Your Art + My Art = Our Art?
I love nothing more than roaming the back streets in search of hidden master pieces. Melbourne’s streets and laneways house a plethora of street art at every turn. So what happens when some one like me snaps some one else’s art. Can you capture someone else’s art and pass it off as your own? It’s certainly an interperation of how I viewed the art. It’s in the public eye, so therefore many would call it free game. The photographers at most weekend markets don’t seem to have a problem selling copies on a Sunday afternoon.
A moral dilema nags me when it comes to selling such images on red bubble. But I some how feel that it may all be in vein…. I will happily snap a building that someone designed and created – so how is that not the same thing?
Pilgrim
It would be more of a moral dilemma if you simply copied the art. But if you transform it (as you do) through the lighting, situation, context, then not sure you aren’t simply respecting it and building on it. All art is ultimately like this. It isnt produced in a vaccuum. Where it worries me is when artists are dishonest about their sources and the context of their art.
gaylehebbard
I think you should be checking the Copyright Laws for Artists. You might change your mind about what is fair game. People with opinions like yours are a worry to other people who create genuine original art.
Adrian Rachele
I can see how a ‘piece’ of street art are displayed for the public for free, so making money from this could seem to be morally wrong. I’m sure it happens all the time.
I can see your concern Gayle, which we all have with regards to Copyright. I think what Jay has brought up is a little different.
There is a whole street art culture where people are constantly snapping ‘pieces’ and placing them on websites to share with the world and people with similar interests. Time and place is usually installed with the picture. A picture of street art also captures it forever, giving it life long after the council has sent the graffiti removal van out.
If you like Jay, i would post the location and date on the picture you have taken. Maybe add the text in Photoshop and give it some style. Therefore as Pilgrim has mentioned, you are attributing the ‘piece’ to someone else, and the picture as your own.
I don’t know what the laws are in regards to this subject, but I do know people in the street art scene. The more exposure they get the happier they seem to be. As long as you’re not a corporate giant using their piece to rule the world, then i think they might be ok with it.
Morally though, it’s all down to how you feel about it.
gaylehebbard
I guess street art is a little different from photographing say a painting on a wall, or a statue in situe, then claiming it as your own. I believe that the artist who created the art retains the copyright or the object (unless they sell it separately), and the photograoher owns the copyright of the photograph, which is acknowledged as a photograph of someone else’s art object.
Check Chopyright. There is heaps written about it. Or you can to to a copyright lawyer. They are around too you know, but it will cost you.
It can also cost you if you photograph someone else’s art and attribite it to yourself, and are caugut. You could be sued.
Jaye Loring
Sorry Gayle, I didn’t mean for it to sound like I would somehow say that I produced the art work – I would merely be taking credit for the photo. My point was more directed at when the photograph is taken can I call the photograph my art and rightly sell it?
Personally I feel an ethical dilema, which is why I haven’t made any of these works available on red bubble.
I agree Adrian, many artists that I have come across welcome the exposure. Most (if not all) of the shots I have uploaded to flickr state where they were found. In some cases Satta has commented to say who the artist was. Often you have no idea who produced these works, unless someone in the know points it out to you. So this is a welcomed piece of advise!
Thanks for the input guys – has been interesting to get some differing points of view. Cheers Jaye
gaylehebbard
No need to apologise Jayejaye. I was being a bit hasty in my reply. I guess having had one of my images (an image of one of my original paintings) used by someone on Flickr without asking , or acknowledging my original work (it was in her photostream as if it were here own work – the only change being that she added a cutout picture of herself walking along the path). People were commenting and complimenting her for the work. I found out accidentally, and was very offended.
Sorry if I was too hasty in my reply.