Art Redefining Tokyo

Talk about some unconventional street art! There is this area in Tokyo that is known to have an uncontrollable rat infestation. This group of artists known as "Chim Pom" caught some, took them to a taxidermist, and made them into little Pikachus!!! Ha, imagine passing this while you walk down the street? They even got the lightning bolt tail!
I think this is such a cool example of how art can kind of turn a negative into something productive and positive. Just so cool.

This is from the series of videos called Tokyo Rising, where Pharrell (yeah, the rapper/producer one) gets to frolic around Japan in his Palladium boots doing a sort of documentary about the aftermath of the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami that killed 20,000 people.
(Okay no frolicking, I'm just a little put-off with the majorly blatant Palladium brand placement in these videos. But hey they are contributing to the cause so I really shouldn't be so uptight about this minor detail. And I'm actually in love with Pharrell and his kick - ass  boots).
Anyway I think it is so interesting how art and culture are being revolutionized as a result of this devastation.
! People are protesting to the government's dishonesty about safety concerning all the radiation. And apparently protesting in Japanese culture is a novel thing. One interviewees says, "Making your opinions known to the public is scary. It's like standing stark naked in public".
! People are questioning their safety after being rudely awakened from their economic success driven slumber.
! People are embracing their own culture in a new way.
And Ellie, one of the artists in Chim Pom, says something really interesting about how as artists, it is their duty to create something out of all this to show how they view these times. When you look at art through this kind of lens, it becomes so much more understandable the way Anthropologists talk about material culture. Because that is exactly what artists are creating-- material culture. They are making objects that describe a people's perspective, context, and lifestyle. They are communicating to others around the world and to future generations what all of this means to them.

Take a look at all the videos. They are really aesthetically awesome. And really informative and interesting too. I did not know half the info I now know about 3/11. Because like all important international news... American's probably don't know crap about it. :/