Graffiti or street art?

CONTENTS3-4 INTRODUCTION

5-6 WHAT IS GRAFFITI

7-8 GRAFFITI AND STREET CULTURE

9-10 GRAFFITI SUBCULTURES

11-12 GRAFFITI AS COMUNICATION

13-14 GRAFFITI PERSONALITIES

15-16 RADICAL AND POLITICAL GRAFFITI

17-18 GRAFFITI AS HIGH ART

19-20 EAST SIDE GALLERY

21-22 BIBLIOGRAPHY

"People with money can put up signs ... if you don't have money you're marginalized...you're not allowed to express your-self or to put up words or messages that you think other people should see. Camel (cigarettes), they're up all over the country and look at the message Camel is sending...they're just trying to keep the masses paralyzed so they can go about their business with little resistance." --

Eskae

Introduction Famous GRAFFITI ARTISTS SUCH AS BANKSY, MARC ECKO AND KEITH HARING ALL HAVE CRE-ATED A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO STREET ART, ENEN IF IT HAS PRVIOUSLY HAVE HAD NEGO-TIVE CONOTATIONS ATTACTED, THIS BOOKLET WILL LOOK AT WHAT GRAFITTI IS, WHY IT HAS BECOME SO IMPORTANT, GRAFITTI CULTURE, COMUNICATION, AS WELL AS SPECIFIC EXAM-PLES OF WHERE GRAFFITI HAS CREATED A STIR

WHITHING SOCIETY.

What is Graffiti? Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.In modern times, paint, particu-larly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most com-monly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and van-dalism, which is a punishable crime.

HOWEVER THERE ARE MANY DEBATES AND CLASHING ARGUEMENTS ABOUT WETHER GRAFFITI SHOULD BE CONCI-DERED ART OR CRIME.

GRAFFITI AND

Illegal Graffiti called ‘tagging’ is done by members from tradi-

tional gangs, as well as by ‘graffiti writers’ from the Hip

Hop sub-culture. To leave their mark, gang-members use spray

paint such as aerosol cans, wide-tipped markers, nametag

stickers stickers/printed stickers (these are easily and quickly affixed to almost any

surface) and even scratch (etch) glass or Perspex with sharp

objects.

To claim their turf or territory, taggers mark their neighbour-

hoods with graffiti that repre-sents the group or crew or gang they belong to. They leave their

mark on fences, schools, side-walks, soundwalls, and road

and street signs. Some areas, little rival gang /crew graffiti exists, because rival gangs will not risk getting caught or are outnumbered at these primary

locations.

STREET CULTURE

Different types of gangs / crews create different types of graffiti. Typically, graffiti will include the name of the gang, nicknames of the members of the gang, and even the names of affiliated gangs, slogans or sym-bols exclusive to the gang/crew, and often the territory claimed .

Graffiti also can include threats and challenges to rival gangs/crews. In addition, graffiti can be used to show disrespect of rivals or to antagonize the party or authority or rival that the tagger perceives as his/her competition- this is often prevalent at legal walls where one tagger is jealous of another. Because members of different gangs/crews often live in close proximity to one another, graffiti can provoke confrontations. When graffiti is not cleaned off imme-diately, it will often multiply as different gangs/crews cross out rivals and add their own mes-sages or tag.

GRAFFITI Taggers and gangs use graffiti to gain recognition or to express the identity of the group.

-Gang/crew members are motivated to put up graffiti because it reflects their loyalty to the gang. In some cases, new gang members or associates may be ordered by their gang ‘king’ to put up graffiti to shoe their wor-thiness to join, and to prove they are “down for”the gang.

Gang /crew members often use tag nicknames to iden-tify each other, and it is common for these names to show up on “graffiti roll calls” or “placas”. Graffiti is used to promote and en-hance the names and repu-tations of the gang/crew and gang/crew members In some cases taggers use graffiti to brag about crimes they have committed.

SUBCLTURES

Street gangs or crews use their language to communicate

with one another through graffiti. This language includes

common numbers, letters, words or phrases, which are

easily understood on the streets. The name of the

gang/crew is usually abbrevi-ated to two or three letters in gang graffiti- this is typi-cally of both graffiti ‘crews’

whose members are interested in Hip Hop culture as well as

crews who exist for drug use/selling and crews who are

involved in other antisocial recreational sub-cultures

such as Neo-Nazis, Satanists and skinheads etc.

GRAFFITI AS COMUNICATION

NUMBERSNumbers also have significant meanings

to gang . Crew members. The number 187 is frequently used by older graffitists, and

represents a copy-cat of American graffiti gangs who use the number as it represents the

Californian Penal Code for homicide so that graf-fiti using 187 is literally making a death threat.

For the Gold Coast gangs, the number 13 (often written on the streets as XIII), represents the

fact that these gangs are southerners. The number 13 represents the letter M (M is the

13th letter of the alphabet), short for “EME” or the Mexican Mafia.

