Why do people graffiti?

NachoBusiness

Was just down in the IFI and this thread came to mind when I seen this in one of the cubicles.

EnergyBlaster

Andre 3000 wrote: »

It's one of the elements of Hip Hop. Done right it's beautiful and one of the truest forms of art. It's just a shame everyone labels it as the work of scumbags when they see it on their walk to the city offices.

What does - "One of the truest forms of art" mean?

bodice ripper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRq8eAqD5qw

Ally Dick

There is a house near where I live which has a garden door. The owner told me that he is constantly having to re-paint the side of the door facing out towards the public, as some toerag keeps spraying graffiti on it. The last time he repainted it, he found a note pinned to it. He couldn't believe what the note said "Mister, there is no point in you repainting this door the whole time. We'll keep coming back and spraying on your door". What a horrible shower of yobs there are in this country

Del.Monte

tomwaterford wrote: »

Is it not relatively harmless and done by idle/bored people?

Can be easily painted over....really doesn't seem something to be getting worked up over

Just for you.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDPaufCHsLA/VmDEqz5i92I/AAAAAAAAEOU/3OhjFpDEyEs/s1600/Serpentine%2BAve%2BLC.PNG

Sand

Ally Dick wrote: »

There is a house near where I live which has a garden door. The owner told me that he is constantly having to re-paint the side of the door facing out towards the public, as some toerag keeps spraying graffiti on it. The last time he repainted it, he found a note pinned to it. He couldn't believe what the note said "Mister, there is no point in you repainting this door the whole time. We'll keep coming back and spraying on your door". What a horrible shower of yobs there are in this country

I doubt such a well written or caring note could be left by lads who would graffiti it in the first place. Surely they would have left something shorter and more to the point?

Ally Dick

Sand wrote: »

I doubt such a well written or caring note could be left by lads who would graffiti it in the first place. Surely they would have left something shorter and more to the point?

My interpretation of the note was that it was not caring. It was a spiteful note I thought, where the vandalous b@stard was saying that the owner would never ever have a graffiti free door while they were around

DEFTLEFTHAND

Ally Dick wrote: »

My interpretation of the note was that it was not caring. It was a spiteful note I thought, where the vandalous b@stard was saying that the owner would never ever have a graffiti free door while they were around

Maybe he should repaint it one more time then try and install some sort of temporary surveillance device to catch the dirty gurrier in the act.

Although thinking about it the piece of filth probably hoods up when he commits these acts of vandalism. The only other option would to sit and wait for the delinquent thug to show up with his little spray cans.

topmanamillion

Sand wrote: »

I doubt such a well written or caring note could be left by lads who would graffiti it in the first place. Surely they would have left something shorter and more to the point?

Ya prick dun repant da dur well b bac
Better?

dubscottie

One thing that made me happy was when I read that "grift" (the bollox that covered everything in Dublin about 10 years ago) was caught and got 6 months in the joy.

IIRC it was circa €40,000 worth of damage he did to IrishRail property alone.

Mesrine65

Cienciano wrote: »

I like good graffiti, but I've never seen anything close to good in Ireland. In Brussels a few days ago and went past a tram station, had these on it:
http://www.brusselspictures.com/wp-content/photos/graffiti-de-wand-station/IMG_9222.jpg


Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPsoXvZKbw

Mutton Lane Inn in Cork has some promising graffiti!?

http://www.visittheirish.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Mutton-Lane-Inn-Graffitti.jpg

Mesrine65

the evasion_kid wrote: »

i was thinking more serges art gallery in beverly hills cop

Just for you TEK :pac:

Doc

Are grey walls considered beautiful now?

Why is this:
http://www.3rd-axis.com/images/Alleyway_02.jpg
considered appropriate and nice.

And This:
http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/001/06/melbourne-street-art-laneways-graffiti-cbd-melbour1.jpg
Considered ugly and bad? Because I would say the opposite.

Many would say that people who have made use of a run-down building to create their art are in fact using their environment to its full potential. It is giving a neglected building a new purpose. Graffiti seems to happen most often in the ugliest of places. Perhaps there something about the location's lack of upkeep, or state of abandonment, that inspires the act.

