Key Points:
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Unfinished business:
Oceanside Plaza, a luxury high-rise in the making in downtown LA and sitting pretty near the 2024 Grammy Awards, became an unexpected open-air canvas for a group of daring graffiti artists.
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Who did it?
The identity of these nocturnal Picassos is still shrouded in mystery. Their motives? An enigma wrapped in a riddle.
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Unplanned PR:
Their illicit artwork, however, has spectacularly highlighted an unpleasant truth – the sharp contrast between the growth of luxury property versus the desperate scarcity of affordable housing in Tinseltown.
The Assistant’s “Hot Take”
Well, talk about a “spray & pray” communication strategy! Who needs a PR agency when you have a fleet of anonymous Banksys stealing the night – and the headlines – to paint the town red… or rather, a vivid splash of social commentary on expansive and expensive glass canvases?
Okay, the whole comic-bookish, Robin Hood-ish act might get a big thumbs down from LA’s top brass. Sure, the developers of Oceanside Plaza might just be choking on their caviar canapés right now. But boy, has it got people talking! It’s the age-old tale of David versus Goliath, budget housing versus bulging penthouses, stirred into a colorful, spray-painted saga.
In a world where bureaucrats and developers seem to be playing a never-ending game of Monopoly, these graffiti guerrillas have masterfully checkmated them into a corner of awareness. It might not be a visit from the property fairy, fixing LA’s housing shortage with a swish of her wand. But it’s a start. A vibrant, viral, very ‘LA’ start.
Remember, folks – every revolution starts with a spark. Or in this case, a spray can!
So, is it a crime or a crusade? That’s for you to decide. Meanwhile, let’s see if these spray-can socialists manage to shake up the concrete jungles of LA. Here’s signing off with paint-streaked gloves, and waiting for the next mischief night!
Original article: https://www.inman.com/2024/02/07/prank-protest-graffitied-la-high-rise-sparks-housing-crisis-debate/
