Introduction
Many theories have been produced to suggest what motivates human behaviours and the
concepts of graffiti. Although many areas of these theories have been covered, this review
will focus around the idea of why graffiti is more prevalent in un-surveillanced areas and
not in areas where surveillance is provided. The main themes discussed will include the
laws in the specific area, the surveillance within different areas, theories including the
broken window and the main ‘hot spots’ for graffiti to occur.
Definition
Firstly, Deborah Wiesel (2002) describes graffiti as a wide range of markings, etchings and
paintings that deface public or private property. Other definitions outline that graffiti
includes initials, slogans and any of these can be done using a number of different
mediums. Including paint, spray paint, textas, pens, blades. There are many different types
of graffiti such as tagger graffiti, toilet/desk graffiti, gang related graffiti, political and protest
graffiti and urban art graffiti.
The Queensland Department of Justice (1998) states that there are two forms of
graffiti - graffiti vandalism (which is a crime committed mainly by young people as a
form of rebellion and risk-taking) and graffiti or aerosol art (which is legal and
commissioned by property owners).”
Graffiti comes under the umbrella of vandalism. Vandalism is broad and comes under a
number of categories. In relation to graffiti the definition best suited to this behaviour
outlined by Wilson (1990) is the act of Ideological vandalism which is the damage
committed in order to further a cause or to communicate a message, for example slogans.
History of graffiti
Gra...
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Louis.E & Morgan.A (2009) Research in practice; Key issues in graffiti. Summary paper no.6. The Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved www.aic.gov.au
Ludwig.J & Harcourt.B (2006) Broken Windows: New Evidence from New York City and a Five-City Social Experiement. The University of Chicago Law Review.
Bandaranaike.S (2003). GRAFFITI HOTSPOTS: PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OR HUMAN DIMENSION? The Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved from www.aic.gov.au
Victorian Government (2007). 2007 Graffiti Prevention Act. Retrieved from www.legislation.vic.gov.au
Weisel. D (2002) The Problem of Graffiti. Graffiti Guide No.9. Retrieved 4th May from http://www.popcenter.org/problems/graffiti/print/
Wilson, J.Q., & Kelling, G. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Atlantic Monthly March: 29-38.
The most predominant attribute of a graffiti artist is their mindset, for a graffitist is constantly surveying the streets in search for a new spot to “bomb” as well as examining the work of fellow writers. For instance, when a graffiti artist looks at an empty wall or a distant water tower they envision a canvas suitable for displaying their graffiti. A graffiti artist uses specific terminology when speaking to fellow writers as well as average people interested in this illegal art form. The use of terms, such as “tag,” “throw-up,” and “burner” are used to describe different styles of graffiti letters. In addition, the term “bomb” is used when a graffitist paints on numerous surfaces in a given area. When analyzing the desires of a graffitist, they explain the desire to go “all-city.” The term “all-city” describes a writers’ aspiration to display his graffiti throughout the entire city. The lifestyle of a graffiti artist tends to be more active than that of an average person, for graffitist go “bombing” during late hours of the night. The reason for these late-night paint excursions is to avoid cont...
Webster defines graffiti as an inscription or drawing made on some public surface. Graffiti is often thought of as gang-related, because gangs have traditionally painted their identifying symbols in places to mark their turf.
Graffiti is often understood to mean “any form of unofficial, unsanctioned application of a medium onto a surface” (Lewisohn 2008). There are many terms that are associated with graffiti, including Graffiti Writing and Street Art.
Graffiti is an art form that was bred from the rebellion of youths. The first sighting of graffiti was seen on subways, and other impoverished areas around New York. This form involved what is called tagging , where the artist signs his or her name, nickname, or group name, on the side of a building or other surface. It is well known for its bold, colorful presence and intricate script. It is still prominent and visible in those areas of the Bronx today.
"Tracing the Roots of Modern Street-Art and Graffiti." Tracing the Roots of Modern Street-Art and Graffiti | WebUrbanist. WebUrbanist | From Urban Art & 3D Graffiti to Abandoned Cities. Webist Media Publishing, 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. .
Graffiti forms from Graffito, an ancient inscription. Graffito was found in the form of drawings and writings on walls of Pompeii in the ancient city of Rome. During the 1960’s and 1970’s the phenomenon of this writing was created into Graffiti and opinions began to emerge.
Kabak, Benjamin. "Looking Back at the Battle against Subway Graffiti." Second Ave Sagas RSS. N.p., 09 June 2013. Web. 10 May 2014.
Graffiti has been on the rise in popularity since its beginnings fifty years ago. Danielle Crinnion provides a brief history of graffiti arguing that “Philadelphia
Due to this definition, most people automatically combine graffiti with illegal activity. Therefore, it is considered an illicit or illegal activity simply it is done in a public space. Graffiti it is misunderstood and misrepresented by the media; they twist it into vandalism and call it a gateway into other crimes. How can art be a gateway into stealing and murdering? Society just wants to group us all together into categories kind of like good vs evil. The best art says something about the social and political conditions surrounding the area of the picture. Furthermore the graffiti artist picks special locations to provide an insight into the area. Now some graffiti is words on the side of trains that are to some awful and disrespectful to look at. Nevertheless, be it your street name or an image testifying what’s going on with the world, much like the inequality between men and women, it is still self-expression. A self-expression that the elders of our generation claim to want youth to have but then condemn the same youth if it states anything close to the truth. Graffiti is expensive to take off and cleanup, which is why it is an outlawed activity. Los Angeles County had to spend 28 million dollars on graffiti removal. You know what is expensive, war is expensive, medication is expensive, and cost of living is expensive.
No matter what people say about it, Graffiti is a form of self-expression. It is important to realize the amount of talent and work required to create a piece of graffiti. The scale of such a piece can be small found on a corner to massive one taking up an entire wall. However, there are varying
Looking from the taggers' point of view, one can understand why taggers and graffiti artists draw and do graffiti, but this does not justify the fact that often times this form of self-expression is not acceptable when it is done on other peoples property. Having the opportunity to listen (film, class, talk show) to why taggers and graf...
Common mediums used are stencils, prints, and murals. Graffiti is often considered to be art because of new artists, such as One of the main reasons street art is considered a crime is because it is believed to deface the property of which it has been applied to. Another problem being that Graffiti is costly to clean, in major cities the budget for cleaning graffiti can be in the millions. There is a solution to this problem that one city in Australia has applied. Police in Fremantle, Australia are focusing on getting rid of tags and less desirable graffiti but leaving the rest up because they believe it impacts the “culture and vibrancy of the city.”
Graffiti is a beautiful art that expresses feeling and emotions. However, people think of it differently. Is it a crime or an art? Those talented people, young or old, a teenage, a child or an adult, have a passion for making graffiti art on street walls a...
Although street art and graffiti art seem very similar, upon closer examination the differences in technique, function, culture, and intent are revealed (Weisburg.) ‘“Graffiti (sgraffiti), meaning drawings or scribblings on a flat surface and deriving from the Italian sgraffio (‘scratch’), with a nod to the Greek graphein (‘to write’), originally referred to those marks found on ancient Roman architecture”’(Weisburg). Though, it is unknown when or where graffiti first made an appearance; modern graffiti did not come around until the late 1960’s to early 1970’s in New York. The term “tagging” is the modern form of scratching (Weisburg). It also is considered the origin of all modern graffiti, including street art.