Technology and the internet can make everything last forever. Artists on the streets have (ab)used this fact to great effect. Pre-internet, generally their work might reach passer bys for a week before being painted over or "buffed" by authorities.
On the internet however, pictures of their work can stay online for as long as they want them to be available to a worldwide audience. And it seems for the authorities in particular, its slightly trickier to paint over something on the internet.
Blogs like Wooster Collective have dedicated themselves to promoting such art, and have gained huge followings from all over the world. On their site, pieces like Joshua Allen Harri's Air Bear (below), a cleverly placed plastic bag that inflates into a bear as air from the subway rushes through it, last forever.
This has totally changed the incentive and nature of street art and graffiti. Artists no longer have to find prominent but dangerous places to paint in order for their work to be seen. All they need now is photographic evidence of their work. I think this has spurred the Street Art movement, and produced some astonishing results.
Banksy (who also did that cheeky take on getting buffed above) has gained worldwide notoriety and his feature film Exit Through the Gift Shop has been nominated for an Oscar.
Get out there. Leave your mark, and the internet let's you live forever.
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