Hacking the Hilton...

So if you haven't heard already, the U.K. grafitti/pop artist Banksy has managed to pull off a well-aimed social critique on the Superficiality Superstar herself.

First, Banksy. Check the following images - his stuff is very conscious/informed by social critique, which works really well with the medium of graf and guerilla/underground art. As much as I believe graffiti is an art form, and true 'nuff - it is, it also plays an important political role, as we've seen in the past in places on the verge of political upheaval - Cuba, Northern Ireland, South America, West/East Germany etc., and still see today. So he's actively driving that dialogue forward in the U.K., and his work is pretty kickass:





Now, the Paris hack. So he buys a copy of her stellar debut album, then scans and alters the insert + photos in a derisive way. He burns his own track - remixing quotes of her making inane comments over beats. Then he prints 500 copies of the whole package, and sneaks it into 40+ record stores across England. People buy it unknowingly, the social commentary goes viral, and collective human intelligence breathes a sigh of relief.

As a technophile, and pop culture lover, stories like this interest me greatly. While it's true that Paris Hilton represents a low point in mainstream culture - perhaps not possible 30 years ago, it's also true that this kind of act wouldn't have been possible 30 years ago either, before mass production and distribution of equipment like Photoshop/scanners etc. So we get shallower and less skilled on one hand, but smarter and more equipped on the other.

Anyways, enjoy the images:









Or watch Banksy through the whole process here on YouTube.