Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Since it was established over a decade ago by Laura Merage, RedLine has presented an annual members' show that follows the theme for the venue's exhibition program. This year, that theme is "Afrofuturism," which imagines utopian pasts or futures in which black people are central to the narrative content.

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: It doesnt make sense to tie a members' show to a specific theme when the participants have little in common ideally, such an exhibit should be a free-for-all, with each artist presenting what they do best, whatever that may be.Luckily, thats pretty much how this years members' show, Near in the Distance, turned out. As RedLine director Louise Martorano observes with a laugh, The artists never follow the theme, and just do what they want.

The unwieldy task of organizing the show fell to Rhode Island-based curator Nicole J. Caruth. Some months ago, Caruth came to RedLine to speak with the residents about what they intended to create for the exhibition, and she found that some of the artists were uncomfortable with the theme, feeling that their work would be inauthentic. As a result, she did an admirable job of adjusting the Afrofuturism theme to the mostly non-African American artists at RedLine, or at least was flexible enough to allow the artists to adjust the theme themselves.As she says in her curators statement, You wont find the typical aesthetics associated with Afrofuturism here.

When I talked with Caruth just hours before Near in the Distance was set to open, she told me that gentrification was on the minds of many of the RedLine artists. And that makes sense, since artists even those artists with temporarily subsidized spaces at RedLine are on the front lines of the process: Artists typically have their studios and often their homes in affordable areas, and here in Denver those formerly cheap neighborhoods are becoming high-rent districts virtually overnight. Caruth takes note of this, too, in her curators statement: The artists in this exhibition focus on the world as they know it now, tackling topics such as displacement, surveillance, climate change, hybridity, gender equality and rest.

One side of Anthony Garcia Sr.'s mural, "White Wash."

courtesy of RedLine

The show starts in the small gallery off the lobby with Eileen Roscina Richardsons Cultivate, which looks like a kitchen and is very homey and welcoming. Hanging from the ceiling is a ring of dried flowers arranged so that they radiate away from the center. Below that is a large table, with chairs around it; on top of the table are a row of books and several vessels holding fermenting agents, such as sourdough starter. The idea is to create a sense of community by bringing people together to make food with the fermented ingredients: As the culmination of the piece, the artist plans to stage just such a dinner.

As viewers enter the main gallery, they encounter Regan Rosburgs Everything Is Fine, wrapping around a free-standing wall; the side facing the entry looks something like a big, abstract drip painting. The piece addresses pollution and climate change, and focuses on Rosburg's residency in the Arctic, to which she sailed from Svalbard, Norway, aboard a tall ship with other artists, along with scientists and writers. On one side of the wall, Rosburg has draped ghost nets and other bits of plastic flotsam, and on the opposite side are scores of pieces of correspondence from artists, children, scientists and others. The plastic-covered side reflects the negatives related to the issue, while the side with the letters reveals hope for the future.

Artist and community activist Anthony Garcia Sr. has also taken over both sides of a free-standing wall for his two-sided mural, White Wash. On the prominent side is a set of horizontal stripes evocative of Latino weaving, marred by a swath of whitewash and on the other side broader stripes in a dirty white all but completely cover the marks and images that lie beneath. As Garcia explains in his artist's statement, the goal is a society that values its communities and their histories. Gentrification and the erasure of existing cultures is clearly on the mind of the artist, one of the city's premier muralists.

Tony Ortega's "Northside Gothic."

courtesy of Tony Ortega

Opposite Garcia's piece, Tony Ortega has used one side of a similar wall for a painting of a 1970s Chicano couple rendered in his signature style. Behind them is an outline of a little north Denver house and, behind that, a trio of smaller, similar portraits of the couple. In front of the painting, on both sides, Ortega has placed sculptures of guardian animals dogs? done in black papier mch. The old Northside was once the heart of the barrio, but its now being filled with affluent whites, so the topic is again gentrification: The dreams of the young couple from a generation ago are unattainable for their children.

