its photographs of Barack Obama without permission. He used it to create his famous campaign poster in two thousand eight. Fairey says he used the AP photograph as a reference²², but then changed it greatly for his own idealized and colorful picture of the future president.

Last week, Fairey and the AP reached a settlement. Fairey agreed to share profits from the poster and other objects with his image of Barack Obama. And he agreed not to use another AP photo without permission. Fairey and the AP agreed to work on a series of images that the artist will create based on other AP photos.

A movie about street art called “Exit Through the Gift Shop was released²³ in two thousand ten. The movie tells about a French-born shopkeeper in Los Angeles, California. Thierry Guetta loves street art and becomes friends with its artists. He films the artists as they work. He meets the famous and secretive street artist who goes by the name Banksy. Banksy takes the many hours of film created by Guetta and makes this movie. Guetta later becomes an artist who shows his work at a very successful gallery exhibit. Critics have questioned whether parts of the movie are true. But the movie gives an interesting view of the world of street art.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: The Internet has had a big influence on street art. Street artists can show their work to people all over the world. Web sites like Streetsy.com and WoosterCollective.com have thousands of pictures of street art from all over the world. Also, artists and fans can communicate with each other and exchange ideas.

However, people say the Internet is not a replacement²⁴ for the experience of seeing street art live. To really understand this art you have to see it in its environment. The street art movement depends on the energy and life of the city. And like cities, this imaginative and exciting art will continue to change and grow.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. You can see examples of street art at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

1 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。

2 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

4 spray   

v.喷，(使)溅散；n.浪花，飞沫；喷雾

参考例句：

• The liquid came out of the bottle in a spray.液体从瓶子里呈雾状喷出。
• We were wet with the sea spray.我们被海水的浪花溅湿。

5 tag   

n.标签，附属物，名称，谚语；vt.附以签条，尾随，添饰，指责，连接；vi.紧随，尾随

参考例句：

• Please tag your baggage.请在你的行李上贴上标签了。
• The clerk attached a price tag to each article.店员给每一件商品系上标价签。

6 gangs   

n.（罪犯有组织的）一帮( gang的名词复数 )；一伙；（闹事青少年的）一群；（工人有组织的）一队

参考例句：

• Gangs of youths went on the rampage in the city yesterday. 成群结伙的年轻人昨天在城里横冲直撞。
• a vicious turf war between rival gangs of drug dealers 对立贩毒团伙之间的猛烈火并

7 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。

8 dispute   

n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳

参考例句：

• They are trying to find a way of settling the dispute.他们正设法寻找解决争端的办法。
• The parties to the dispute should be more polite to each other.争执双方应相互礼貌些。

9 haring   

vt.& vi.飞跑，疾走（hare的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat started creating their paintings on the streets. KeithHaring和JeanMichelBasquiat在街头创作他们的作品。 来自互联网

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 imaginative   

adj.富有想象力的，爱想象的

参考例句：

• The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
• Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。

13 invader   

n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者

参考例句：

• They suffered a lot under the invader's heel.在侵略者的铁蹄下，他们受尽了奴役。
• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。

14 creations   

创造( creation的名词复数 )； 创造物； （尤指所述由上帝）创造天地； 宇宙

参考例句：

• This artist's creations are worth collecting. 这个艺术家的作品值得收藏。
• The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. 各民族的精神产品成了公共的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

15 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

16 protesting   

v.声明( protest的现在分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• They were formally protesting. 他们正式提出抗议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were protesting soaring prices. 他们抗议物价暴涨。 来自辞典例句

17 corporations   

法人( corporation的名词复数 )； （政治、经济的）组合； 市政委员会

参考例句：

• The bulk of the funds are supplied by some of America's largest and most powerful corporations. 大部分资金是由美国一些最大和最有实力的公司提供的。
• He didn't sympathise with the corporations, but strength was with them. "他并不同情公司，但是力量属于他们。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

18 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

19 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

20 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

21 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

22 reference   

n.提到，说到，暗示，查看，查阅

参考例句：

• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
• I like to have my reference books within my reach.我喜欢把参考书放到伸手可取的地方。

23 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

24 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。