Beware of the Walls

"Coldkiller" van

Tom and Rachel have been on the Coldk beat. Rachel writes:

“Cold K is real and he has something to tell us. The pac-man ghosts come out at night, slip in and out of the daytime with creepy drugged-out eyes and tell us, ‘Beware of the world cold killer!’ . . . . The ghosts disappear and reappear like real ghosts, and create a sleepy infection across Capitol Hill.”

And among Tom’s Coldk photos, this one: “BOTW”

BOTW?

"Beware of the walls ses Cold Killer!"

BOTW: “Beware of the Walls”

Google led me to a “Beware of the Walls” reference in the Stranger. Emily Hall wrote (scroll down):

“I knew about Beware of the Walls before I discovered him. What I mean is that I had looked at the stencil gang’s work–which consists most publicly of stenciled images spray-painted onto building walls and newspaper boxes and highway underpasses–before I ever really saw it. The distinction between seeing and looking is important here; these are the kinds of works that occupy a hole in your peripheral vision, or else they become part of the landscape that has become invisible with familiarity, until you see them.”

That’s from a listing of art goings-on, published just as Bush was beginning his Iraq Adventures. In the introduction, Hall wrote (links mine):

“It may seem like war is all there is to think about or write about lately, but there’s more going on in Seattle than just demonstrations and handwringing. And while the war news may be all bad, all the time, it turns out there’s a lot to be excited about: people, events, movements, new philosophies.”

Aside from the scrap of Coldk background, I have no conclusions, just further handwringing.

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2 comments

  1. There’s also a Pacman BOTW on the I-5 Sign over the 45th St. Exit on the southbound side (easily reached from the sidewalk on 45th above). Wished I had snapped the photo – had my camera but was fascinated by the graffiti and by the time we passed (I was passsenger) I lost my chance to capture it.

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