Footwear giant Puma accused of defacing 17th century buildings in Delhi for shoe commercial

2017-11-22T13:38:00-05:00

Global sportswear giant Puma was accused today of irreversibly damaging 17th-century architecture in Delhi's historic quarter as part of an advertising stunt to promote a new line of shoes.

For their latest shoe ad dubbed "Suede Gully," Puma spraypainted large, colorful murals over several buildings in Old Delhi, a centuries-old quarter and heritage area. The stunt has conservationists outraged, claiming that the graffiti has caused permanent damage to the carved sandstone, limestone plaster and Lahori bricks.

Rules to protect Delhi's heritage sites do exist, as does one that specifically forbids advertising on historic buildings. However, laws protecting these sites from destruction are rarely enforced and the sportswear brand was granted all of the necessary permissions for their graffiti clad campaign.

In light of 5 POINTZ demolition, DEFACED fights to protect NYC's artistic roots

2014-09-30T17:20:00-04:00

Upon the recent controversial demolition of the "5 POINTZ" graffiti mecca in Long Island City, NY, a group of architects consisting of Arianna Armelli, Ishaan Kumar, David Sepulveda and Wagdy Moussa came up with the idea of DEFACED. In the proposal, DEFACED is an organization that is dedicated to the preservation of cultural landmarks, districts, and neighborhoods worldwide.

Using 5 Pointz as a starting point, DEFACED asserts not only the timeless value of open artistic expression but also the need to build communities where all inhabitants can benefit and thrive. The proposal calls attention to NYC's gentrifying cityscape over the last decade, ongoing socio-political concerns, and last but not least, that a structure like 5 Pointz — although considered an eyesore to some — was truly a luxury of its own kind.

Below is the project in fuller detail, provided by the architects:

"INTRODUCTION: You see, it goes like this; New York City was affordable when it was ugly and unpleasant; whe...

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Footwear giant Puma accused of defacing 17th century buildings in Delhi for shoe commercial

In light of 5 POINTZ demolition, DEFACED fights to protect NYC's artistic roots