Composite photo of Richard Ankrom in action. (Photo Credit: Jim Payne)
In 2001, artist Richard Ankrom had so much trouble navigating a particularly confusing stretch of L.A. freeway that he decided to make his own freeway signs and hang 'em up as performance art!
Richard Ankrom, 46, an artist in Los Angeles, Calif., planned his latest masterpiece, a combination paint and performance work, for two years: he altered a major road sign on the Harbor Freeway in downtown. He put up his work in broad daylight, but was unnoticed because he was dressed as a road worker. The audience: 150,000 motorists per day. The payoff: no one noticed, not even state transportation engineers. The plan was to announce the project a year later, but a friend tipped off the press after 9 months. The modification, done to exact Federal Highway Administration specifications, helps motorists navigate a complicated transition ahead. "The experts are saying that Mr. Ankrom did a fantastic job," said a Caltrans spokeswoman. "They thought it was an internal job." The agency plans to leave the modification in place, since it is in fact helpful to motorists. Ankrom says helping out motorists "was the whole point."
Comments (3)
Ankrom signed the back of his sign - when it does come down, I hope the city does something cool with it. It would be a shame if they just tossed it.
Have you guys seen the "American Dad" episode on this topic? Stan Smith knows the true meaning of Christmas.
In other news, my cousin (who is a teacher at an elementary school) had to get rid of their Christmas-specific decorations (Santa.. a tree.. of course the nativity scenes.. etc.) and they couldn't even celebrate Christmas festivities. They had "Holiday Week."
As a true atheist, I do not feel offended in the slightest by Christmas celebrations. Because rather than viewing it as a holiday centered on the birth of Christ, I celebrate family and the wholesome feeling of giving. I don't know why the hell everybody is freaking out about this. Non-Christians will celebrate the way that they want to, ragardless of whether they are offended by JC Penny's Christmas display or not. Are non-Christians REALLY offended? or are advertisers and the rest of the media trying to make worse that which is political correctness? What the hell is with political correctness when EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY! It is IMPOSSIBLE to be completely correct in every instance. If we can't be correct in all aspects, why strive to be correct at all?
It *urks* me to no end when times of love, gathering, and kindness is overshadowed by the dick-licks that feel that the true origins are offensive. The origin of Christmas was to celebrate Jesus' birth; to bring family together that ONE TIME during the year and share gifts and tasty food; to remember past Christmases when Uncle Frank was still an alcoholic and decided to piss on the lawn ornaments. What happened to that? Why should we change how we celebrate Christmas NOW when the holiday itself hasn't changed? Go out! Celebrate Christmas! Eat cookies until you vomit! Have fun and be joyous. Or you can do like my Grandmother does (I call her MiMi) and have a vanilla/chocolate split cake with coconut shavings and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Whatever. Just celebrate and be Merry.
I just ignore all the happy hoopla that goes on around me. Just like most Americans ignore Passover when I am celebrating that holiday.
Skin has gotten alot thinner on folks these day. That's the Evolution that's happening today.
(It takes a Village!)
Worst Bizarro evar.
Unless Santa really did tell Mrs. Frosty she was going to have a baby reindeer named Rudolph under a pine tree. And Geoffery the Giraffe, Mario and Master Chief came to visit little Rudolph, guided by his bright nose.
i'm an atheist; we don't care about getting rid of christmas. you guys do a pretty damn good job of secularizing it on your own anyway.
"Political correctness gone mad!" is usually said by people who wan't to be able to be free to call black people n*gger.
There have never been any Wintervals, nor any instance of councils in PC areas having all the bin liners blue to remove the racial negative conotations of a BLACK bin liner.
Nor the EU saying bananas have to be straight.
It is all just hokum spun by the right wing.
A carefully manicured charade to alow the white wealthy west to feel put upon.
I'm 30 and the last Christmas play I was in (in primary school) was "Jack and the Beanstalk". Nothing religious there and I went to a church school. I believe I played a horse but I forget now. Besides, if people really want to keep Christmas traditional, shouldn't we be celebrating the Pagan holiday that it subsumed?
But please people, unless you want to sound like the Daily Hate stop using the phrase "Political Correctness Gone Mad" in cold blood.
BTW, I would just like to correct reid and anyone else who thinks Coca-cola is behind our image of Santa. He has been drawn that way since at least 1863. Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp
And the Daily Mail bang out the same story about it every year, about how the multi-cultural PC lefties are ruining Christmas for right-minded bigots everywhere.