The turmoil caused by painting over graffiti murals at Cairo’s Tahrir Square in Egypt

This article by the Associated Press is very interesting.  In the previous post I linked to a video of  young protestors in Egypt who are using graffiti as a powerful tool of public communication.  The government is “buffing” the work of these young artist.  Many see this as a continuation of a dictatorship which is a threat to freedom.

Revolutionary Graffiti of Cairo, Egypt

The graffiti of these young egyptian protestors tells the story of the battles of the recent violence which has taken place in Cairo.  This video seems to demonstrate some community interests in what this artwork expresses and the history that is tells.  Many people of Cairo see it as a violation of human expression to have the city remove the graffiti.  It’s interesting to compare our local graffiti to this work.  Although the graffiti of Seattle is not as explicitly embedded with messages of violence, it seems to evoke a similar feeling of disparity, it seems to embody similar battles of class and power.

Short Documentary of Two Local Artist @ Tubs

Interview with Street Artist No Touching Ground

Street Artist No Touching Ground

No Touching Ground has produced some amazing and provocative work throughout Seattle.  Check out his website!  He is greatly influenced by his experiences in Alaska.  Much of his work in Seattle plays with the juxtaposition of natural with urban landscapes.  He was kind enough to conduct this interview with me via email:

(NF) What relationship (if any) do you see you work having to the ubiquitous

graffiti/tagging found throughout the city of Seattle?  What differences?

(NTG) My work is lumped in with graffiti, because in the eyes of the law-

it’s all the same. I don’t consider myself a graffiti artist.

Graffiti is pure destruction. I’m not interested in that. I’m

interested in creating an ephemeral narrative- my work isn’t about

destruction.  At this point in my life I’m looking to make the least

amount of impact on this world as possible. I’m not attempting to

carve a portrait into a mountain.

(NF) Have you been influenced by the concepts and grammar of graffiti, or do

you see graffiti as totally separate type of expression that just happens

to take place where it is visible to the public?  If yes, What similar

purpose does it serve for human expression?

(NTG) My work and the work of graffiti artists are similar only in the fact

that they are unwanted forms of human expression according to the law.

Granted the work exists in the public realm, however, my work focuses

on site specific, disused spaces, and abandoned structures.  Graffiti

artists aren’t nearly as specific; abundance is the name of the game.

(NF) Do you believe that what you and other graffiti artists do should be

considered illegal?  How does the legality of street art contribute to its

meaning?

(NTG) Whether it is legal or not doesn’t really concern me.  I think that

cities should create public space for people to express themselves; it

would at least create an example of democracy in a public space.  It

would offset some of the advertisements were subjected to on a daily

basis.  I, however, don’t see my work going into those places.  Much

like skateboard parks, I’m not interested in participating in these

institutional structures.  I feel like these resemble the reservation

model, set up by the government to contain what they deem as a

problem.  However, I feel like this is my own rhetoric and my

justifications don’t necessarily pertain to the general public.

I do think that the illegality of creating work in the street carries

some weight. When things are permissible then the urgency is lost –

the risk no longer exists. I think graffiti and most works put up in

the street need that edge. Or that edge itself provokes the most raw

or pure human expression.

Exciting Interview

From my October 30th post,  I will be interviewing past Seattle street artist No Touching Ground via emial.  Expect to see our conversation regarding the connection of his work to graffiti soon.

A process of socialization that should be acknowledged before being dismissed

We are socialized to experience graffiti in certain ways.  I believe this is really why I prefer some graffiti over others.   In the social constructions in how we experience space, we learn particular cues which influence how we view our surroundings.  When we encounter a stop sign, the stop sign in itself dosen’t  imply us to hit the brakes in our car.  Through very complex systems of meaning creation, we learn how to interact with the signage.  But what happens when this process of learning is interrupted? The picture below demonstrates an interesting example.  The addition of , “watching tv” interrupts established systems of understanding.  The sign that was originally intended to be a part of a complex system of social control becomes an politicized. I find it common in many examples of graffiti that the work becomes an opportunity to challenge old paradigms.   I honestly have a mixed reactions to such work.  I experience some discomfort because this act  is an statutory violation of social and legal code, but I can also laugh because I am familiar with the narrative of how many people watch far too much television.  Some may say what was done to this sign is wrong in all circumstances while others might argue that I offers a chance to reflect on a problem.

At the corner of Brooklyn and 42 Ave NW

Hateful graffiti hits home

Racist graffiti marks the UW campus for second time this year

July 10, 2012 at 8:39 PM | Jimmy Lovaas

Racist slurs and swastikas were found scrawled throughout the Communications Building last week. In all, the culprit hit six different areas of the building.

The racist and inflammatory graffiti was quickly removed, but it marks the second known time this year someone has used a marker to write racist symbols. The first time, the target was a Jewish student in Haggett Hall; this time, the targets are believed to be Jewish and African-American staff and faculty members whose offices are in the Communications Building.

There is no evidence that the two incidents are tied together, but according to UWPD Cmdr. Steve Rittereiser the slurs and swastikas the vandals used in both incidents were consistent with the type of language white supremacists use.

Communications Department Chair David Domke said the graffiti was originally noticed last Tuesday evening. The following morning, a staff member reported it to UWPD after finding a large swastika drawn on an office door.

