Thursday 15 December 2011

New Orleans Billboard Art Project 2011



Following the link below for more of my images as shown at the New Orleans billboard art project 2011

Billboard Art Project 2011

New Orleans Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (1)

New Orleans Billboard Art Project Andy Mercer (5)

Andy Mercer's website

Saturday 22 October 2011

Friday 21 October 2011

Friday 30 September 2011

LED Billboards in the US display my Art

Anyone live in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and San Bernardino who can keep an eye out for my work displayed on digital roadside Billboards !

I'm trying to organise a vid and/or photo's !

"You will be in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and San Bernardino shows. We do not have the schedules for the shows set yet. New Orleans will be a four week affair and your work will be featured in a group in one of the four weeks and on the weekends. That show will be interspersed with advertising. Baton Rouge and San Bernardino will 24 hour shows and your work will appear 6 different times over the course of the 24 hrs. You can check the schedule on the web site for the dates and the times will be posted a couple of weeks before the shows go live."

Getting the exact details of times and dates is proving tricky.. I'm thinking if I can get shots of each location (I quite like the idea of someone stuck in a traffic jam snapping it through their car window).. even if its not my art shown in the photograph I can photoshop my image onto the billboard in the photo !

New Orleans, LA
Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 12 a.m. to Friday, November 18th at 11:59 p.m.
Four weeks of art interspersed among advertising
at Pontchartrain Expressway, east bound, just after South Claiborne Avenue. See map

Baton Rouge, LA
Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
24 hours of continuous art
at 8558 Goodwood Boulevard, at Tara Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. See map

San Bernardino, CA
Friday, December 2, 2011 from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
24 hours of continuous art

Anyone fancy a drive to these locations ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adaVTfAUvTY&feature=player_embedded
http://www.billboardartproject.com/

Andy Mercer's website

Friday 26 August 2011

Joke 74

Crime in multi-storey car parks. It's just plain wrong on so many different levels." Andy Mercer's website

Thursday 30 June 2011

Joke No 73

I've written a script for a film about an action hero who works in accounts.
The sequels going to be set in a different department.
This time it's personnel.

Andy Mercer's website

Monday 20 June 2011

Welsh politico's rip off my art.

I was recently made aware that my artwork was being used on a Welsh political commentary site called waleshome.org
with neither my consent or any accreditation.



The image was removed after I contacted Daran Hill, the writer of the article. But in recent emails to Daran Hill and copied to Duncan and Adam Higgitt. It was Duncan Higgitt who responded (even though in previous emails he has denied working for the site) he also refuses to accept that payment is due for the 15mths my image was used on the site prior to its removal. It says on the site that Daran Hill is the editor..

This I believe is the same Daran Hill who recently appeared on the main UK wide BBC evening news as a commentator on Welsh political affairs.
"..is a political commentator and also manages Wales’ fastest growing public affairs firm, Positif Politics, which he founded in 2006. After ten years in the profession, he is one of the most authoritative public affairs consultants in Wales, is well-connected across the political spectrum, and is a current Executive Member and former Chair of Public Affairs Cymru, a Trustee of the Bevan Foundation and a Fellow of Institute of Welsh Affairs. His experience and communications ability has been recognised in numerous media performances. In 1997 he was National Organiser of the successful “Yes for Wales” devolution campaign, which won the referendum that led to the establishment of the National Assembly."

"Duncan Higgitt is a former editor and journalist with, among others, the Western Mail. After serving with the British army, he worked his way up through local free sheets and weeklies before joining the Western Mail in 1997 as a district reporter covering Mid Wales. He went on to work as news editor and features editor for the paper. He is press and political officer for Bethan Jenkins AM."

I wonder what senior management at the BBC would think about their casual approach to intellectual property rights ? I've exchanged a few emails with several people associated with waleshome.org. You will notice if you have a look that quite a few prominent Welsh politicians and media types are regular contributors to the site. I've contacted several of these people over the last couple of weeks and they seem curiously reluctant to come out against the site. Does this indicate that the political establishment in Wales have a casual approach to intellectual property rights ?

