The creator of the Barrel Monster, Joseph Carnevale, has been sentenced to 50 hours of community service. According to the News & Observer report, he will likely serve this sentence with Habitat for Humanity.

This is a tough one. The Barrel Monster was hilarious. I don’t like Carnevale’s creativity. I love it. We need more of this kind of thing in Raleigh. Although the owner of the barrels, Hamlin Construction, was amused and wished to not press charges, completely allowing Carnevale off would have set a dangerous precedent.

In theory we cannot have a society where it is OK for one to steal and mutilate someone else’s property without permission. We see this enforced with music mashups, photography on the web, etc. If we allow Carnevale to avoid any sort of punishment due simply to the merit of the outcome, then what happens when the next artist steals property to create art that is, perhaps, of lesser merit? Where do we draw the line on what materials are OK to take without permission?

Some ask why the cops weren’t out stopping “real criminals”. What, exactly, is a “real” criminal? Someone who steals $500 of materials for their art? $20,000 in the name of art? I have a hard time believing reports of the barrels’ pricetag of $385, however if that is correct, is it OK to steal $385 worth of materials from Jerry’s Artarama? Does Jerry refund artists if their final product is as worthy as the Barrel Monster? Of course they don’t.

Not only is the value of ownership in our society an issue here, but also the value of process. The disappearance of a few barrels caused the construction company to halt the project long enough to replace the missing barrels that ensure public safety. While in this case the disturbance was very small, it is a cost in addition to the disappearance of the property, that has to be considered. Do any of us like being forced to work overtime for free? I don’t.

Additionally, the purpose of the barrels is for public safety. What if the disappearance of barrels was critical enough to cause a driver or bicyclist to have an accident?

As much as I love Carnivale’s work, the means by which he attained his materials is not something that a peaceful society can tolerate. It created an additional burden on the owners and the period of time when barrels were missing created a safety hazard to the community.

Carnivale’s punishment of 50 hours of community service is a bit severe, though. He basically will lose 5 days of work/leisure as his sentence. Thankfully the charges will be dropped once he completes his sentence.