"Circuit City," by Chris Bagley.

courtesy of RedLine

No artist takes the future implication of Afrofuturism more to heart than Chris Bagley, whose Circuit City is a cross between the interior of a sacred space and that of a nightclub. This piece, which is meant to conjure up some future metropolis, fills an entire small gallery at the back of RedLine. Bagley has covered the floor with shiny reflective panels and, hanging above, a crumbled Mylar blanket rotates like a deformed disco ball. On either side are internally lit columns made of circuit boards, and there are other lighted elements, too. On the back wall is a movement-activated video projection, in which those interacting with it are reduced to flattened blobs with no discernible features. For Bagley, the unrecognizable shadows of figures suggest a time when appearances will be replaced by actions.

Tya Alisa Anthony's "Balance Baltimore."

courtesy of RedLine

Other works deserving of notice include Tya Alisa Anthonys charming Balance Baltimore, a shelf that holds tiny, multi-colored matte-board houses lined up in a row. Marsha Macks wallpaper, flower pots, plants and candy-wrapper room has a decidedly upbeat look, and reflects her mixed identity of Asian and Caucasian. I also liked the pieces by Clay Hawkley, especially The Net, in which pictures of young people are torn apart, and joined together, by a wavy grid of lines. Trey Duvalls trio of steel pipes that rise and fall on cables attached to machines is super-simple, but really works. In contrast, the three-part Michael Sperandeo, which includes an archival print, a 3-D print of a mythical figure, and augmented reality through a laptop, is incredibly complex, but it works, too.

Finally, established Denver artists Charles Parson and Carley Warren both deserve a tip of the hat. Parson presents an ambitious wall installation about the landscape that incorporates drawings of mountains with clear acrylic contraptions filled with sand. Warren contributes another classic work, a pair of wooden sculptures whose forms are based on the shapes of conventionalized spiders.

Over the past decade, RedLine has shown itself to be a place where you can see some of the area's best contemporary artists, as well as some of its most exciting emerging ones. Thats more than enough of a theme.

Near in the Distance, through March 8 at RedLine, 2350 Arapahoe Street, 303-296-4448, redlineart.org

Michael Paglia is an art historian and writer whose columns have appeared in Westword since 1995; his essays on the visual arts have also been published in national periodicals including Art News, Architecture, Art Ltd., Modernism, Art & Auction and Sculpture Magazine. He taught art history at the University of Colorado Denver.

Read the original:
RedLine Members Tackle Gentrification, More in Near in the Distance - Westword

Sony Electronics announced the details Tuesday of a new beamforming microphone, the MAS-A100, designed for hands-free lectures and presentations. The ceiling-mount microphone is designed for both speech reinforcement and recording using both beamforming technology and an Intelligent Feedback Reducer function. The microphone has a dual-channel output for simultaneous recording that captures the speaker and students/participants voices and includes support for Dante2 and Power Over Ethernet (PoE).

The beamforming microphone has a dual-channel output that enables simultaneous speech reinforcement and recording. The microphone also has auto-noise reduction capabilities to minimize background sound from air conditioners and projectors, which makes it ideal for lecture capture and meeting recording. The microphone can be integrated into existing AV rooms using Dante and its Automatic Calibration function automatically optimizes the parameters of the audio processing for speech reinforcement by generating and capturing the test signal during the installation process.

The beamforming microphone is expected to be available in spring 2020.

Here are more specs.

Read more:
Sony Will Release a New Beamforming Microphone for Hands-Free Applications in Spring... - rAVe [PUBS]

Solid laying area

Provide a solid laying area of 0.3 to 0.34 square feet per pig to increase comfort and eliminate drafts. The most common of these temporary mats is a reinforced rubber mat with a raised feed lip around the perimeter. Because these mats are heavy, weighing over two pounds per square foot, producers may choose to use two mats per pen for easier handling or a lighter polyethylene mat weighing in at just over a half pound per square foot.

There is also a disposable mat available manufactured from cornstalks and wood fibers. This four by eight foot biodegradable mat weighs only ten pounds and eliminates the need for cleaning and disinfecting as it is simply composted after use.

Radiant heat is the perfect application for creating the microclimate needed for weaned pigs. By directing the heat at the pigs, we can increase the localized environment for the pigs without having to raise the temperature in the entire room. Forced air heaters regulate the room temperature to between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit while the radiant heat maintains a microclimate of 90 degrees at pig level. Gradually reduce the radiant temperature over 28 days until it meets the target room temperature, at which time the brooders are removed and stored.