When police officers investigated, they found more swastikas drawn in an elevator and on a wall, racist slurs on a stairwell window and door, and the words “whites only” written on a stairwell door and bench.

Ansel Herz, a program operations specialist whose office door was targeted, said he was shocked to see the swastika on his door when he arrived to work that morning.

“I was taken aback and kind of dumbfounded,” Herz said. “I didn’t have any inkling that something like that was going to happen during my time here at UW.”

Later that day, after Herz said he was able to think about what had happened, he posted a message on Twitter: “To whoever drew the swastika I found on my office door this morning: You don’t scare me.”

Herz said that although he has no idea if he was specifically targeted, the UWPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime since his surname is common among Germans of Jewish heritage.

“Maybe they saw my name and that’s why they drew this kind of large swastika on my door,” Herz said. “I think it’s kind of sad and pathetic.”

Domke said that, although he doesn’t want to give more attention to the incident than it deserves, he also wants to make it clear where his department stands.

“This is unacceptable,” Domke said. “It’s gutless that somebody would do this and run. We are a place where people of all backgrounds are embraced. This type of act only affirms our commitment. … This is a place where all are welcome and always will be.”

Luis Fraga, associate vice provost for faculty advancement and the director of the UW Diversity Research Institute, said that even isolated incidents of this type should be examined.

“It can be an indication of an individual or small group of individuals that have a particular point of view,” Fraga said. “Or, one can interpret it as reflective of a larger set of concerns that still exist in our society.”

Fraga said one of the major challenges facing colleges today is providing a supportive climate to faculty members who do diversity work. Even though he believes the UW has committed itself in many different ways to supporting diversity, Fraga said that “instances like this where faculty feel attacked” do not help.

“The institution’s response to these incidences is extremely important in contributing to the way in which the faculty member understands the value that he or she has at the institution,” Fraga said. “So it’s important for institutions to respond to indicate that this sort of behavior is not acceptable and not within the values of the institution. … So the institution has to make some judgments as to how it will respond.”

So far, the only visible response has been to clean up the graffiti.

Jess Gonzalez, a senior majoring in history and Latin American and Caribbean studies, said the slurs offend her, and that cleaning up the graffiti isn’t enough.

“They can’t just take it down immediately and pretend it didn’t happen,” Gonzalez said. “That doesn’t address the bigger issue, and that’s that racism and prejudice are still a major problem. Not just here, but everywhere. … Sweeping this under the rug is really missing out on a critical opportunity to educate, and that’s what we’re here for.”

No suspects have been identified, and the UWPD is conducting an investigation. Anyone with information can reach UWPD at 206-685-8973.

Reach reporter Jimmy Lovaas at news@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @JimLovaas

Street artist who seems to be drawing from the vernacular and grammar of graffiti, but doing something significantly different

You may recognize this artists work around town.  Some of his more recognizable works are the Man in Flight, or memorial dedicated to John T. Williams, the Native American who was shot by a Seattle police officer in 2011.

Seattle Grrrl Army using graffiti as a way to communicate a strong message

This is an interesting KPLU interview that frames what the girl army is about and what motivates their desire to paint the city pink.  

by Nils Finholt 9/27/2012

I am also intrigued by the discussion which took place at the bottom of the KPLU  interview:

fremonster • 12 days ago

yea, illegally defacing a building with pepto pink paint and painting in giant letters “HO” on the wall. Really awesome. You know what would have been more awesome? If they had asked the people who lived in that neighborhood (like me, and like the elementary school that is directly behind it) if we were ok with it. If we were ok that they are making it seem like this area of fremont is still a “red light district” like it says on their tumblr page. When in fact, NO. It is not. I have no seen ONE prostitute in my neighborhood in over 2 years. You know why? Because they closed the crap motels they were shooting up in and working out of several years ago. But yea, who cares, right? It’s not their neighborhood. Nice to know we did all that work cleaning up our community for these guys to come in, paint all over it, and advertise their cause. Never mind that they don’t even really seem to do anything but run out in the middle of the night and graffiti all over other peoples property. Hey guys..get a better hobby. Or better yet, why not actually DO something instead of defacing private property?

• motorplacer 9 days ago

  Fellow Fremonster here, You may not have considered this, but there are members of Grrrl Army who are your neighbors. In fact, at least one of them went to BF Day, the elementary school down the street from the Thunderbird Motel site, and I’m guessing her childhood has at least partially informed her sense of social justice that compels her work with Grrrl Army. So, you weren’t asked permission. Big Deal. I wasn’t asked permission when Starbucks moved into Fremont (which still burns me) or when The Bridge Motel became the site of a public art event (which was AWESOME.) But, what Grrrl Army has done is to shed some light on issues that are more complex and more poorly represented than the concerns of property value. They brilliantly use derelict property to bring a message of Social Justice to the public awareness. They are, in fact, DOING something. Ps: Your “we did all the work” statement rings hollow. You might consider dropping it from your argument. Seattle native, on Motor Place since 1999

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/seattle-grrl-army http://www.facebook.com/SeattleGrrrlArmy

Some who feel that graffiti posses more of a problem

Many feel that graffiti detracts from the local commerce and general quality of the University District.

I too have seen many examples which are harder to understand.  Should we as the general public be disturbed by this?  As anyone who traveled through the University District knows, this type of tagging is everywhere and an ongoing issue for many homeowners and businesses.

 

Taken at near the intersection of 45th and 5th AVE NE