The domain name is registered to Adam Higgitt who is identified as an editor of the site.
"..is the former Head of Policy for the Welsh Labour Party and author of the party’s 2003 manifesto. As a Special Adviser in the Northern Ireland Office, he was involved in negotiations to restore devolution and accelerate paramilitary decommissioning. He now works for Ofcom, and writes for WalesHome.org in a personal capacity. Adam is responsible for the Home Truths and Review columns."

I am amazed these people are happy to be contributors to a site that does not seem to think artists should be paid for the use of their work.

In his last email Duncan Hibbitt (the same Duncan Hibbitt who emailed claiming he didn't work for waleshome.org) told me it was their hobby site.

I think political commentary and punditary is their business and
waleshome is a vehicle for delivering this.
Looking at their CV's on the site they are hardly those of hobbists !

I requested the details of ownership, address etc to make my complaint official, they would not provide them. The information doesn't appear anywhere on the waleshome.org site, IMO this is a prerequisite for any legitimate organisation.

I really am quite appalled that people who place themselves in positions of authority seem to have such a cavalier attitude to intellectual property rights. Also politicians who associate themselves with an organization that believes they are immune to the law or that it does not apply to them must also become questionable as to how they will implement the law.

I'll leave you to be the judge as to whether I am ripping these "poor hobbists" off ? Am I demanding £2k.. or maybe £1k.. or even £500.. no I have sent them an invoice for £75.

The future of democracy, enterprise and the rule of law is clearly safe at waleshome.org !

Please feel free to pop over to waleshome.org and express your displeasure at their actions

Andy Mercer
Andy Mercer's website

To be continued and expanded..

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Diana Ross's daughter selects my work for review at Zatista



http://www.zatista.com/guest-curator/chudney-ross

I've never been one to miss a decent marketing opportunity so I was delighted to find out today that among the many thousands of works at Zatista Chudney Ross selected one of my works for review.

White City by Andy Mercer Digital on Paper, 13”h x 26”w, $288
A product of the big city, I am drawn to the urban landscape of this print. This is a city I want to jump into even with the chaos of the layering and busy texture of buildings. I love how the playfulness, the flower, and the sun lighten up the black and white scene to keep it whimsical and fun. - C.R.


Many thanks to Chudney for her excellent review..

Andy Mercer

Andy Mercer's website

Red Bubble

Red Bubble's decision to remove contentious material from the site has come too late. RB is "damaged goods" now for me.. many seem happy to just carry on but I won't be going back.

The whole point of Red Bubble for me was the community aspect.. so when dissenting voices within that community were summarily suspended and even removed then for me that conclusively demonstrates the people who control RB have little regard for that community and it is time to move on. This was the clincher for why I left.

Red Bubbles print options were always poor you wouldn't go there for quality prints. It was the community of artists that made Red Bubble.. this episode proves to me that Red Bubble thinks it is bigger than its artists. It all reminds me a little too much of art.com and the way they treated their artists.

I do draw a very real positive from this episode and it is that artists acting together can make a difference... and that the vast online artist community has the power to change things for the better. Artists acting together are powerful they can make or break a site. So for me when the same artists find another site with similar interactive capabilities they will make that site successful.. and RB will be history. Of course there might just be root and branch change at RB but in my experience this rarely works.. and when it does what's left of the original ethos is usually lost. I don't invest in any one organisation the right to host the premier online artists community in my view websites must gain and hold onto that right. As I see it RB lost that right so for me it is time to move on.

Good luck to my friends who stay.. I don't have any problem with your decision.
Keep in touch.

I wish I had the cash and contacts to develop a rival site on similar lines.. any takers ?

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Why I've left Red Bubble..

I thought my friends deserved a bit more detail on why I have removed my work from Red Bubble.

I've not been involved in any discussion about this at RB before finding about this I had no prior grudge against the site. I hosted two groups and have been there since June 2008 without major problems. I like to think my input at RB has been 100% constructive. My political views are pretty much in the centre.

I've left RB because I am unhappy (and can't afford) to be associated even indirectly with the material in question and after discussing it with several artists I decided to remove my art. I have relatives who fought and suffered as POW's in WW2 and feel anything less would be disrespectful to their memory. I know several artists who have pulled out in the last few days and also prior to that... I wouldn't class any of them as trouble makers and don't even think they are active participants in the RB forum debate. They just saw what was happening and like me didn't agree with it.

