glawrie writes "UK Graffiti artist 'Moose' thought he had come up with
a perfect socially friendly approach to his art - to trade paints for
cleaning fluid. An article in the UK's Independent Newspaper describes
how he has created graffiti by taking '... any dirty inner-city wall or
pavement, place a template over it, and scrub the concrete clean,
revealing an image as sharp as any spray paint which fades with time.'
Moose was commissioned by a subsidiary of drinks manufacturer
to create some 'clean' graffiti in Leeds to promote their vodka brand
Smirnoff to local students. However, this work was subsequently
condemned by Gerry Harper, a Leeds councillor, as 'sheer vandalism'.
With wonderful irony, the council demanded that the artist 'clean-up'
the graffiti that appeared in one of the city's gloomiest underpasses.
Maybe all those senseless vandals out there will now think twice in
future before scrawling 'Clean Me' on the back of vehicles overdue for
a wash... But perhaps the state is now going too far - surely it is
only a matter of time before rainfall is similarly targetted by the
good guys."