Electric heat lamps are the least expensive type of radiant to install and regulate in a building. Installation amounts to placing several lamps with 250-watt bulbs over the laying area in each pen and adjusting the height until reaching the desired floor temperature. A simple thermostat with a remote sensor regulates the lamp output. Disadvantages include higher energy costs and bulb replacement.

Individual infrared gas brooders are the most popular form of radiant heat in wean-finish applications. Though higher in initial cost, these small 10,000 to 17,000 BTU brooders are powerful enough to heat a floor area suitable for 100 to 150 weaned pigs. A sensor mounted under one of the brooders transmits a signal to a control panel regulating the gas flow. Both on/off and modulating control panels are available depending on producer preference. Gas-fired brooders will typically have lower operating costs than electric systems.

Air from poorly managed inlets can cause pig-chilling drafts to occur in the weaning microclimate. Leaks around curtains, doors and fans can reduce airspeed, allowing cold incoming air to fall to the floor without proper mixing. Good barn management includes tightening up the building envelope so the incoming airspeeds reach 800 to 1,000 feet per minute and mix with warmer ceiling air before tumbling to the floor.

See more here:
Microclimates are the key to wean-finish success - The Pig Site

A homeowner says her dream renovation turned into a "nightmare" when contractors claimed an "excessive" profit for "poor" standard work.

Joanne McDonough had hoped the work on her new Benwell house would transform it into the home she'd always hoped for.

Work was needed to update the bathroom and kitchen, and she wanted to spare no expense - for the "bespoke" fixtures and fittings she was imagining.

Instead, she says, she paid an eye-watering 28,906 for "poor design", "basic" fittings, and kitchen equipment which was discontinued by the manufacturer just months after it was installed in her home.

When a designer from Washington-based firm KitchensPlus visited her home, she says she was thrilled with the "beautiful" initial design she was shown, and agreed to pay 18,620 for the kitchen and 10,286 for the bathroom.

But Joanne claims what she had installed was "an absolute joke".

The company says it "tried extremely hard" to deal with Joanne's complaints but it was "not possible" to satisfy her.

A spokesperson said KitchensPlus was rated "outstanding" by customers on its website.

But Joanne, 45, said: "There's not a cupboard door that fits properly, there are gaps, spaces, nothing matches properly.

"There's dodgy tiling, there's a cheap fridge-freezer which was discontinued by the manufacturer after it was installed at my house, when they'd told me I was getting an 'American-style fridge-freezer' and it's nothing of the sort.

"There's a cheap, now-discontinued washing machine which doesn't even match.

"In a bespoke kitchen, is that what you expect? There's nothing bespoke about it.

"I've had nothing in my life, I've been a full-time carer all my life and I was given the money for this refurbishment by a friend as the gift of a lifetime. I will never again in my life have the opportunity to have a bespoke kitchen."

Joanne's complaints include a bathtub worth just 109.17, which she said does not fit the space well and is clearly not a "bespoke" option.

An independent report into the works, carried out by an expert commissioned by Newcastle City Council's Trading Standards department, noted the "very basic plastic panels" on the "very basic economy" bath were "poorly secured".

Overall, the report agreed aspects of the bathroom work, including the tiling, the ceiling and spotlight installation, were "in good condition" - despite a number of "problems" including "poorly, inadequately" installed shower doors and a toilet of a different make to the one listed on the costing sheet.

But the kitchen installation, the report said, was "of far lower standard/quality of work". Wall units were cobbled together from parts produced by different manufacturers and showed "notable, visible colour variations" with the plinths at the bottom of cupboards being described as "not fit for purpose".

Wall tiles were poorly applied at first and, after Joanne complained to the furniture ombudsman, were replaced but even after the second attempt the report still found "poor" tile application work.

The report said: "My examination of the bathroom and kitchen installations at this property identified that, overall, both are poorly designed and laid out particularly in regard to the fairly compact kitchen installation.

"In my opinion [the] level of profit reflects excessive amounts for work of this type particularly bearing in mind the very small overall size of the kitchen."

Joanne also paid just more than 4,000 for an attempted loft conversion, but she demanded this be ended and the room restored when she found out that the "death-trap-steep" stairs which had been installed required planning permission, which she had not been told about and which hadn't been sought.

