Comments on: Aldi to paint over Feed The Poor graffiti mural?

By: Jon Bounds

Jon Bounds — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:22:24 +0000

@Abdul Some people don’t like graffiti style art, no matter what it says. Rightly or wrongly (wrongly I my opinion, but they are entitled to their artistic judgement) they believe that it contributes to an air of lawlessness.

No-one has reported what Aldi’s manager or the Police have said, that Aldi don’t like it is neither here nor there if the work has permission (from the building’s owners, which it seems to, and also from the local council planning dept, if it needs permission under law).

By: Abdul Jabbar

Abdul Jabbar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:05:25 +0000

What sort of person has a problem with the idea of helping those less fortunate than themselves (be it in’yer’face or not)? The answer, the sort of person who is stuck in his happy little bubble of ignorance and selfcentred content. This project is an amazing display of art, but rather more so makes you think instantly of those less fortunate then yourself who are in need. I am pretty sure that if the same projects lettering was changed to ‘Â£Â£ALDI’s PRICES ARE LOWÂ£Â£’ they, nor the manager would have one iota of negativity towards it and perhaps would encourage a nice little price list sprayed up there too. INCREASE AWARENESS.

By: Adam Yosef

Adam Yosef — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:32:02 +0000

I’m fully behind Mohammed and his mural – it’s the community who will appreciate the artwork and they are, after all, Aldi’s customers.
As for Aldi, in all honesty, this has nothing to do with them because it’s not their building. They can’t argue that it will affect their business anymore than if there were vandalism on a any other neihgbouring building.
If there was, Aldi wouldn’t prioritise having it removed as it wouldn’t be their building and therefore not their responsibility.
Clearly the ‘message’ here is what the fuss is all about. ‘Feed the poor’ doesn’t really wash with big corporations who exploit the poor in order the make a quick buck…

By: Jon Bounds

Jon Bounds — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:25:03 +0000

It’s my guess that a mural of this size comes with a requirement for planning permission. If it’s got that there is little Aldi could do.

Personally I don’t really like it from an aesthetic point of view (personal opinion, I can dislike a piece of art, so don’t shoot me). While I agree with the sentiment, I can think of areas that could do with the point hammered home more than one of our most economically deprived ones.

By: BrummieDave

BrummieDave — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:31:22 +0000

Agreed, although when was the last time you saw a middle-class person (bar a student) wander into Aldi?

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:47:33 +0000

Maybe if it said Feed The Middle Class, Aldi wouldn’t mind.