Italian artist/provocateur Graziano Cecchini, who previously colored the waters Rome's Trevi Fountain blood-red last October, committed another public art attack. This time he unleashed 500,000 colored plastic balls (the same kind you find in the McDonald's play area) down the Spanish Steps. Here's some video footage of the stunt (I'd love to translate how the policewoman at the 2:15 point called in this art attack):

And here's a bit about what inspired Cecchini to embark on this stunt, as well as what happened next:

Mr Cecchini later stated that the protest was staged to raise the profile of Burma and the Karen people. Arranging the protest had cost him some £15,000 and a handsome fine we're sure.

Jean Leonard Touadi, Rome's head of security wasn't amused. He stated that getting publicity at the expense of the city just wasn't funny, a feeling that the large number of police officers required to clean up the mess probably shared.

But gadgetophiles might look at this and find something very familiar about it. Mr. Cecchini seems to have also taken some inspirado from this Web ad for Sony Bravia HDTVs (which features one of my faves, Jose Gonzalez, on the soundtrack of the ad) from a couple years back.

One wonders what he might be able to do with the most recent Bravia ad:

~Agen G.N. Schmitz

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