She was refunded and given 1,000 compensation and the stairs were removed, but she says it was "an absolute disgrace" the way the room where the work took place had been left. KitchensPlus has pointed out this work was done by a subcontractor.

Joanne added: "I cry about this every night. It's been a nightmare.

"I wish they would just come out and look at it and admit what they've done.

"After 17 weeks of hell, I demanded to know what they had done with my money, where was my bespoke kitchen? I just want to know where my money has gone."

A spokesperson for KitchenPlus said: "We tried extremely hard to satisfy the customer and deal with her complaints but it was not possible to achieve an outcome which she considered to be satisfactory."

The spokesperson added the issue had been referred to the Furniture Ombudsman and the company had "complied with the relevant findings".

The company accused Joanne of being threatening towards staff "in contrast to the professional courtesy we extended to her".

Joanne denies being abusive or threatening, and says she has "always been courteous to every person who has been in my home" and said she had simply been upset and had demanded to know what had happened to her money.

The spokesperson added: "We are a professionally run and customer focused business.

"Many home improvement projects involve snagging issues for a variety of reasons. We are always happy to deal with issues reported by customers in accordance with the warranty in our detailed terms and conditions. We also have an official complaints policy."

He added: "We installed tiles for Joanne which she claimed to be delighted with initially, then rejected them.

"On a number of occasions we sent tradespeople to Joannes property to attend to work which had already been carried out and upon arrival they found that the work had since been undone.

"We tried to meet her expectations and did our best to perform our obligations in accordance with the contract."

More:
The 29,000 dream refurbishment which turned into a 'nightmare' for distraught Benwell homeowner - Chronicle Live

Luxurious, expensive and eco-friendly yacht Aqua

If you were the richest man in the world with environmental attitudes Greta Thunberg, what an expensive toy you bought yourself? The state of bill gates is estimated at $ 110 billion. Part of his wealth, the billionaire has decided to spend on expensive yacht Aqua at a cost of 644 million dollars. But this is not just a yacht, but a real luxurious Palace on the water, and it is absolutely environmentally friendly power plant running on hydrogen.

See also the story about how Turkey stole a luxury yacht to transport the illegal immigrants:

Superyacht, designed by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design and Lateral Naval Architects, includes an infinity pool with terraces, a gym, a helipad and a Spa. Other luxury features Windows from floor to ceiling Windows, massage room, yoga area and a huge circular staircase. Presented at the yacht show in Monaco the ship accommodates 14 guests, 31 members of the crew and has a range of Autonomous run 6,000 miles with a maximum speed of 17 knots.

Aqua Yacht Of Bill Gates

A distinctive feature of the yacht is the system with liquid hydrogen and fuel elements. Below decks there are two 28-ton vacuum sealed tanks which are cooled to -252 degrees Celsius and filled with liquid hydrogen, which is converted into electrical energy using fuel cells with proton exchange membrane (PEM). The only by-product of this installation is ordinary water vapor. The system provides power to two engines and propellers with a capacity of one megawatt.

Aqua Yacht Of Bill Gates

Despite the fact that the yacht is powered by environmentally friendly liquid hydrogen, the lack of hydrogen filling stations were forced to install additional backup diesel engine.

Aqua Yacht Of Bill Gates

Aqua is still in the construction phase and will be launched by 2024.

We will remind that earlier Ukrainian yacht were the leaders of the regatta PALERMO-MONTECARLO 19. In turn, the famous Spanish tennis player bought a luxury yacht for 5 million euros.

Natasha Kumar is a general assignment reporter at the Times Hub. She has covered sports, entertainment and many other beats in her journalism career, and has lived in Manhattan for more than 8 years. She studies in University of Calcutta. Natasha has appeared periodically on national television shows and has been published in (among others) Hindustan Times, Times of India

Read more here:
Bill gates bought the hydrogen superyacht for half a billion dollars - The Times Hub

Former Phones4U tycoon John Caudwell gives us a tour of his Mayfair mega mansion which he spent five years renovating at a cost of 65m.

Britain's most expensive home is located in London's wealthy neighbourhood of Mayfair and boasts a cinema, nightclub, spa and a river in the dining room.