To some graffiti writers their tags can be more involved than a simple scribble and the work can be a filled in letter (called a throw-up) or include a simple icon. Many of these taggers see their work as art and in many areas, taggers are individuals from middle and upper income homes, whose source of entertainment comes from van-dalizing public and private property with

their mark or art.

Serious taggers are primarily between the ages of 15 years and 29 years old. Some will also belong in subculture, and wear alter-native labels such as skaters, punks, Nazi and skinheads, Straight Edge (anti-alcohol & tobacco but into chemical drugs such ‘e’ or ‘speed’) and anarchists. Taggers tend to have risk taking personalities, and may be attracted to extreme sports like skate-boarding, snowboarding and break dancing.

GRAFFITI PERSONALITIES

Graffiti andcrimeTagger graffiti has increased at an alarming rate in most cities around Australia. It often appears even in the most affluent neighbourhoods and business districts. Community members may at first be confused about the fact that “GANGS” are appearing in their area. Taggers, however, are not traditional street gangs- although they carry weapons and much of the sub-culture is now involved in some form of drug use.

In most parts tagging crews are less violent than traditional street gangs, they do, however create most of the graffiti damage or wilful damage in many communities.” Battles” or wars between crews are usual with two or more crews agreeing to conduct a battle, and will use another crew to judge the competition. The Battle is staged in a specific area and over a predetermined period of time, such as a weekend, week or night. The crews are judged on style, quality, quantity and original locations.

The competition determines the best writers or crew and they earn the name

“KINGS”. Often, the losing crew will split up, with former members joining

another crew.

Sometimes individuals who believe they have been un-

fairly judged will cross out or line out the winning

crew and challenge another battle,

this behavior also sets boundaries for territory

and the quality of locations where the tagger can paint

without violence

On top of the political aspect of graffiti as a movement, political groups and individuals may also use graffiti as a tool to spread

their point of view. This practice, due to its illegality, has gener-ally become favoured by groups

excluded from the political main-stream who justify their activity by pointing out that they do not have the money – or sometimes

the desire .

to buy advertising to get their message across, and that a "ruling class" or "establishment" control the mainstream press, systemati-

cally excluding the radical/alternative point of view.

This type of graffiti can seem crude; for example fascist sup-porters often scrawl swastikas

and other Nazi images.

Radical and Political GRAFFITI

Today, the art world and the general public is more open toward graffiti art.

The public has become more tolerant and appreciative of this underground art. In

Los Angeles, for example: The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) organized an exhibit celebrating urban graffiti on

walls, subways and buses; and it proved to be a hugely successful show.

The ‘Art in the Streets Exhibit’ featured prominent street artists like Taki 183,

Banksy, Keith Haring, Henry Chalfant, etc. This is actually the first major US

museum exhibit on graffiti and street art. The exhibition traces the develop-

ment of graffiti art from the 70s to the international movement it’s become

today. It featured installations, paint-ings, sculptures and mixed media that helped shape the evolution of graffiti

art.

Graffiti is a subjective art form. Some regard it as a new and rising art form, and others regard it as plain vandalism. In most countries it is regarded ille-gal. Thus graffiti art is some-times referred to as ‘under-ground art’. Artists are forced to create their works in the dark, hiding from the police, officials and the common city dwellers.

Graffiti art is widely recog-nized around the world. There have been exhibits and galler-ies worldwide dedicated to the celebration of graffiti art. Another prestigious exhibition is ‘Born in the Streets’, at the Fondation Center in Paris, France.

GRAFFITI AS HIGH ART

Artists like Thierry Noir and Keith Haring discovered the Berlin Wall as the world's longest canvas which had to be painted.Many known and unknown artists painted on the Wall in the following years and the paintings were often painted over within hours or days. The Wall art was not protected, everybody could paint on the Wall. On the West-ern side of the Berlin Wall the Wall was colorful whereas the Eastern side was white or grey. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the Eastern side of the Wall was also painted by artists. Today only a few painted sections of the Eastern side of the former Berlin Wall still exist at Potsdamer Platz, East Side Gallery at Mühlenstrasse and in the Wall Park at Bernauer Strasse. Painting on remaining sections of the Wall has become very difficult. The Wall at East Side Gallery has been listing and painting is prohibited

East side gallery

In 1976 East German Border Troops begun to

erect a new typ of Wall in Berlin, the so-called 'Border Wall

75'. This concrete Wall was 3.60 meter (11.81 ft) high and white

painted. Although painting was not allowed, the complete Wall system

was on the territory of East Berlin, many artists begun to paint on the Western side of

the Wall in the beginning of the 80s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GRAFFITI PLANET MICHAEL O’MARA BOOKS LIMITED 2007LONDON, ENGLAND

GRAFF: THE ART AND TECNIQUES OF GRAFFITI SCAPE MARTINEZIMPACT BOOKS GEORGETOWN, CANADA

http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/art/http://berlinwallart.com/http://artgraffiti.blogspot.co.uk/2007/06/graffiti-often-has-reputation-as-part.htmlhttp://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/conferences/2003-graffiti/hintz.pdfhttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/israel-palestine/101002/west-bank-graffiti-wall#1