Having just come off the very groovy 40th anniversaries of the release of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the onset of the "Summer of Love" (commemorated by the Whitney Museum's Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era installation and a special exhibit at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), as well my parents' 40th wedding anniversary (although the only flower power at the original event was my mom's lily of the valley bouquet) -- I was looking forward to a flower-free autumn, sans psychedelia.
Album Cover Image from Amazon.com
Promotional Image, Bob Dylan, from Whitney.org
And then I spied it during New York fashion week pulling up outside the Narciso Rodriguez show: A yellow New York City taxicab made even brighter by the large, electric-hued flowers painted on the hood and trunk. My first reaction: Fashion Week stunt.
Weeks passed, and I saw more and more and more of these cabs. Despite having OD'd on flower power, I became obsessed.
Perhaps the taxi art was a continuation of the Summer of Love celebration? I can see it now: The Fall of Love!...hmmm, or perhaps not.
Then I went to see Across the Universe, the deliciously visual and visceral musical based primarily on Beatles songs and lyrics, through which Director Julie Taymor recasts the turmoil and loss of innocence associated with the late 60s. Ha! I figured it out. I wanted to congratulate someone in Hollywood for their brilliant guerilla marketing strategy -- all those groovy cabs surfacing just before the
movie release...clever. (Check out the trailer!)
So, just to prove myself correct, I did some research. Oops. Apparently I was having my own idealistic hallucinations. Turns out these bouquet cabs are part of a project called Garden in Transit. According to Gothamist:
"It's a mobile public art project to help 'celebrate the 100th anniversary of New York's first traditional metered taxicab.' The decals were painted by 23,000 children and adults from organizations around New York City. Portraits of Hope, the organization behind Garden in Transit, was started as a creative therapy program for seriously ill and physically disabled children, but has expanded to include children and adults that participate through various organizations like schools and hospitals. The organization reports that 90% of participants in Garden in Transit are from NYC public schools, hospitals and youth programs."
Well, I happen to think the Garden In Transit taxis are FABULOUS. I
love the pop art quality mixed with the urban street art vibe. Plus the
cartoonish style reminds me of Takashi Murakami's technicolor artwork. Even
better, this stylish project is quirky (one of StyleSpy's highest compliments) and well-intentioned.
Takashi Murakami keychain image from Kidrobot.com
POWER TO THE FLOWERS!
*CULTURE NOTE: There will be a Takashi Murakami exhibit at the Museum
of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, October 29, 2007
through February 11, 2008.
*RISK-TAKER NOTE: All taxi images were taken while I was riding on the back of a Vespa. Yup. StyleSpy lives on the edge.