The British billionaire owner is former Phones4U tycoon John Caudwell, who spent five years and 68m renovating what was initially two properties to create one staggering 110-room, 43,000 sq ft mega mansion that is now worth 250m.

Here is a tour inside the property which is bigger than Westminster Abbey following the recent Channel 4 documentary that documented the last year of the building project, Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire.

The finished property now includes one of the largest private ballrooms in London after Buckingham Palace, 20,000ft of gold leaf worth 28,000, furniture worth an estimated 6m including a 300,000 'tree of life' sculpture, and not to mention the swimming pool that has a volcanic lava installation.

Let's take a further look inside...

See the article here:
Inside Britain's most expensive home - a 250m mega mansion with an indoor river - OK! magazine

When Shellie Faris was going to Hastings College in the 1990s, one of her classes wanted to celebrate the end of the semester with a coffee shop.

There werent any coffee shops in Hastings at the time. Local artist Dave Stewart offered his gallery space at First Street and Denver Avenue for the classs celebration.

Stewart was accommodating, and ready and willing to play host.

Now, nearly 30 years later Faris, her husband, Tim, and their children: Abbie, Max and Monte are transforming the space at into a different gathering area.

Shellie is a general surgeon with Mary Lanning Healthcare providing medical services through Central Nebraska General Surgery.

Working with local contractors, the Faris family is renovating the upper level into living space for their family and the ground floor into a board game caf entrance comes with a small day fee.

Dave was excited because its still somewhere where people can go hang out, Shellie said.

Stewart gave them a jigsaw puzzle he completed depicting different board games.

Our family likes to play board games a lot and we already had quite a large collection of them, Abbie said. We thought we might as well share it with people.

The Faris family now keeps its stacks of board games in the coolers of what was once Phelps Liquors. No longer used to cool beer, the large glass standing containers with shelves make a perfect storage space.

They family found and enjoyed board game cafs in other cities.

We want to be able to contribute something neat to Hastings, Tim said.

They look at the board game caf as a space for teenagers to hang out.

They plan to offer a limited food menu, but also allow food in from other restaurants.

Were trying to do something that adds to downtown and doesnt take away from whats already there, Tim said.

The Faris family has been working with the Community Redevelopment Authority to meet guidelines for renovated downtown spaces.

Construction crews are restoring the faade to its original appearance with tall windows.

The Faris family members relish any connection to the buildings past lives.

They chuckle when they are asked about their timeline.

Were hoping some of us are living here by March, Shellie said.

They hope for the board game caf to be open by the summer.

Their house sold in October 2019, so they have been living with Shellies parents in Hastings since then.

The Faris children have been working nights and weekends, pulling plaster and nails.

My aunts and uncles and parents have all been over here painting and scraping, Shellie said.

Tim joked that his children have learned how much fun brick scrubbing is.

Renovating the space that is just feet from the BNSF Railway and has had many uses over the last 100-plus years, the Faris family and construction crews have uncovered a lot of history.

They pulled out a letter from the wall written in 1894 in Danish.

The space was once home to the Hastings Hotel and Restaurant. A construction crew member found an old railroad security badge.

Its fun finding neat, old things, Tim said.

As work progressed on the living space they found layers of brick missing in the wall that created pockets for scaffolding.

As we got the plaster off the walls we exposed those holes, Shellie said.

Construction crews exposed a big wall mural when taking down drywall.

While the Faris family looked at other downtown spaces before deciding on 601 W. First St., there was never any question what neighborhood they would locate their board game caf or their new home.

Being within walking distance to the movie theater, coffee shops and restaurants was just too enticing.

The whole downtowns being revitalized, which is pretty nice and its nice to have a pizza place down the street, Tim said.

Here is the original post:
A place to hang - Hastings Tribune

More overland flooding as seen in B.C. and other parts of Canada is a future reality and will pose risks to existing and future properties, infrastructure and community plans as climate change causes sea and river water levels to rise and increases precipitation and storm events.

Flooding is only going to intensify in coming years, said Veronica Owens, a presenter at this years Buildex Vancouver and project manager, sustainability and energy for WSP Vancouver, where she has managed multi-disciplinary climate resilience and adaptation projects with local municipalities.

