Cruel Vapors; is graffiti an illness or a cure?
From Mod Mania
Graffiti is considered by many as a rash on society, adolescent vandalism and a plague set to destroy mankind and suck us all into the 5th dimension of hell... apparently. In this piece I will weigh the pros and cons of graffiti on society, how it is developing, graffiti deterrents, the uses of graffiti, stencil vs. Graf, and where it all began.
In the 1970's New York was in a social decline, its economy was falling and patriotism was at an all time low. Whilst the city was slowly corroding someone in Manhattan wrote on a wall TAKI 183. Although there where many others, TAKI 183 is largely regarded as the first repeated tag. These first taggers included their name and street numbers as a first step toward identity, attention, and respect in an otherwise stark and ruthless city. The intrigue grew of the mystery writer TAKI 183 in the mid 1970's. He was the first to go "all-city", a title reserved for the graffiti artist that gained visual prominence throughout all five boroughs of New York City. Before long new tags where popping up everywhere you could fit a spray can. In a constant competition between rival artists to gain dominance in a specific area, which in turn earnt them respect. "Recognition for TAKI 183 and enthusiasm for the burgeoning graffiti scene was stoked when, in 1971, the New York Times published an article about the omnipresence of the messenger's curious mark. It quickly led to surge in tagging. (Amos Klausner Core77..)". These early taggers didn't rebel against society with any malice or intent to harm, it was a simple way to gain pride and escape the extreme poverty in which they lived. Most of these 'ghetto dwellers' had nothing to look forward to in later life, most expected themselves to end up in prison anyway, so getting caught for vandalism seemed like child's play for what their peers where getting into. They could use an alter ego or 'pseudonym' and become an entirely different person, a person who isn't constrained by the rules of the government and the society that condemns them. This was the origin of graffiti as we know it and a basis for all street art today.
Since then Graffiti has spread like wild fire due to its accessibility. Everyone is a potential graffiti artist; all they need is a wall. There are also far greater pros in becoming a Graf artist than cons. The thrill of breaking the law, the fame and respect from being renowned for your work, the social aspect of making new friends and if your really good... the money. A handful of graffiti artists are using walls as advertising devises, by putting their name and artwork up everywhere they can create a fan base of potential buyers the next time they have an exhibition. This notoriety can be useful for earning a living as an artist. There are also social and political messages portrayed through some pieces, but I will get to that later when i discuss stencil art. With many great things there are also a handful of cons. It’s a tough competitive scene, its not just the rivaling crews you need to gain respect from, it’s the general public. Even though graffiti isn’t socially accepted, and graffiti artists as a rule don’t write for the public; they write for themselves and others like them, there is still acceptance for some accomplished artists, while others are regarded as the problem with graffiti such as "toys". A "toy" is an inexperienced or incompetent writer. Someone whose writing is either weak, who uses sucker tips, or who bites (biting is copying another artists style, considered a big no-no among the Graf community). One old definition of "TOYS" is that it stands for "trouble on your system". Another large con is the illegality of it. Nowadays they have implemented an on the spot fine of $550 to anyone carrying a spray can, once you are caught three times you get a court summons and may face a large fine or community service. Even though there are deterrents for graffiti it will never be stopped, there are always people willing to push the boundaries no matter at what cost.
There are many different uses of graffiti in society; as expression whether it be radical, political or just free form. As art or decorative expression. Sometimes its just a matter of crew representation "turf wars" to gain control of certain areas (often gang related). Depending on its content, it may be designed to elicit shock, anger, amusement, joy, desire, or introspection. Yet no matter what feeling the art is trying to evoke, its all expression. The political nature of the act itself takes much of the pressure off of writers to supply politically-charged content; the meaning is in the act, and the resulting image can be purely ornamental and still carry the same weight. For the creator, this protest is often felt as natural expression, without malice or anger. As one writer put it in an interview with Art Crimes:
"Many people have the urge to write their names places to commemorate being there. People don't get upset when they hear stories of "Kilroy was Here" or kids scratching in Janet + Joe on a tree. But somehow when writing gets associated with the city and kids from all races and backgrounds get together to express themselves in some rebellious way right in the face of everyone, it gets associated with evil. Then officials feel the need to go over graffiti with plain flat paint. The thing that they don't understand is that they are expressing themselves just as much as we are when we put our name or crew up. Unfortunately they don't have the creativity that we do."
