JR - Street Artist/TED Talk

While on Hulu today, I came across a talk by JR, a street artist from France. Feel free to check out those links to get a low down on JR, who's doing some really potent work around the world. I really appreciate how insistent he is on his acts/art creating a connection between people on a very everyday level.

A really nice example of this was in Brazil where he posted prints of women who had been raped/killed by militant groups, in an area frequented by violence. When members of these groups confronted JR and his crew about their activity and the cameras they were using, he explained that their desire was not to show others the violence of what was happening - much like journalists/members of the media that would usually come through. Instead he was looking simply to highlight those who lived in the area, and the depth with which their lives held. They were not stopped from putting up their prints or taking pictures/video.

For a broad overview of JR's career, check out good ol' Wikipedia.