Webcanvas is a large online digital painting project.
A large ‘artwork’ that is purportedly the largest collaborative painting in the world.
It is free to look at and you have to register (for free) to add your own graffiti to it – because that is essentially what it is – a giant digital graffiti wall.
You are given a couple of levels of zoom to get a broader overview of a segment of the wall, but the facility to look at the wall as a whole is not yet possible.
Screenshot of a small segment of webcanvas, the largest collaborative painting in the world
As you can see, at first glance there seems to be no method to the madness that is, on first appearance, a quagmire of colour, shapes, swearwords, some minor advertising and a whole load of dicks.
However, as you explore this growing world of visual craziness, panning around, or literally typing in a ‘North x West’ location, you will find many interesting collaborations and naratives.
For example, a street that itself is a collaborative drawing, with buildings, cars and things drawn and changed by different people who are only connected through the drawing.
It is a fine example of a wide range of different people communicating with each other through purely visual imagery, bar a few slang words.
[...] “You are given a couple of levels of zoom to get a broader overview of a segment of the wall, but the facility to look at the wall as a whole is not yet possible.” http://petermcclory.com/2008/06/webcanvas-collaborative-online-painting/ [...]