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Graffiti - Design My Own Graffiti Walls
It doesn't matter where you live in the world, chances are
you've seen graffiti somewhere around your local community.
It seems to spring up in every culture, although it tends to
be more prevalent in big cities.
But is it vandalism? Or is it art? That's a difficult
question to answer, mainly because there are so many
different types and styles of graffiti. The most basic form
of graffiti is "tagging" - which is usually a simple
graphic, usually letters, perhaps a play on the creator's
initials or nicknames. Often small and monochrome, it's
probably one of the most annoying and frustrating types of
graffiti, because it is small enough to deface almost any
surface, and is almost universally condemned as having no
artistic merit.
Graffiti, however, isn't restricted to tagging. On larger
surfaces, many graffiti artists employ multiple colors and
intricate designs to create their pictures. This is the type
of graffiti that starts to cross the line into being
artistic. It's this type of graffiti art that is now being
showcased in a number of art galleries, both in the USA and
around the world.
The other problem with graffiti as art is that the issue is
clouded by the location of the art. If some of these
stunning designs were created on a canvas, or a wall
specially set aside for the purpose, then it would be easier
to recognize them as art. Unfortunately most graffiti is
placed on private property, without the owner's consent, and
so is less likely to be viewed as a welcome addition.
Around the world, communities and governments have become
more vigilant in their attempts to reduce the amount of
graffiti. In many places there are community groups or
government funded teams who guarantee to clean up graffiti
in 24 hours after it's reported. Trains in New York were
given new coatings that allowed paint to just be "dissolved"
off their surfaces.
In my own local area, the sale of spray paint to persons
under 18 is illegal, and all spray paints are kept in locked
display cupboards. Another area has a team of painters who
regularly go around and repaint any fences that have been
covered in graffiti. One homeowner I know has had his fence
repainted 7 times so far! Over time, however, the amount of
graffiti reappearing is reducing, which is a victory for the
opponents of graffiti.
Still, simply removing the problem may in fact be a loss to
the artistic community in general. If graffiti is considered
in its most highly refined form, then are we in fact
stopping artistic development in its tracks by making it
impossible for budding graffiti artists to practice their
craft?
When you illegally deface someone else's property, no matter
how beautiful the art you create, you have still committed a
crime. Maybe what we need to do is find ways that graffiti
artists can learn and practice their craft, without needing
to deface hundreds of properties in the process. Some
communities now provide blank spaces and invite local
graffiti artists to paint them. Others have graffiti walls,
where anyone can paint whatever they want.
Maybe there needs to be a shift in the thinking of graffiti
artists, so they can discover the value of painting on
paper, rather than walls. Would the great painters of the
past still be as famous today if they had painted on walls,
rather than on canvas? The problem is complex, so finding a
solution that makes everyone happy is unlikely to be simple.
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Some Other Useful Web Resources
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1. Gothamist: New York City news, events, food, and fun.
... to appear in walls - Queerty has ... ties into Junger's own life eerily - back ... hell. It felt like my body was being ... during the NYC Graffiti Tour in October ... CNET and Mule Design to create a new ...
http://www.gothamist.com/ ..._writerprogrammer.php |
2. visualresistance.org
... and border walls. Immigrants warn ... Street Art / Graffiti | No Comments ... gets lost in their own world. Parks allow ... I found this in my inbox from the ... platform. Site design and maintenence ...
http://www.visualresistance.org/wordpress/ |
3. Social Design Notes: archives | August 2002
... Amsterdam where graffiti has become a ... by fences and walls, thouch meant to ... Buildings & Civic Design, a site with ... gun, I reach for my culture was not a ... Check some of his own articles, too ...
http://www.backspace.com/notes/2002/08/ |
4. detroitblog » 2005 » May
... and architectural design as the ... for large-scale graffiti, the presence ... Meah said, It is my opinion that it ... of the floors or walls was in danger of ... buildings on their own, without the ...
http://www.detroitblog.org/?m=200505 |
5. Free Message Boards and Online Forums at VoyForums - Category Listing
... post any art or design topics for ... world and in your own language Jade¥s ... visitors following my project in Concord ... Sanat adelaide graffiti forum ... list without walls mine - matt ...
http://www.voy.com/c/arts_humanities/artists/ |
6. - Bravenet Web Journal
... is also the world's design capital and rivals ... the familiarity of our own life. It's a cliche but ... some rosaries for my mother, mother-in-law ... a lot of walls littered with graffiti and ...
http://rose_ck.bravejournal.com/ |
7. :: Tell Me Girlfriend ::
... too! design your own converse shoes all ... for your walls spread some joy ... 24-2006 Dutch by Design - Jan-26-2006 ... Feb-2-2006 My Li'l Friend - Feb ... 4-2006 Wonderful Graffiti - April-6-2006 ...
http://www.tellmegirlfriend.com/email-archives |
8. Urban Retro Lifestyle - Urban Art, Vinyl Toys, Urban Music, Retro Art, Retro...
... crazy night Pop Art, Graffiti, and Saturday ... inspired art on their walls and I felt my style ... cool toys, how did you design and make them? Is ... of making some of my own toys by hand ...
http://www.urbanretrolifestyle.com/ |
9. Burning Man: What is Burning Man?: 2001: Theme Art
... can play between the walls, and their shadows ... in something of your own design. URL: www ... door, an interactive graffiti wall, four columns ... In a fun, conceptual way my work attempts to ...
http://www.burningman.com ...001/01_art_theme.html |
10. rule britannia
... to add comments of your own), so this post will ... and landmarks, like the walls that surround the ... no pillows) and gave my REI Gemini a field test ... irresistible lure of graffiti. I hope G & H are ...
http://uk.emoglasses.org/ |
11. GameDaily: Expert review for Mobile Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under P...
... conjured up my Back to the Future ... bit of game design that should have ... will create its own genre of gameplay ... uses a thrilling graffiti-driven ... Remember, spiked walls are your friends ...
http://mobile.gamedaily.c .../?gameid=3977&id=1153 |
12. Back Issues - EXHIBITOR AND CORPORATE EVENT
... of-a-kind exhibit walls that make wood ... No and Still Kept My Job Industry ... share their own stories of hard ... Flight Club Design Consistency ... Less: Australian Graffiti Crumpler USA ...
http://www.exhibitoronlin .../store/backissues.asp |
13. NYArtsMagazine
... to start my own thing, no matter ... are well-known graffiti and street ... towards graphic design while still ... because all of my artists are very ... directly on the walls, or at least on ...
http://nyartsmagazine.com ...hp?nid=1343&did=3315? |
14. New Mexico Travelogue & Pictures
... enclosed by walls) may be common ... they can call their own are their language ... and religion. By design they keep the ... directly in my eyes, making ... and a rustic, graffiti-covered ...
http://www.kestan.com/travel/NM/ |
15. craft + activism = craftivism.
... institutional design that grabs me. Around ... blogspot Graffiti Archaeology MAKE ... that they are not just my own wakes me to the fact ... we are reconstructing walls born from our own ...
http://www.craftivism.com/blog.html |
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