Stop! In the Name of Love …

Thank you to everyone who supported the Love Mo. We raised $700 for Movember. Yay.

As promised, everyone who donated would go into the draw to win my new Not Sign. And, as promised, the winner would be drawn by a cute barrel girl.

And here they are …

This is Princess Phoebe of Chandler, pictured here in her official regal robes. Phoebe kindly took time out from her busy schedule to be my barrel girl, even though she wasn’t really sure what a barrel was.

But it didn’t matter. We didn’t have a barrel anyway. So we decorated a box with alfoil and some Xmas decs. We made tickets for everyone who donated—one for every $5—then put them in the box. Phoebe was very eager to pluck names from the box. Shame we only had one prize.

The first name Phoebe drew was … Michael Zavros … aka Daddy.

Unfortunately, Daddy didn’t quite have the camera ready to take the official photo for verification, so a redraw was called. Daddy wasn’t entirely happy with this. But it would’ve seemed a bit suss. And he’s won enough art prizes anyway.

The next name drawn was John Mansell, but Daddy was still faffing about with the camera, so this one didn’t count either. Sorry John Boy, Mike—may have to organise a consolation prize.

Finally, Daddy was ready with the camera, and Princess Phoebe delved deep to draw the official, final, really truly winner …

Yes people, this is it …

And the winner is …

Congrats Jane love. You have won a Not Sign, which I’ve now decided will be a limited edition of 100, and priced at $1600. Woo hoo.

Princess Phoebe changed to swimwear especially to model the new sign …

As you can see, the Not Sign is quite big: about one Phoebe long, and about three-quarters of a Phoebe high. (This is just a prototype—the final product will be even flasher.)

An initial run of 10 Not Signs is in production now and due for completion before Xmas. So Jane, you can put yours under the tree.

More info here.

Thanks again to everyone who supported the Love Mo.

Thank you Phoebe for being the cutest, bestest barrel girl in the world. I love you to Birdsville.

Thank you Ali and Mike for Phoebe.

And thank you Mandy for your fabulous Photoshopping of the Love Mo.

Cheery cheers

al

The next best thing to the Love Sign itself!

Sexy die-cut gift cards. Printed warm red on silver-white metallic card. Blank inside. Cards supplied with envelope inserted, sealed in clear cello sleeve.

$5.95 each. Available at various outlets.

Packs of 25 available in the shop for $75.

“This Love Sign is a response to the madly litigious, antagonistic, terrorising, warmongering world in which we live.”

Or so I first declared back in 2003.

Then, some years later, in the twilight of 2007, a major newspaper publisher bastardised the Love Sign on the front cover of one of its magazines. They manipulated the artwork and presented it in a manner many considered degrading. And they did so without asking permission, and without attributing the work.

The magazine in question was the Cairns Eye, the weekly colour supplement in the Cairns Post—the daily newspaper in the region; a News Ltd journal. They’d borrowed a Love Sign from the KickArts Shop at the Cairns Centre of Contemporary Arts—one of my original outlets—ostensibly to use as a prop for a menswear shoot.

Needless to say, I was far from flattered. Several heated complaints failed to gain much of a response. And so I pursued the only course of recourse—and reluctantly, anxiously litigated. How cruelly, tragically, hilariously ironic.

Several months and many thousands of dollars later, the magazine finally admitted fault and we settled out of court. A small apology was published in the magazine (you needed a magnifying glass to see it) and a sizeable cheque was written (a satisfying result, although it just covered my legal fees).

So was it worth all the time, anguish and expense?

Yes it was. It set an important precedent for artists and authors in protecting their intellectual property. It set a new benchmark for moral rights cases in Australia. And I hope it will serve as a reminder to media operators of the ethical responsibilities and legal obligations that come with the hallowed territory of publishing and broadcasting.

As harrowing as it was, it has also become an interesting chapter in the story of the Love Sign—a little artwork that has come to have a life of its own. And, as contradictory as it may seem, the point I was trying to make with a humble road sign back in 2003, and then with a haughty lawyer some years later, are actually one and the same …

Be responsible for your actions, and be respectful of other people. And the world will be a better place.

Perhaps Love really can conquer all.