Posts Tagged "ghost"

Ghostbikes are memorials for fallen bicyclists; somber reminders of bicyclists killed or hit.  Back home there are far too many ghost bikes in our cities and it’s unfortunate that most of us are familiar with this cultural phenomenon.  I haven’t seen any since moving to NC so I thought I’d share…

photo credit: jahat

For the most part, cities will leave these bikes forever, out of respect for the passed rider.  It’s gestures like this from folks you don’t expect it from that make it possible to maintain my sanity.  It’s like when every jerk driver on the road that would cut you off and give you the finger in a second pulls to aside let a funeral procession pass.  For me, these are big reaffirming moments that keep me sane.

photo credit: bikeportland.org

You can learn more about ghost bikes at www.ghostbikes.org; and you really should!

photo credit: thismeiks

SIDE NOTE:  This is old news but for anyone who didn’t hear about it at the time, the above bike was part of a 2008 DKNY guerilla marketing campaign in which they were promoting general bike riding, supposedly by placing these orange bikes all over cities nationwide.  A pretty disgusting appropriation of a cultural symbol by a big company.  Whether it was deliberate use of the ghostbike symbol or just a lack of research, it’s offensive.  Either in stupidity or arrogance.  You’re whack, Donna Karen.

Ghostshrimp is a guy named Dan.  Dan is from my homeland, New Hampshire.  In the past, I avoided Dan at parties and avoided his illustrations because of an overwhelmingly large and present community of hipsters that jock his style relentlessly.  Tired of hearing about how so many people “knew Ghostshrimp” (not liked his art, just knew him), I subconsciously boycotted homie’s work for the past few years.

I don’t live in NH anymore.  I live in NC.  And no one here talks about anything from NH.  Hell, no one anywhere outside of New England talks about NH.  So here’s some work from Ghostshrimp.  It’s a lot easier to like when you don’t draw an immediate association between it and nerds at house parties.  The relevance of this backstory?  There isn’t any, I guess.  Look at the illustrations.

Unwavering style is my new favorite thing.  I feel like 75% of the artists portfolios that I look at have two or three disciplines and only one is good.  So, hat’s off Ghostshrimp for doing everything you can with a single aesthetic.  I like it.

If associating Ghostshrimp with me and this obnoxious post hasn’t turned you off, you can see more (a lot more) of his work (and buy some stuff) at his site.  Do it!