There are a number of reasons why people will graffiti and each person who dose it will have a slightly different justification. There is no one reason why someone will do it.

Personal I don't often mind graffiti particularly skilfully done.

If you are rich you can pay for a billboard and put anything you want on it expressing your option or show off your product. We are constantly bombarded with images that are not of our choosing in the form of advertising and we rarely object about that, even though research repeatedly demonstrates that these images powerfully manipulate us. If you are poor there is no legal option to do the same. There is however graffiti.

Tagging conveys a number of messages, from saying "hello, I'm here" to being a territorial marker and an expression of rage against authority. Youths who are generally not very successful at making their mark in more mainstream ways, who are not driven by person-orientated destructive impulses (on the scale of “acting out”, graffiti does not physically harm people), but who feel a significant need to be noticed and to register their discontent without being caught. There is a special thrill in engaging in low-risk, highly ritualized, antisocial behaviour that also offers territorial and artistic competition, has massive impact of a largely negative kind (the very aim of adolescence is to” give the finger” to “the man” and society at large), to “damage” that which is held sacred by all of us who buy into the dream of assets, possessions, the supremacy of individual rights. Of course, here I am referring to “bombing” or illegal graffiti, and more specifically, repetitive tagging of a code name.

Vic_08

Doc wrote: »

Are grey walls considered beautiful now?

Why is this:
http://www.3rd-axis.com/images/Alleyway_02.jpg
considered appropriate and nice.

It isn't.

Because
a) there is a sh1tty tag on the wall on the left
b) it isn't real, it's a cgi image from a computer game.

Doc wrote: »

And This:
http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/001/06/melbourne-street-art-laneways-graffiti-cbd-melbour1.jpg
Considered ugly and bad? Because I would say the opposite.

It is certainly ugly, just like 99.99999% of all gaffiti. It is only bad if the owners of the walls and the community at large (through planning regs, etc) have not given permission for the walls to be painted like that.

Doc wrote: »

Many would say that people who have made use of a run-down building to create their art are in fact using their environment to its full potential. It is giving a neglected building a new purpose.

And many more would say the opposite, but none are given a choice because the scumbags just deface whatever they want without any consideration of the wishes of those who have to live with it.

Doc wrote: »

Graffiti seems to happen most often in the ugliest of places. Perhaps there something about the location's lack of upkeep, or state of abandonment, that inspires the act.

Bullsh1t. The graffiti makes the places appear ugly and abandoned, especially when it goes unchecked and inspires more "creatives" to add their daubs to the area.

Doc wrote: »

There are a number of reasons why people will graffiti and each person who dose it will have a slightly different justification. There is no one reason why someone will do it.

Personal I don't often mind graffiti particularly skilfully done.

If you are rich you can pay for a billboard and put anything you want on it expressing your option or show off your product. We are constantly bombarded with images that are not of our choosing in the form of advertising and we rarely object about that, even though research repeatedly demonstrates that these images powerfully manipulate us. If you are poor there is no legal option to do the same. There is however graffiti.

Tagging conveys a number of messages, from saying "hello, I'm here" to being a territorial marker and an expression of rage against authority. Youths who are generally not very successful at making their mark in more mainstream ways, who are not driven by person-orientated destructive impulses (on the scale of “acting out”, graffiti does not physically harm people), but who feel a significant need to be noticed and to register their discontent without being caught. There is a special thrill in engaging in low-risk, highly ritualized, antisocial behaviour that also offers territorial and artistic competition, has massive impact of a largely negative kind (the very aim of adolescence is to” give the finger” to “the man” and society at large), to “damage” that which is held sacred by all of us who buy into the dream of assets, possessions, the supremacy of individual rights. Of course, here I am referring to “bombing” or illegal graffiti, and more specifically, repetitive tagging of a code name.

:rolleyes:

BMMachine

historic buildings no.
peoples homes no.
random **** looking concrete buildings - hell yeah

foggy_lad

Cienciano wrote: »

I like good graffiti, but I've never seen anything close to good in Ireland. In Brussels a few days ago and went past a tram station, had these on it:
http://www.brusselspictures.com/wp-content/photos/graffiti-de-wand-station/IMG_9222.jpg


Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPsoXvZKbw

Most of the "graffiti" like this stuff is not painted by scumbags with spray cans in the dead of night but is very often commissioned by the property owners or companies.

