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Graffiti - Graffiti Vandalism 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. Glass Safety - Nu Shine Glass Tinting Inc.
... Graffiti & Vandalism Protection -- Millions of dollars are spent each year repairing the damage from graffiti and tagging. Anti-Graffiti films are a cost effective solution. Home| Residential Glass ...
http://www.floridatinting.com/saftey.html |
2. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/CyberLRes/1995/video/download/video.txt
... and detecting crime; ï to protect premises from threats to property such as sabotage, arson and vandalism; ï to monitor individual employee work performance; ï to improve customer service by observing ...
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3.
... vigorously through the District Attorney's office. Graffiti is Vandalism Graffiti is a rude inscription or drawing. Tagging is an identifying marker; a name, epithet or identity. Graffiti is ...
http://www.oceansidepolice.com/Graffiti.asp |
4.
... Graffiti tagging is an art with roots in vandalism Throughout history, the ritual destruction of monuments of a previous government or power has been one of the greatest symbols showing the attempt ...
http://vandalism.kiwiki.homeip.net/ |
5. Wireless Wonders: 2005-03-20 - Blog of Paul Golding, Wireless Veteran, 3G, M...
... I am convinced that virtual graffiti will have a much wider ... the "real thing". There's no vandalism involved, which makes it a ... dexterity with spray cans. Air tagging is a more private affair than ...
http://wirelesswonders.bl ...swonders_archive.html |
6. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing
... toward society, and the vandalism thus fulfills some personal ... use numbers as code in gang graffiti. A number may represent the ... Tagbangers, a derivative of tagging crews and gangs, are ...
http://www.popcenter.org/ .../problem-graffiti.htm |
7. Welcome - to Sheffield Safer Communities
... had been subjected to repeated graffiti and vandalism, and had become a local eyesore. Jimi visited ... ... of South Yorkshire Police said: Graffiti or so called tagging is a sign of antisocial behaviour ...
http://www.sheffieldfirstforsafety.net/news3.htm |
8. Neighbourhood Support
... In recent times this has been replaced by "tagging". The typical tagger will scrawl his or her ... ... suffer from this type of vandalism. The defacement of property by graffiti constitutes an offence of ...
http://www.nsupport.co.nz/graffiti.html |
9. Skateboard Parks(tm) - Food Lion SkatePark - Asheville - NORTH CAROLINA
... Image Courtesy of: Food Lion SkatePark Facility Rules: No drugs, alcohol or weapons No tobacco products allowed No profanity or disorderly conduct No vandalism, graffiti, tagging, or other means of ...
http://www.skateboardpark ...rthcarolina/foodlion/ |
10. The New York City Transit Authority in the 1980s
... responsibility for fighting graffiti and vandalism was divided between two departments, and it ... ... trains would reduce the possibility of graffiti vandals tagging trains stored outside of yards. The ...
http://www.nycsubway.org/ ...story-nycta1980s.html |
11. Pinnacle Armor -[ Facility Armor / Anti-Graffiti ]- Body Armor and Armoring ...
... Armor / Anti-Graffiti Vandalism & Graffiti Anti-Graffiti ... replacement glass. The Anti-Graffiti film offers a surface ... are either scratching or paint tagging your windows while in fact ...
http://www.pinnaclearmor. ...mor/anti-graffiti.php |
12. Graffiti - Advice - Encams
... has been for 'tagging', the stylised scrawling of names, which originated in America. However, to those whose property is defaced by graffiti the markings are a form of vandalism - unwelcome ...
http://www.encams.org/advice/main2.asp?pageid=43 |
13. Tips, solutions, answers and how tos for paint contractors by Sherwin-Williams
... a 27-year-old stockbroker who drove to tagging sites in his BMW. In response, several city ... ... first-hand how it drives business away. Graffiti vandalism can negatively impact entire ...
http://www.sherwin-willia .../problem/tips/tag.jsp |
14. Anti-graffiti concrete sealer
... this costly and ugly common form of vandalism is an anti graffiti chemical coating for the outside of ... ... tag to have it repainted or scrubbed. Though tagging is never really going to go away completely in ...
http://www.concretesealerfaq.com/antigraffiti.htm |
15. graffiti
... other reports of a similar vehicle spotted near tagging activity, now they have the license. The ... ... manager as soon as possible when you find graffiti vandalism on your property. Assistance and ...
http://www.franklinhills.org/graffiti.html |
16. Creative Generalist
... It added character to some of the city's most boring areas and was definitely not the messy tagging typically associated with graffiti vandalism. And still on the topic of graffiti, Wired News has an ...
http://creativegeneralist ...neralist_archive.html |
17. City Manager's Office Home
... paint over graffiti immediately to discourage tagging. Giving businesses and homeowners tips to ... ... City Council March 27, 2006 to discourage graffiti vandalism. Highlights of the City Graffiti ...
http://www.sioux-city.org ..._manager/graffiti.asp |
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