Without further ado, 15 things that you'll only recognize (and know well) about Houston if you grew up there.
1. Tex-Mex
I kid you not, the first thing that I smelled when I got off the plane and into the airport was a restaurant that was Tex-Mex and my first thought was "Welcome to Texas."
2. The non-stop construction on SH 288
It seems like it is different literally every day.
3. HEB and BUC-EE'S
Two places that are totally Texas.
4. Feeders
This is what Houstonians call the interstate/highway access road.
5. The legend of the Astrodome
Built as the world's first indoor air-conditioned domed stadium in 1965 and despite being abandoned, it still remains today.
6. The never ending struggle that is the traffic
It literally sometimes takes 45 minutes to get to Houston from Houston.
7. Weather with a mind of its own
i kid you not, it can go from sunny and hot to cold and rain all within the span of a few hours.
8. Mattress Mack and the Galley Furniture commercials
Or even just getting to see the store for yourself.
9. And the many other shopping options
Including, IKEA, the Galleria, Highland Village, and much, much more.
10. NASA
The Space Center was (and still is) home to the command center from the times of the many space shuttle launches. Tours are still being done today and it's a place I, myself, have been to several times.
11. The "Be Someone" graffiti
And to think that such an iconic Houston symbol was covered recently and then recreated.
12. When it come to rodeo season, we take it serious
And i mean full on dressing up. This includes boots, hats, you name it.
13. The Killen's Chain
Now, this is specific to Pearland (a smaller suburban city outside of Houston) but they are still a well-known couple of restaurants. The chain includes a burger place, a BBQ place, a steakhouse, and Tex-Mex
14. It's one of the leading innovators in medicine
The Medical Center in Downtown is huge and plays a key role in this fact.
15. No matter where you go, it will always be home
Even if you're in another country for a while.
'Exit Through The Gift Shop' Is Banksy's Digital Street Art
The film depicts and comments on the world of street art with the charm of self-awareness.
Remember when that one painting shredded itself after being sold for $1.4 million? That was British street artist Banksy's doing. Despite his rejection of traditional art critics, Banksy's pieces often sell for millions of dollars. There are many who refuse to call his work "real" due to the fact that it is a product of vandalism. His supporters acknowledge that his work is vandalism, which, in tandem with his revolutionary choices in location, style, and subject matter, is precisely what makes it an exemplar of modern art. Regardless of one's opinion of him, Banksy, no doubt holds a position of authority in the modern art world in which everything he creates is a subject of widespread attention, whether it be disparagement or appreciation.
It is perhaps because of this worldwide captivation that "Exit Through the Gift Shop," Banksy's 2010 foray into film-making, comes with considerable accolades. The Academy Award-nominated documentary brings much of the graffiti artist's abrasive commentary to the big screen. With narration from both Banksy and Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, the film acts a self-aware examination of street art, exploring both subtle works like those of British artist Invader to the grand-scale pieces of Banksy himself. This exploration calls into question the public's notions of modern art while also considering what even determines if art is valid.
While Banksy's directs the film, he is neither behind the camera nor the focus of it throughout most of the movie. "Exit" quickly clarifies how that honor goes to Thierry Guetta, a Frenchman from Los Angeles who owned a designer clothing store. What does he have to do with street art or this movie?Everyone involved in the movie asks the same question, but whether he deserves the attention or not, Thierry is stuck with viewers from start to end. Ifans explains how the Frenchman is usually found holding a video camera in front of his eyes, documenting every moment. When Thierry stumbles upon his street artist cousin Invader designing pixel templates for art to be placed on street side walls and rooftops, what follows is his rapid introduction to the world of street art as he films every artist—whether they want him to or not—in the hopes of eventually creating his own documentary about the subject. The journey takes him to the skepticism of Banksy, the interrogation rooms of Disneyworld, and the rooftops of LA, where he even begins to craft his own street art.
It becomes clear why Banksy turned Thierry's cameras around to capture the amateur filmmaker in action. In every scene where he is the subject, Thierry shines with this charismatic joy that borders on annoyance. Other individuals express in their disdain for him, as a supposed imbecile incapable of real artistry, yet he continues to frantically film and create, rarely showing a sign of disillusionment. In one scene he swears in French about how he spilled paint, and seconds later he emphatically tells the camera to get closer to inspect the pink puddle. Some of his interviews are at times nearly incomprehensible, illustrating how he is a perplexing enigma, hypocrisy, an artist who should not be able to attain the success that he does. Thierry, for better or for worse, will make or break a viewer's impression of "Exit Through the Gift Shop."
Banksy pulls together crisp editing and his manic subject to construct a self-aware work that comments on how we perceive art. All of the professional artists believe Thierry's work isn't genuine. Yet the public, finds him a captivating artist, regardless of his frenetic personality. The film, in spite of Banksy's careful direction, is a product and representation of Thierry's haphazard creations and behavior. But just as "Exit" somehow succeeds by using the chaotic source material to find meaning in the madness, so too does Thierry seem to find something magical, practically brainwashing his audience into believing in him and his ingenuity. Whether that means he is a true artist like Banksy is open for debate, but the documentary is a convincing film not afraid to show and criticize the means of its creation.
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" is a film that shouldn't work. And for some, it won't work. The absurdity of a random Frenchman with a camera becoming an artist is likely too much for skeptical viewers. But for those who can digest it, the documentary offers an insightful perspective on modern perceptions of art that is worth watching—even if it feels like an artificial production. In other words, the director has once again gotten away with something that seems delusional, creating a digital Banksy.