Most real illegally painted graffiti is done by criminals who have no respect for their society and no respect for other people or their property, most are mentally/psychosocially retarded and most are regular users of illegal drugs and will never do well in life or in society.

NachoBusiness wrote: »

Was just down in the IFI and this thread came to mind when I seen this in one of the cubicles.

I hope you stuck the lump of tissue back when you were finished!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Like any other art form, it's done as an act of self-expression. The fact that someone ay or may not like it, or that it may or may not be illigal or even ethical. Art doesn't have to be nice and it doesn't have to be legal.

The fact that it's done surrepticiously or undercover is also an expression of the self. The artists are attracted by the rebelliousness and create acts of defiance. Most of them see it as a challenge to paint complex pieces in places where they could easily get caught and then not caught.

Vic_08 wrote: »

It is certainly ugly, just like 99.99999% of all gaffiti. It is only bad if the owners of the walls and the community at large (through planning regs, etc) have not given permission for the walls to be painted like that.

What exactly do you find ugly about it? The colours? The form? The overall composition of the piece?

How exactly does the legality enhance the quality of the piece? I mean, either it's a visually-pleasing piece to you, or it isn't.

Doc

Vic_08 wrote: »

It isn't.

Because
a) there is a sh1tty tag on the wall on the left
b) it isn't real, it's a cgi image from a computer game.

So the fact that there is a tag (that I missed) on the wall and it is a cgi image are the only reasons this isn't beautiful?
http://www.australiastockphotos.com/_tentacle/files/images/upload/mc0005f_(2).jpg

This is a alleyway that isn't CGI or have any tags. As it passes the two points you made is this alleyway beautiful?

Vic_08 wrote: »

It is certainly ugly, just like 99.99999% of all gaffiti. It is only bad if the owners of the walls and the community at large (through planning regs, etc) have not given permission for the walls to be painted like that.

Saying this is ugly is your opinion and one that is not shared by the huge numbers of people who actually visit this allyway and take photographs there.

Vic_08 wrote: »

And many more would say the opposite, but none are given a choice because the scumbags just deface whatever they want without any consideration of the wishes of those who have to live with it.

Many would say the opposite but just because it is your opinion doesn't mean it is the most prevalent one.

Vic_08 wrote: »

Bullsh1t. The graffiti makes the places appear ugly and abandoned, especially when it goes unchecked and inspires more "creatives" to add their daubs to the area.

This is a ridicules statement. How exactly is it "Bull****" that Graffiti happens most often in places that are ugly and abandoned. Graffiti isn't what makes it look like that. A place becomes ugly and abandoned and then Graffiti starts appearing on it. A beautiful well maintained area is far less likely to be covered in Graffiti then an ugly dilapidated area. The Graffiti doesn't cause it.

Which area looks more ugly and abandoned?
https://emmasalkild.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/mel1.jpg
or
https://a0.muscache.com/locations/uploads/photo/image/24185/0_4200_0_2800_one_alleyway-mb9104.jpg

In and of itself the graffiti dose not cause anywhere to look dilapidated and abandoned.

Also what exactly do you mean by

Vic_08 wrote: »

:rolleyes:

If you disagree with anything I have said then say so. Simply quoting a large part of my post and adding a smiley adds nothing to a conversation.

Also you do realise this Thread asks why people graffiti and I was answering the question.

Doc

foggy_lad wrote: »

Most of the "graffiti" like this stuff is not painted by scumbags with spray cans in the dead of night but is very often commissioned by the property owners or companies.

Most real illegally painted graffiti is done by criminals who have no respect for their society and no respect for other people or their property, most are mentally/psychosocially retarded and most are regular users of illegal drugs and will never do well in life or in society.

Is this a joke? Do you think the people who paint commissioned pieces have never gone out with spray cans in the dead of night? Where do you think they learned to do what they are now getting paid to do? Do they suddenly stop being mentally / psychosocially retarded and using illegal drugs when they get this commission?