Projected climate data for 50-80 years forward exists and sustains the threat of more flooding in areas at risk, she said. What is pretty critical to look at is how we are building today as these structures will be around for 75 years and be impacted directly by the future changes of climate change, she said.

While that data is available, she said, it is not something that contractors and developers are readily incorporating in their building design and plans. One of the shortfalls in the system, she said, is when looking at flood risk either through building codes or local municipal requirements, these are often based on past historical data which established the standards for how and where to build. These standards may fall short of future needs.

We know that historical data no longer applies. In the past we have had a stable climate there is instability in the climate now, she said, adding that scientific data collected based on emissions and weather changes realized are painting a new reality.

Owens said it is important that the construction and development industries look to this new projected data as it will impact all phases of construction from conception through to life of the building. It will also impact how municipalities view developments and their own infrastructure as well as the operational cost of buildings not designed to withstand the changes coming, insurance coverage, and the vulnerable or those people who must abandon their homes because of more and greater flooding.

Thats a good question, said Owens, when asked what level of government is responsible for ensuring that building standards reflect the coming impact of climate change. Owens said the provincial government maps flood plains and the municipalities provide construction standards, but the information provided may not be the most current.

It is this new projected data on flooding and its impact on the construction and development industries that Owens and associate Vincent Cormier will share at the Buildex session Resilience in the Built Environment and a Spotlight on Overland Flooding (W25) on Feb. 12 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Cormier is a lead hydro technical engineer for WSPs Power Group in Western Canada.

Currently, B.C. relies upon dykes along rivers and the coastal areas as a main line of defence for rising waters. Dykes can give a false sense of security, he said, as occurred in Quebec where a dyke breach led to major flooding.

Cormier said there are lessons to be learned from the Quebec City suburb Sainte-Marie which has been heavily hit by flooding both in 2014 and twice in 2019 causing 200 residents to be relocated and homes to be abandoned.

However, a factory did not want to relocate its warehouse in Sainte-Marie area. Cormier said the project now underway is building resilience into that warehouse to sustain future flooding and he will discuss some of the options in making structures more flood-resilient.

While Quebec, Alberta (2013 major flooding of the Bow River), Saskatchewan (2019 flash flooding) have all been hit by flooding, so have B.C. points such as Prince George, Grand Forks, Chilliwack, Osoyoos, Mission and Delta.

Owens said that knowing how climate change data will impact precipitation and water levels will also help municipalities in preparing their own infrastructure to deal with an emergency situation such as flash floods as well as plan their resources so that municipal staff can respond.

The session by Owens and Cormier will include structural and non-structural mitigation strategies and adaptive measures for high-risk developments as well as understanding when to retreat from an area.

See the article here:
Overland flooding is a reality of future construction - Daily Commercial News

City of Melbourne officials, including Lord MayorSally Capp, have formally referred the paintbombing incident in the iconic Hosier Lane to police, as investigations into just who was behind the incident and why it was committed ramp up.

Earlier, footage of the paintbombing emerged, showing a group of men wearing masks descending on the iconic street art mecca and almost completely covering it with paint; the group using fire extinguishers loaded with paint to spray across the laneways walls while a small film crew captured their efforts.

The incident was also filmed by bystanders at around 7:30pm on Saturday evening, and has since been shared across social media.

In a short media press conference earlier this afternoon, Mayor Capp asserted that the City had registered a complaint with Victoria Police, claiming that damage done to the laneways cobblestone pavements was significant.

On social media, Capp went further, calling the incident an act of vandalism, and stated that the act was not in keeping with the spirit of Hosier Lane.

This afternoon, police officers were spotted exiting Culture Kings, which is located in the laneway itself. Police officials also confirmed via statement that an official investigation was underway.

The statement confirmed that a criminal damage incident was being investigated, and urged anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

Its worth noting here that this isnt the first time something like this has taken place. In 2013 artistAdrian Doylepainted the entire Rutledge Lane, which connects to Hosier Lane, in blue paint, in a project that was not only spurred on by the corporately-funded Street-At-As-Advertisement phenomena which has again become a more prominent feature of Hosier Lane in recent years, but in a project that actually had City Of Melbourne backing.