Whatever the original context of these works for me this matter has moved beyond that. when I see a T shirt saying "Back to the Fuhrer" the joke if there ever was one is lost on me.
If its a joke then it's in very poor taste.. if its not a joke then the message is pretty clear. If this is a strictly commercial decision by RB i.e. because these shirts are selling well, then for me its the wrong decision. And there is worse than that..

I doubt very much that Neo Nazi's considering buying this material will be put off that it's supposed to be a parody. The wider impression being created because few will check the original context and why should they.. is that RB is protecting the producers of Neo Nazi imagery while suspending or canceling the accounts of those who object. At best it appears to trivialize the holocaust, and for that reason alone I am unhappy with it. The damage being caused to RB international reputation is increasing exponentially. I've picked up reports on this on several business news sites and it seems to me only a matter of time before the main stream media picks this up.

If these images are simply kids and a generational thing.. then its time to explain that they have created a monster with a life of its own. If as has been suggested the creators motives are not sinister I appeal to them to prove it by ending this now. I've not checked them out.. I'm not interested.

My original thinking was to sit tight and hope for a change in policy.. but I increasingly felt that lack of action on my part was interpreted as tacit support for RB's current policy on this. If my mail box is anything to go by then this issue is creating a lot of unease amongst RB's core supporters.

I'm not interested in discussing it further as I've made my decision but just felt I should explain my reasoning further. I am already missing all my friends and supporters at RB. I'm not at all certain where I will find another vibrant artist community like it. I do hope if you read this you will keep in touch.

I hate censorship and have always defended RB's open approach against criticism but I simply can't support them on this.

In the end I am interested in promoting my art to a wide audience in a professional way, and I want my work on sites with compatible professional and artistic aims. In the final analysis if a site allows dubious content I can't afford to be associated with that site, its as simple as that.

I take no pleasure in making this decision at all.
I'm not going to post endlessly about it, I've made my decision and now I'm moving on to try and find another vibrant online artist community. I do hope my RB friends if you read this that you will keep in touch.

For now I'm building up my presence at Blue Canvas.. the community is small but I am impressed by the professionalism of the BC organisation. I don't know whether it is the answer but I'm giving it a go. Facebook for all its issues is a vibrant meeting place for artists.. and many friends already have a presence there.

I think what RB have lost site of is that it was artists pointing their links at RB that made the site expand massively. At the moment these same artists are leaving in droves.. and taking their links down. RB was primarily a vibrant artist community and it would seem RB have forgotten that.



Andy Mercer
http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk

Monday 4 April 2011

AV : Why every Brit should VOTE YES

I hoping that enough folks who really feel strongly on this issue will get out and vote "Yes" and the rest just stay at home.

This is the first and maybe the only chance in my lifetime to change the voting system.. no its not perfect but its certainly for better.. get out and vote YES !

Why should anyone ever be elected to represent an area on 30% approx of the vote ?
AV guarantees the winner must reach 50% i.e. a majority of the votes in any constituency.

This is one of the few times you will hear me say this "I agree with Ed Milliband"

For the undecided "what's wrong with the current system ?"

a) Not much more than 30% vote for any government.. which means 70% didn't vote for them. We get a minority government every time making policies that suit their narrow minority whether they be socialists or Tories at the expense of the majority.

Effectively under our current system.. a few marginals constituencies decide the outcome and a few swing votes in each marginal constituency make the difference. You can effectively say if there are 100 marginals seats and 5k-10k voters voting one way or another decide who wins.. this means that 500k to 1 million votes decide the result of the election. Everyone else's votes mean diddly squat.. so the politicians know if they target these key constituencies with sweeteners they can win the election.

The NO campaign are fighting a dirty campaign which I think speaks volumes.. they want it to be a referendum on Nick Clegg. Clegg eats babies..

But this is not about about Nick Clegg or Cameron.. its about a once in a lifetime chance to change the voting system for the better. Don't be fooled.. vote NO and the system will still be crap when Clegg and Cameron are pushing up daisies.


VOTE YES ON MAY 5TH !


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Friday 4 February 2011

Available in a store near you on Feb 11th !

