 "Photo: Stevi Cornell")
Late at night, when no one is watching, a small army of guerrilla artists are changing the landscape of city streets.
Using spray paint, signs and stickers, they leave behind art with an anti-establishment message that they hope will be discovered by passersby.
It is art, play, political and often clever.
Local guerrilla art can be found in front of Cup O' Joe at the corner of North High Street and East Tulane Road, although many people pass by without noticing. The sign reads: "No Thinking During National Emergency" and is posted on a utility pole.
The sign, a humorous knock-off of "No Parking During Snow Emergency," at first seems ordinary but gives a message to those who take notice.
"It's the great enigma of our time," said Josh Holt, team manager at Cup O' Joe. He noticed the sign a little more than two months ago and said it seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Immediately, customers started asking where it came from and if we (Cup O' Joe management) put it there ... we didn't," Holt said.
Street art such as this has been decorating streets throughout the Columbus area, and an artist by the name of Vinchen is responsible.
Vinchen works in secret, never revealing an identity other than this one-word name and only answers through e-mail. Vinchen could be a male, female or group of people but, nonetheless, finds a creative way to deliver his message.
"You should question the validity of everything you are told rather than tacitly accepting the facts presented to you by entities whose interest are probably not the same as yours," according to an e-mail from Vinchen.
One of his recent displays was at the Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center.
Wall-mounted house advertisements around the hotel's lobby were replaced with imitation ads that featured a half-topless, not-so-classy Paris Hilton and read, "Pampered and Privileged: For over 80 years the Hilton name has been synonymous with elegance and class. A tradition that continues today."
"It did happen, and I was not happy about it. Obviously I don't condone this type of behavior," said Alan Howe, general manager for the Columbus Hilton at Easton.
Howe said they took down the advertisements immediately, explaining the obscene picture was completely inappropriate in a family hotel.
"The guy definitely thinks he has something to say about the world and I'm not sure he accomplished anything with these signs," Howe said.
To Vinchen, the art projected a different message.
"Hilton presents itself as a paragon of elegance and class. The brand's image badly needed updating," Vinchen said.
Holt, still unsure of the road sign's exact meaning, gets a good laugh at it anyway.
People ask about it daily, and even though Cup O' Joe is not responsible, it is a joke he would like to take credit for, Holt said.
Erica Johnson can be reached at johnson.2855@osu.edu.
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