Graffiti Goes Green
In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism. Graffiti has since evolved into a pop culture existence often related to underground hip hop music and break dancing, creating a lifestyle that remains hidden from the general public. Graffiti is also used as a gang signal to mark territory or to serve as an indicator or "tag" for gang-related activity. Spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials.
- [Wikipidia]
As an urban youth worker, condemning graffiti as purely vandalism seems wrong. I would guess that most would encourage using it as a positive outlet for creativity by designating areas for the “artwork”. But what are the other consequences of traditional graffiti art? Using spray paint often causes other problems including both personal and environmental health risks in the community. Spray paint is also quite permanent which restricts where it can be used appropriately. This undermines a large part of what graffiti was formed upon; random social commentary and beatification of spaces all over the city.
A new movement of graffiti artists are bringing this back in a new way that does not involve the hazards of spray paint. The most prominent of these uses moss instead of paint. By painting on walls with specially made “glue”, graffiti artists are using moss to make a living self decomposing works of art.
Other outlets of graffiti that are emerging include reverse graffiti and guerrilla gardening. Reverse graffiti is a method of cleaning only portions of an area to create a stenciled image of clean and grit. Guerilla gardening is a form of graffiti that is a bit out of the box. Guerilla gardeners find areas that have been neglected and beautify them by planting vegetables and flowers in the otherwise vacant area. This is a great outlet for kids interested in gardening within the city.
By no means is this encouraging the defacing of private property but there is a lot of work that can be done to promote a healthier alternative to the tradition of graffiti art within a set of proper boundaries. Check out a few more of these articles.
What are your thoughts, projects, or ideas about the greening of graffiti?
Posted On: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 -- Posted By: Taylor Voss
Categories: Articles
Tags: Gang, Urban Life
Responses