Graffiti a form of communication

As Heinze (2002) mentions communication is a basic need of human beings. People choose
many creative ways to communicate – some yell and shout while others leave a note for
others to be discovered in interesting places. Either way people have a need to let people
know that they exist and that they do not want to be ignored. Communication makes one have
a sense of belonging and being part of the community, in spite of attracting or not attracting
negative vibes and reactions or not. Many people using artistic expression to give words to
their thoughts – some communicate with visual pictures. The pictures gives a reflection of
inner self, anger, love for other people, altruism and many other emotions and feelings.
Reasonable has a separate interpretation by each person. In a way reasonable is according to
each person’s own map of the world. However one person’s interpretation may be starkly
different from the other observer. Unfortunately, what is reasonable tends to get determined
by the upper-middle class society. “It is basically whatever protects the businessman's
property and whatever maintains the status quo” Rush of graffiti in and around the city has
been sprouting with abandon. The graffiti appears to be giving a message of belonging “They
seem to want to let everyone know that they are a part of this city, whether others like it or
not.” Fining and forcefully stopping a person from the action may have serious repercussions
– instead by giving alternatives to illegal graffiti the graffiti artists’ creativity may be
encouraged to help build a better community. We all experiment with different modes of
communication and usually do not want to be restricted to one form of communication only
as our personalities evolve and in response to stimulus of people, events, and occurrences in
and around us. The youth may be doing what their elders have already done, but maybe in a
different manner “Graffiti needs to be allowed to continue, but in ways to that help build the
city and not destroy it” (Heinze, 2002)
Graffiti has been a means of communication for thousands of years in different ways
and styles. Many people do graffiti and there is no ‘typical’ profile for a person who does
graffiti. Although most graffiti is done by teenagers, however that may not be the case each
time. These persons can be from stable backgrounds, with loving families and good social
networks as well as from unstable backgrounds with broken homes or single parent families.
Graffiti may the output for diverse reasons. For some persons it is a political statement, for
others it is a form of artistic expression and for some it could a form of power display. For
some it is about seeking individual identity, for others it is about seeking acceptance within a
group. Just as the profiles of people doing graffiti and their purposes and motivations for
doing it are so diverse, interventions similarly need to be multidimensional and on multiple
fronts (“Good Bye Graffiti”, 2009).
As Keats (2008) mentions the motivations behind the tagging may a strong desire to
create an identity for themselves through which they can reflect on themselves. It could also
be seeking recognition for their work. Status for these artistes may be simply having their
work seen. This may be the motivation to place their work in highly visible places which is
meant to enhance their reputation amongst peers and other same age group members. Legal
walls are examples of diversionary activity where artist can display own wares – yet the
motivations behind graffiti may not be fully covered in this manner. For some artists “legal
walls” may not give true thrill as it does not seek the notoriety or exposure that graffiti on
high profile place would have done ( Keats, 2008).
Cleveland (2009) re-stresses that graffiti might give older residents a boost in blood
pressure, yet question remains that if Graffiti should be termed as vandalism or an expression
of art. Painted walls and characters might make train journey to Brisbane little less boring
however how bad is really the situation? Different residents have different views – while the
youth might be more accepting of the situation, the older residents are blatantly against the
graffiti – as an eyesore on their backyard! Some call for better community engagement to
manage indiscriminate graffiti while others are nonplussed.

Bartolomeo (2001) believes that graffiti can be interpreted as a form of communication.

Quality of graffiti art can be thought of as communicative convention and is a common
feature of “subculture” and gives opportunity for anthropologists to gain perspectives of the
subculture and insight on graffiti as a subculture born of contemporary American culture.
Graffiti lit up streets of NYC and became a popular method of exposition in seventies and
eighties. This evolution of graffiti sought to make graffiti a part of mainstream US culture.
Graffiti also generated a lot of critique and political reactions. Graffiti can be a useful tool
for anthropologists to understand social and political fabric and cultural leanings of particular
group. Graffiti is an exposition of beliefs and attitudes and also feeds cultural milieu. Graffiti
provides a window into people’s lives and see the positives and the negatives, expressions of
morality and in essence creativity and depth of history that give a profound snapshot of the
“moment”.
Graffiti can be divided into two distinct categories "popular graffiti" and "community-based
graffiti" – each has different content and different intended audience. Graffiti has the ability
to graphically portray political dissension, social ostracism, portray anarchist ideas or take a
stand on leftist or alternative side. Graffiti can be used by groups to flourish their agendas or
to simply make their presence felt. “It is an extremely easy means of communicating ideas
and establishing a collective identity with the masses by putting a government on notice that
anti-system sentiments exist with a definite historical memory” (Bartolomeo, 2001). Graffiti
has been used as an extremely important communication vehicle and medium to break
shackles of dominant control and pervasive censorship propounded by dictatorial and
authoritarian regimes. Many authors have interpreted graffiti as expression of rebellious
anachronistic attitude or simply expressive opposition to authority "The adrenaline rush of
graffiti writing — the moment of illicit pleasure that emerges from the intersection of
creativity and illegality — signifies a resistance to authority, a resistance experienced as
much in the pit of the stomach as in the head"(Bartolomeo, 2001). Graffiti is a creative and
stylistic means through which a general message of resistance is conveyed. Graffiti inherently
maintains a position opposing authoritative, dominant capitalistic society. Graffiti shows up
like a mind of its own at a place and how it wants – the graffiti artist transmutes the walls
between people and their environment (Bartolomeo, 2001).
References

Placing post-graffiti: the journey of the Peckham Rock.Full Text Available By: Dickens,
Luke. Cultural Geographies, Oct2008, Vol. 15 Issue 4, p471-496, 26p,

Gutenberg, Garamond, Graffiti, Grunge - the many faces of type.Full Text Available By:
Cremonese, Marcus. Journal of Audiovisual Media in Medicine, Mar2000, Vol. 23 Issue 1,
p22, 5p

Freedom of Speech and Privacy in the Information Age.Full Text Available By: Sopinka,
John. Information Society, Apr-Jun97, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p171-184, 14p

The Changing Face of Graffiti in the 21st Century Bradley J. Bartolomeo, 2001
http://www.graffiti.org/faq/graffiti-is-part-of-us.html

Good Bye Graffiti 2009 http://goodbyegraffiti.wa.gov.au/Goodbye%20Graffiti

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Gemma Keats, 2008. The motivations behind Graffiti

http://www.asial.com.au/Assets/156/1/GaffitiMotivation.pdf