Look I get that most graffiti is not great but by and large it is done by teenagers with spray cans not crazed junkies.

Insect Overlord

foggy_lad wrote: »

Most real illegally painted graffiti is done by criminals who have no respect for their society and no respect for other people or their property, most are mentally/psychosocially retarded and most are regular users of illegal drugs and will never do well in life or in society.

Nicely put! You just forgot to question their mothers' sexual decency, and to mention their worship of Satan, but otherwise that's a perfectly vicious description you've got there.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

An File wrote: »

Nicely put! You just forgot to question their mothers' sexual decency, and to mention their worship of Satan, but otherwise that's a perfectly vicious description you've got there.

I totally disagree. Post lacked any mention of the word "liberal" and failed to request the death peanlty. D- for me.

py2006

NachoBusiness wrote: »

Was just down in the IFI and this thread came to mind when I seen this in one of the cubicles.

You used it, didn't you? :eek:

kupus

An File wrote: »

Nicely put! You just forgot to question their mothers' sexual decency, and to mention their worship of Satan, but otherwise that's a perfectly vicious description you've got there.

But the reality is, hes not far from the truth.

Any time i see graffiti i think scumbags marking their turf like a dog pishing on nettles.
Vandalism full stop.

Ally Dick

The funniest graffiti I ever saw was a poster at Salthill dart station with two bottles of cider on it.
Someone drew faces onto both of the bottles and put a bubble coming out of one of them saying "Suck my big apple-y willy"

Calibos

Some Chinese Tourist got into trouble for tagging his name on the Great Pyramid of Giza. It defaced the archaeologically important graffiti left by Montgomerys 8th Army on the Great Pyramid of Giza which defaced the archaeologically important graffiti left by Napoleons Grande Armee on the Great Pyramid of Giza that defaced the archaeologically important graffiti left by Caesar's legions on the Great Pyramid of Giza that defaced the archaeologically important graffiti left by Alexanders Hoplites on the Great Pyramid of Giza:D

Stephen15

In Paris it seems to be a commonplace to paint people's delivery vans with graffiti I'm sure it works wonder when you try to sell it on the French version of DoneDeal.ie.

c_man

The sh!tty "I read the Banksy coffee table book" inspired graffiti you see around colleges is the worst. Actually moreso the same appearing in newly painted playgrounds nearby. Ohh how edgy, ye arseholes.

diomed

It is self-expression by people without ideas or talent.

riclad

ITS mostly like gang tags,
someone puts there name on a wall,
ie decco , etc don by stupid teenagers .
The type of person who gets a tatoo on their hand or neck.
i understand in new york there s artists who do pictures ,
who actually move on to art gallerys .
But the graffiti i see in dublin is done by morons .
I, have never seen graffiti with any artistic value in dublin .
banksy does art that has a political point and its bought by collectors .
it has a message .

the evasion_kid

riclad wrote: »

ITS mostly like gang tags,
someone puts there name on a wall,
ie decco , etc don by stupid teenagers .
The type of person who gets a tatoo on their hand or neck.
i understand in new york there s artists who do pictures ,
who actually move on to art gallerys .
But the graffiti i see in dublin is done by morons .
I, have never seen graffiti with any artistic value in dublin .
banksy does art that has a political point and its bought by collectors .
it has a message .

banksy street art gets covered with perspex by the council to protect it.

ScumLord

I don't really have a problem with it, I don't really have a preference for looking at blank walls.

I like how there's evidence of graffiti going back Millenia. Like all the egyptian workers that marked their work. I remember hearing a story about Irish Ogham found on some real old cathedral somewhere in the continent that basically said "Tom woz ere". I can't find anything about it online, but I'm sure I seen it in some historical architecture documentary.

Baron Kurtz

I love Carly D'Amato!

Mesrine65

riclad wrote: »

But the graffiti i see in dublin is done by morons .
I, have never seen graffiti with any artistic value in dublin .

