Urban Prankster » solo

Terrestrial Shrub Rover

Alex Scordelis — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:38:30 +0000

Although it was created as an art project, Justin Shull’s hilarious Terrestrial Shrub Rover has unlimited pranking potential. Shull, a Houston, Texas-based artist, was inspired to create the mobile hedge thanks in part to future space travel. Shull writes on his website:

In the spirit of NASA and its forthcoming 2020 lunar expeditions in preparation for colonizing the moon, the Terrestrial Shrub Rover presents the opportunity to explore terrestrial and social environments back on Earth from within a manned, foliage bedecked, solar electric powered rover.

Whatever the inspiration, we hope that Shull will come around to use the Terrestrial Shrub Rover for pranking purposes in the near future. With his high-tech shrub-on-wheels, Shull could put pranksters like San Francisco’s “World Famous Bushman” to shame.

Parisian Swing Sets

Alex Scordelis — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:50:12 +0000

French artist Jerome G. Demuth is turning the streets of Paris into a playground by installing swings around town. Demuth (who also goes by simply “G”) calls the installation, Swing the City.

Paris’s SwinGs from Jerome G. Demuth on Vimeo.

via Wooster Collective

Park(ing) Day 2009
Hobo Living Room
Crosswalk Dominoes

Miranda July’s Eleven Heavy Things

Alex Scordelis — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:04:55 +0000

Miranda July, the performance artist/writer/actress/director best known for her film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, has installed her public art piece Eleven Heavy Things in New York’s Union Square Park. The sculptures, which debuted at the 2009 Venice Biennale, are designed to create photo-ops for passersby who choose to interact with the art.

Adding a Park to an Empty Lot
Park(ing) Day 2009

How To Video: Something on Top of Your Car!

Charlie Todd — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:11:02 +0000

Our pal Rob Cockerham put together this how-to video showing you how you can use magnets to firmly attach things to the top of your car. The how-to portion begins around the 2:00 mark.

New Video of the NYSAT

Sean Hannity is a Douche

Charlie Todd — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:07:20 +0000

For this clever prank, the prankster only had to move one item from the store to a more appropriate section.

via Reddit

Missile Balloons

Charlie Todd — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:28:22 +0000

Probably not a good idea, but very funny.

Shopdropping Fake Products

Charlie Todd — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:18:19 +0000

New York’s TrustoCorp recently did a bit of shopdropping in local delis and grocery stores. That Bulemia bar sure looks yummy! Check out more of their product alterations.

In other news, here’s a shopdropping project in Colorado that was investigated by federal agents:

Update to the story – the artist was charged with 2 years probation and fined $1,000.

Improv Everywhere’s Grocery Store Musical
Fake Roadkill

Shark Toss

Alex Scordelis — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:39:34 +0000

Most hockey fans are familiar with a bizarre Detroit Red Wings tradition where fans of the team hurl octopus onto the ice after the Wings score a goal (usually in playoff games). This practice dates back to 1952, when a fan chucked a octopus in the rink to symbolize the 8 playoff wins it took to win the Stanley Cup (it now takes 16).

Fast-forward to Game 2 of the San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings 2010 playoff series. As a response to the long-standing Red Wings tradition, one dedicated San Jose fan tossed a 3-foot leopard shark with an octopus sewn into its mouth on the ice after the Sharks scored a 1st period goal. The most impressive part of the stunt is that the fish tosser smuggled the shark into the game by duct taping it to his leg. Very gross, but pretty funny.

Subway Shark

Altered Delivery Menus

Charlie Todd — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:10:51 +0000

New York artist Liz Filardi was tired of getting delivery menus slipped under her door and shoved in her face on the street. So she began collected them and adding her own messages that more accurately describe the interaction between the solicitor and solicited. She then passed them out herself on the streets.

More photos.

David Livingston’s Big Dick Series

Charlie Todd — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:03:17 +0000

David Livingston’s Big Dick series of videos is cracking us up. He explains on his site:

I see art as a performance, enacted either in crowds of strangers or in the privacy of my studio. In Manhattan’s financial district, I wore a six foot long felt penis sewn together and stuffed with sofa upholstery. During this and subsequent performances, I was fascinated by the public’s reactions (laughter, avoidance, offense) and my own (pride, liberation, shame) as I parodied the figure of the downtown businessman using childish humor.

See more videos on his vimeo page.

Awesome Digital Billboard Alteration
Re-branding McDonald’s
Astoria Scum River Bridge