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Graffiti - Graffiti N Tagging
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. C.O.W.A.R.D: Non-Destructive Tagging
... developed to replace graffiti tags, Non-Destructive ... environment. Non-Destructive Tagging is now being used for idea ... the next portion is drawn on & n . The result is a concertina ...
http://www.subculture.org.uk/experience/tags2/ |
2. OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: October Calendar of Releases
... begin when African-born U.N. translator Silvia Broome ... to focus on the subject of graffiti -- the only art form that ... of "bombing" -- the art of "tagging" clean walls with your ...
http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_oct.htm |
3. Ektopia » 2005 » November
... with a band/project called Guns n Guitars, check out their tunes ... amazing. Im not crazy about tagging but there tags in motion are ... Order Of Happiness Futura Graffiti World: Street Art from Five ...
http://www.ektopia.co.uk/ektopia/archives/2005/11/ |
4. ArcadePod.Com: Free Online Games
... Creator (218kb) by Mikael Wig©n [MindGem Graphics] - view all ... you to costumize your own graffiti-styled texts. Save them to ... texts any way you like. Happy tagging! (submitted 09/26/03 ...
http://www.arcadepod.com/ ...isplay.php?cat_id=320 |
5. The Corner on National Review Online
... attacks on the school by vandals spraying graffiti offensive to white people and the school did ... ... is anyone else as irritated as I am by this tagging of legislation with the names of victims ...
http://www.nationalreview ...28_corner-archive.asp |
6. KOAT.com - Local News - City Sues Graffiti Taggers For Cleanup Charges
... E-mail this story | Print this story ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The City of Albuquerque is cracking down on ... ... one of the worst graffiti taggers in the city. Shaffer is accused of tagging 250 sites around ...
http://www.koat.com/news/4139322/detail.html |
7. Adhesive Removers
... and wipes away marker graffiti, labels and stickers ... C Batteries - D Batteries - N Battery Chargers Battery Packs ... Tag Fastening Devices Tags & Tagging Supplies Tally Counters Tape ...
http://www.favoriteoffice ...om/adhesive-removers/ |
8. www.myspace.com/knittaplease
... time with all the tagging? Books new york subway cozies for the soul Groups: Graffiti Artists, Rebel ... ... Purl Nekklas 14KT, MascuKnitity, The Knotorious N.I.T, SonOfaStitch, and Knidiot. www.knittaplease ...
http://www.myspace.com/knittaplease |
9. +++ The Fish Bowl - Make Life More Liveable - Books about graffiti, graf, an...
... info. new: Photo gallery of nyc graffiti, and street art - Graffiti - Graffiti World : Street Art from Five Continents by Nicholas Ganz Harry N Abrams, 2004. 376pp. "Ever since anonymous spray-can art ...
http://www.tenementcity.com/books_graffiti2.html |
10. A History of Rap and Hip Hop
... began performing it. For rock'n roll it was a white American ... FR] [DE] [UK] Some call it tagging, some call it writing, still ... call it bombing--it's all graffiti. Whether it's art or not is ...
http://www.jahsonic.com/Rap.html |
11. Funny URLs and clever witticisms
... like Banksy, I would love to graffiti things, but "tagging" is not where it's at for me.)) So ... ... a single hide, and cost $85. http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7213952.htm l (4 Comments |Comment on this ...
http://haineux.livejournal.com/ |
12. art.blogging.la: July 2004 Archives
... transformed into a graffiti-tagging tool that allows the user to ... waves in the design and graffiti worlds as well as the art ... The Echo Park Film Center (1200 N. Alvarado Street) this Thursday ...
http://art.blogging.la/archives/2004/07/ |
13. Manhattan Wardrobe Supply: Wardrobe Supplies - Film, TV, Theater
... Coats & Clark Coats & Clark O.N.T. Gutermann Cotton Gutermann ... Shipping Tags Tagging Guns Tagging Gun Refills Boxes Tape Tissue ... Tree Sap, Bird Droppings, Graffiti, and Dyes. Directions: Use ...
http://wardrobesupplies.com/store/m2_mjclean.html |
14. IAlog
... how-we-done-it-good papers, N-letter acronym or YABA papers ... Shadows not only supports tagging bookmarks for recall and ... but instead of an overlay of graffiti, Shadows adds a blog-like ...
http://www.prentissriddle.com/blog/ |
15. Purse Lip Square Jaw: October 2004
... to play tricks. Enjoy! Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thinig thu. posted by Anne at 14:51 0 comments ... ... the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Police run a Graffiti Management Program downtown, where management ...
http://www.purselipsquare ..._blogger_archives.php |
16. Graffiti Verite' News
... trains and in subway tunnels, tagging is on the move again, this ... You've won an Accolade! GRAFFITI VERITE' 5: The Sacred ... of THE NEW CHINA PROJECT (T.N.C.P.) series, in Beijing China ...
http://www.graffitiverite ...affitiVeriteNews.html |
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