Graffiti Liberty Lane Dublin 8

http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xfa1/t51.2885-15/e15/11242661_842802075755450_1247210737_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-0/p75x225/11067675_893501840710482_7629656099969506955_n.jpg?oh=a08ccd8b5840019bac1c2617677a92c9&oe=566DAD11&__gda__=1449551459_69d2630dcb986128e7e006bf4f66c4f7

Graffiti at The Beacon Quarter Sandyford

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOGURYwk4co/UGGOeXUi3DI/AAAAAAAAWtc/YmXo_8P3qz0/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG

jester77

Some great graffiti around where I live. This one is outside my fave Vietnamese, saw the guys painting it, impressive skill.

Billy86

This is about a 20 second walk from my apartment - http://gottakeepmovin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC05349.jpg

conorhal

VinLieger wrote: »

Rabble rabble rabble.....young people.......rabble rabble rabble...... no respect ......

Well that's about as useful a contribution to debate as a tag is to the world of art. :rolleyes:

conorhal

Billy86 wrote: »

This is about a 20 second walk from my apartment - http://gottakeepmovin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC05349.jpg

I deeply love the artwork of Alphonse Mucha, I'd be proud to sport that on my gable but I think people have already differentiated between street art and graffiti.

Everybody wants to leave their mark in the world, sadly few have the imagination or talent to do so with any distinction.

the evasion_kid

Billy86 wrote: »

This is about a 20 second walk from my apartment - http://gottakeepmovin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC05349.jpg

kensington market...i got a picture of that one too

beauf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbI-fDzUJXI

Most of it is woeful.

Billy86

the evasion_kid wrote: »

kensington market...i got a picture of that one too

I think that's an old one though (I just popped it into Google images) because the car is a little different this year I think.

kupus

heres the thing, if you go around tagging the real estate walls of multi million euro homes in D4, youll find people and media will change their tunes about graffiti fairly rapid. lol

the evasion_kid

Billy86 wrote: »

I think that's an old one though (I just popped it into Google images) because the car is a little different this year I think.

was a different car when i was there in 2013,i did have a pic with the car in it,tree included but cant find it.theres a nice piece of a bear in the carpark of keele subway station if youre ever out that way.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Near my house there's a sign saying 'No Parking Day or Night'. Some graffiti genius changed it to read 'No Parking Gay or Night'. Cracks me right up.

Del.Monte

Kelly Salty Armchair wrote: »

Near my house there's a sign saying 'No Parking Day or Night'. Some graffiti genius changed it to read 'No Parking Gay or Night'. Cracks me right up.

Incredible.

RDM_83 again

ScumLord wrote: »

I don't really have a problem with it, I don't really have a preference for looking at blank walls.

I like how there's evidence of graffiti going back Millenia. Like all the egyptian workers that marked their work. I remember hearing a story about Irish Ogham found on some real old cathedral somewhere in the continent that basically said "Tom woz ere". I can't find anything about it online, but I'm sure I seen it in some historical architecture documentary.

There is loads of stuff in Pompeii, real classical stuff like
"I screwed the barmaid"
“Secundus defecated here”

There's also Viking rune script on the Haga Sophia saying "Ári made the runes"

Wibbs

Yep, actually one of the ways the Great Pyramid of Egypt was known to be constructed for the pharaoh Khufu is because on the backside of one of the huge internal vault blocks one of the lads working on it daubed graffiti along the lines of "this block was laid by Khufu's gang". It was a hard one to attribute accurately as highly unusually among Egyptian funerary practices it has no writing or painting anywhere.

Graffiti has helped with pronunciation of dead languages, because of spelling mistakes. EG if English was to vanish we could discern that there/they're/their and then/than sounded very alike, enough to even confuse native speakers.

gormdubhgorm

Graffiti has been on the go since ancient times.
I particularly enjoyed this article below which translates graffiti from Pompeii and Herculaneum.
http://heavy.com/entertainment/2013/03/the-20-awesomest-pieces-of-ancient-graffiti/

It makes a change from looking at the scrawls that we see today.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

RDM_83 again wrote: »

There is loads of stuff in Pompeii, real classical stuff like
"I screwed the barmaid"
“Secundus defecated here”

There's also Viking rune script on the Haga Sophia saying "Ári made the runes"

People called Roman they go t'house....?