Over the past 10 years there has been a boom in the quantity and quality of stencil art. This is largely due to one man; BANKSY (http://www.banksy.co.uk/menu.html). Residing in England, BANKSY is regarded by most as the best, the pinnacle, the King of graffiti. Stencil art differs entirely from traditional graffiti, where graffiti roams in the boarders of aesthetics and skill; stencil art is about sending a message and being thought provoking. Usually politically based, stencil art is appealing for its repetitious qualities. You can re-use the same stencil over and over again to create different effects and cover a large area. Also, it is much quicker than regular graffiti, in which a major piece might take an artist upwards of 3 hours to complete; a lot of the time having to come back over a period of days, stencil art is created at home and "thrown up" in a matter of seconds. BANKSY also made a name for himself with his amazing locations; from putting his artwork up in national galleries unbeknownst to the curators, to inside lion's cages at the zoo with thought bubbles like "get me out of here". The ability to influence people on a daily basis creates a way of letting your voice be heard (even if no-one knows who you are) because most of the time with stencil art it’s about the greater good, whereas graffiti is about showing your skills as an artist.
Different artists prefer using different branded markers and different tipped spray cans all for different reasons, and because you’re all dying to know, ill go over some with you. If you order from America then the preferred brand is MTN 400ml (Spanish Montana) if you are new to painting the hardcore range is very good, the paint comes out very fast so it teaches good can control. If you’re more experienced and are more into painting characters or Tec work then the Alien ranges are far superior. If you are in Europe/Australia then Belton or Montana Gold are the best spray paints. Montana gold is not the same company as Montana MTN in America, it is by far the BEST spray paint you can get, it has a special hi and low pressure valve built into the can and covers better then any other paint. The markers that have a spring loaded felt tip are best to use since they can write on any surface and give sharp edge definitions. Such markers are 'KRINK', 'On the run' and 'POSCA'. Brands that 'Toys' use; Rust-oleum, which no-one good has used since 1983 (because you have to let it dry for hours before you can even paint cutbacks), Mean streak and KRYLON. Over the years Markers and cans have gotten more sophisticated. The standard spray can nozzles or "sucker-tips" (named because only a toy would use them to paint with) are a thing of the past. Fat-caps and flare-tips are the two most commonly used due to their control and ability to fill large spaces with sharp edges. Softball tips are used commonly for tagging and are named so because the spray mark resembles a softball. Some tips are also referred to by finger sizes, a four-finger spray would be four fingers wide.
Since its beginning Graffiti has evolved from simple legible tagging, to advanced writing, to artistic tagging, to developing different and unique styles, to creating large scale pieces, to realistic images, to provoking ideas and thoughts and generally influencing people during their day to day lives. It has become a sub-culture that has even found its way into the media and advertising campaigns; over time graffiti's image has endured changes and mutations that have altered its popularity in a larger social context. The ability to use Graffiti to reach a target audience considered to be searching for a counter-cultural identity is now being employed by many companies.
"International conglomerates like Sprite have worked diligently to embrace a 'hip-hop' image that will fuel astronomical sales. Through the use of graffiti kings like Totem, of the legendary Tats Cru in the Bronx, New York, Sprite has utilized consultation on their 'hip-hop' inspired, graffiti-infused, "Obey Your Thirst" campaign in their effort to circumvent governmental officials to reach an ever-expanding teen market."(Sandra Allen, http://www.graffiti.org/faq/esposito.html)
Graffiti tends to be overlooked as an art form and seen as needless vandalism by bored teens with nothing better to do then paint a wall then sniff it. People react as if it is harming them on a daily basis, as if one day a giant piece of graffiti will jump off the wall and stab them. I’m not saying its a victimless crime, we have to take into account the shop owners and businessmen who have to continuously re-paint their walls, which i honestly don’t see a point in, because lets face it your walls were shit to begin with. Having a drab marine grey shop front won’t attract customers anymore than if you were to keep the colorful inviting artwork on the walls.
When asked about graffiti most people say it’s ruining their day-to-day life, invading their thoughts with propaganda, yet those same people don’t seem at all upset at the giant neon billboard outside their house with COCA-COLA sprawled across it in giant buzzing letters. The government once again controls what you think, whether it be that graffiti's bad, or commercialisms good. Because for their society to thrive prosperously into the new millennium, the last thing they need is some street kids painting images of rats saying "it’s not a race", or a young girl watering a pot plant with a surveillance camera in it. On the whole we believe we make our own decisions, yet most of the time they're made for us. Its time for us to consider if those decisions are coming from the right source.
PSYKES 3139271
References;
http://www.at149st.com/taki.html http://www.kolahstudio.com/Underground/?p=310 http://www.crispinsartwell.com/grafflang.htm http://www.crispinsartwell.com/graff.htm http://www.graffiti.org/faq/vamos.html http://www.graffiti.org/faq/d_amico.html http://www.core77.com/development/reactor/04.07_klausner.asp
