A lot of people consider it simple vandalism, but, as far as I’m concerned, there’s definitely a place for quality graffiti. And such a thing does exist. Dickheads that go around with a big texta or spray can and just tag anything in sight are vandals; I don’t think anyone would argue with that. But if you’re a good artist and you can take the time to share a good image, then more power to you.
Things like this make the world a better place, for example.
Graffiti is also the domain of insightful social commentary. Where would we be today without some of the toilet wall wisdom that has been passed down through the generations? I’m sure everyone has learned something from a toilet wall during their lifetime, even if it’s only that Megan likes it rough or that Harry is a homo. Not everything is intellectually stimulating, obviously, but you put up with all the dross in order to find the quality. You have to dig through a lot of earth and rock to find a diamond, but no one would consider giving up diamonds altogether, to dangerously overstretch a metaphor.
So, here on The Word, where all things word related fascinate us to an unhealthy degree, graffiti is our free to air drug. I recently came across a few diamonds in the field. From the bizarre:
to the very honest:
From the truly surreal, yet strangely accurate:
to the surreal and droll:
Then there’s the homage to things that really should die, but simply refuse to go away:
And finally, the simple and eternal. My personal favourite thus far:
You can’t touch this.
Now THAT’S what I’d call an interesting position on things. What I would suggest though is speaking to other people actively involved in the scene and bring to light any conflicting points of view and then update your blog or create a new article for us to . Hopefully you’ll take my advice, I’m looking forward to it! Try to cover off on some graffiti characters as well if possible, they’re quite popular at the moment.
Quality vid.