Walls are finite, but the sky? Infinite possibilities. Perhaps that is what Saber, a well- known Los Angeles graffiti artist was thinking when he “launched” his latest project Monday above Los Angeles City Hall.
The artist, best known for his mural on the banks of the Los Angeles River, is using skywriting to protest the city of Los Angeles’ moratorium on street murals.
Among the messages that could be seen above downtown Los Angeles Monday, “End Mural Moratorium” and “Art is Not a Crime”
For those who missed his messages in the sky, Saber is spreading his message through his twitter account and his blog.
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“The reason I hired five jet planes to sky write over City Hall and downtown Los Angeles is to bring awareness to how ridiculous a moratorium on public art is,” Saber wrote in a statement on his blog.
“In a city that used to proudly call itself the ‘Mural Capitol Of The World,’ the officials who enforce this ban should be ashamed to call themselves ‘Angelinos.’”
Los Angeles municipal code defines murals as signs and many artists, including Saber believe the permitting process constitutes an effective ban on this art.
UPDATE: Story originally posted on Monday, September 19. Updated on Tuesday, September 20 from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office:
"Since the Mayor is out of town, he did not see the skywriting [Monday]. However, the Mayor is a supporter of public murals but the issue has been locked in a larger set of discussions that are working their way through City Council."
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