The project was designed as a reset of the laneways art culture, was aimed at encouraging new artists to step up and fill the suddenly blank spaces, and even included painting ground-level surfaces, including pavement and cobblestones.

This most recent act in Hosier Lane, however, is a much more sinister, criminal. At least as far as City of Melbourne officials who, unlike the 2013 project, did not permit it are concerned.

Read more from the original source:
City Of Melbourne Officials Have Called The Cops On The Hosier Lane Paintbombing - Pedestrian TV

Auckland Council spends millions each year removing graffiti from across the region nearly four times what Wellington and Christchurch councils spend combined.

That war on graffiti has stifled creativity and left a bland, soulless city in its wake, a prominent street artist says.

Auckland Council pays contractors about $4 million a year to get rid of graffiti, according to figures supplied under the Official Information Act.

RYAN ANDERSON/STUFF

An Artifex piece on the Mercury Theatre building in central Auckland.

Wellington City Council spent $450,000 in 2018 and in Christchurch, where a vibrant street art culture is emerging, the council spent $800,000.

READ MORE:*Auckland street artist says he could face criminal charges over K' Rd mural*Auckland Council's $20m spend on graffiti removal comes under fire*In pictures: Auckland street artist AresArtifexbrightens up the city*Emerging Mangawhai artist Mark Graham transcends his tagging past*New Zealand street art gets a global platform

Until July 2019, Auckland Council employed controversial private investigators Thompson & Clark the private eye firm atthe centre of a State Services Commission inquiry into their work spying on anti-government protesters to catch graffiti vandals, but had no idea how many were prosecuted.

The totalcost of that contract to the ratepayerwas $600,000.

North Shore street artist Jesse Jensen, 34,known under theartist name ofAresArtifex, said the policy made it hard for street artists to find places to paint.

"Art is proven to be one of the most effective measures at improving mental health, our city and suburbs could be way more beautiful and full of street art improving the quality of lives of all Aucklanders," he said.

Auckland Council told Stuff it differentiates graffiti from street art through permission status; if permission has not been sought from the buildingowner, the council considers it to be graffiti.

"We mitigate the risk of this by ensuring our contractors have an updated 'do not remove' list. We work with our contractors to take a common-sense approach to removal," it said in a statement.

"If the item is a mural or a work that appears to havesome artistic merit but does not appear on the 'do not remove list', we will then check with the asset owner to see if permission has been granted to that artwork or not."

MURRAY WILSON/STUFF

Street art movement: In Palmerston North, ten international artists and 40 local youth are painting 20 large scale murals around the city this month. Auckland artist Charles Williams works on his mural on the FMG building on Jersey Lane.

But Jensen said that was not what happens in practice; contractors are paid per removal and he has seen plenty of examples where contractors deface or paint over perfectly fine art.

According to council figures, contractors remove at least 40 worksof illegal graffiti for every incident that is reported, a 100 per cent increase from the contracts awarded before 2019.

While the council does not have an anti-graffiti policy, it does use the2018 Quality of Life survey as a reference.

That found 41 per cent of Aucklandersperceived graffiti as a problem in their area and 35 per cent of Aucklanders highlighted vandalism as being a problem.

To address the street art movement, the council said it connectedartists with business associations and sponsors work across the city.

It has supported youth-led organisations with materials and expertise to bring their work to life, in places such asthe 312 Hub in Onehunga and The Corner.

But Jensen said what was happening at street level was much different.

SUPPLIED/JESSE JENSEN

A wall in New Lynn, Auckland painted by Jesse Jensen and fellow street artist.

It costs $570 to make an application to the counciland young artists can't afford that, particularly whenthe common response is "no", he said.

Jensen wants the council to open up alleyways, water tanks and the thousands of concrete areas around the city that could cultivate art and expression.

"In so many great cities around the world, Sydney, Brisbane, Berlin, London, the council encourages public space to be colourful and an expression of the community they get it," he said.

"Wellington, Christchurch, Whangarei, Tauranga, are doing it, but Auckland isn't there yet.

"We will get there, it will take a bit more time but I've got hope I don't think old ideas can stay around forever."

Go here to see the original:
Auckland Council spends $4m on graffiti removal, but is that how our streets should look? - Stuff.co.nz