Redemptive Art

I’ve always been a fan of altered art.

Art that gives an old object new life.
A chance to be reborn with a little gusto.

This is my wish for most everything in life.
Redemption.
Vitality.

And on a less philosophical note, altered art is just plain clever.

Take Dran, for example.
I was first exposed to his work during a trip to France.

Dran does street art. With killer installations.
The kind of stuff that makes Londoners stand in lines in the snow.
(This is big for those of you who know and love Londoners like I do.)

One example? He lets the words printed on discarded cardboard packaging inspire him to create pics like the one above–each of which tells a clear story from a particular point of view.
Each of which, I think, says something about the way the world should or shouldn’t be.
It’s a lot of message to be packed onto the side of, say, a cigarette box.

But that’s what redemptive art is.
It’s creating something powerful and compelling over the ordinary.

Which of course is how Dran lures me in.

Even if you don’t get to lay eyes on his stuff in person, Dran does a pretty good job of capturing his personality on his interactive flash website where you can explore the inside of one of his trademark cardboard boxes (just click on the hole and you’re in).

There’s even soulsy music in the background.

If you keep the right perspective, you can have a little church moment while you’re there. Redemption is near. =)