Yes.. my work will be available at Dwell.co.uk

Dwell is a bit like Habitat's competitive younger brother.. they sell online, through catalogues and have plenty of stores in the UK. So I hope all my Lancashire chums will be queuing through the night to be first to buy in Manchester on Feb 11th. Don't tell anyone but "signed" versions available from me.

The first person to post a photo of themselves in store standing next to this print, will get 10 points. And you know what points mean..

I know.. I know.. the "quality" of their photograph is absolutely terrible. I'm busting a gut to get it improved. My dear wife will not be parted from the sample provided now hanging in our Lounge... you just wouldn't believe how different from this it is.

P.S. My work will also be available in Habitat this spring..

Note : Sadly as yet my work is only available in store near you if you live in the DisUnited Kingdom.


My Red Bubble - Art Prints

Thursday 27 January 2011

Bloody Petrol Prices

Got this as an email today.. I thought it makes sense to be honest to hit the biggest in the pockets where it hurts. If nothing else it will feel good just hitting back..

So if they reduce their prices should we all start buying again.. it seems a bit confused on this point, if not then what incentive is there to reduce their prices ?

But isn't it our government who makes most from the price of fuel anyway ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please see what you think and pass it on if you agree with it.

We are hitting £1.30 a litre in some areas now and soon we will be faced with paying £1.50 per litre. So Philip Hollsworth offered this good idea:

This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the 'don't buy petrol on a certain day campaign' that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to hurt ourselves by refusing to buy petrol. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work.

Please read it and join in!

Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a litre is CHEAP, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS - not sellers control the market place. With the price of petrol going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of petrol come down is if we hit someone in the pocket by not purchasing their petrol! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. Here's the idea:

For the rest of this year DON'T purchase ANY petrol from the two biggest oil companies (which now are one) i.e. ESSO and BP.


If they are not selling any petrol, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact we need to reach literally millions of Esso and BP petrol buyers. It's really simple to do!!

Now, don't wimp out on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!

I am sending this note to a lot of people. If all of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)....and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on. By the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it.....

THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all YOU have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all (and not buy at ESSO/BP). How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.

PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES It's easy to make this happen. Just forward this email, and buy your petrol at Shell,Asda,Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Jet etc. i.e. Boycott BP and Esso

Sunday 23 January 2011

Facebook

I quite often send invites to "Friends" from my personal FB page over to follow my ART FB PAGE.

Today I discovered that many people who previously have been following my PAGE have without warning been disconnected. I believe these people are those who originally became FANS of my PAGE before they switched to "LIKE". These people have been FANS since I started using Facebook i.e. a few years ago... and include family members. I noticed a while ago that visitors numbers and responses had dropped for no apparent reason, now I know why. So anyone who has a BUSINESS PAGE might want to check this.
I would suggest you invite FRIENDS from your BUSINESS PAGE and see if the same has happened to you.

It really seems with the ongoing changes to Facebook.. the horrible new personal profile page, LIKE instead of FAN (Whats that all about ?) and now disconnecting folks who have already opted to follow my ART PAGE that the current management of Facebook are doing a really excellent job off putting off their users.

I'd like to invite you to head over to LinkedIn and connect with me (Andy Mercer) because the way things are going I'm not sure I will be active on Facebook much longer.

Regards

Andy Mercer

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Monday 10 January 2011

Habitat

This work will be available in Habitat in Spring 2011 !

Designer Terence Conran founded his iconic Habitat store in London in 1964, to market his Summa range of furniture. The first Habitat store was opened in Fulham Road in Chelsea. This store became the Habitat template, with its quarry tiled floor, whitewashed brick walls, white-painted wooden-slatted ceilings and spotlights creating a feeling of space and focusing attention on the product.[3]

In October 2009, Habitat employed 1,574 people and operated in 71 stores: 35 in the UK, 26 in France, five in Spain and five in Germany.

In addition, the company operates stores or concessions in Belgium, Iceland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey and Scandinavia.



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Saturday 1 January 2011

QR Codes

Testing.. testing..



As you probably already know I'm into random bits of printed material. I've been reading about these QR Codes. I've no idea if this will work but pointing your mobile phone camera at this image should direct you to my website ?

Not sure if you will need a app ?

Can you let me know if it works for you ?



Happy New Year..


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