DOCSLIB.ORG

Ecce Signum: the Significance of Writing As Image

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ecce Signum: the Significance of Writing As Image ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Foley, Donna (2008) Ecce Signum: the significance of writing as image. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/30045/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/30045/ Ecce Signum: The significance of writing as image A Thesis submitted with creative work in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY at James Cook University By Donna Foley BVA (Hons) M.Ed. April 2008 School of Creative Arts Signed statement of access I, the undersigned, author of this work, understand that James Cook University will make this thesis available for use within the University Library and, via the Australian Digital Theses network, for use elsewhere. I understand that, as an unpublished work, a thesis has significant protection under the Copyright Act and I do not wish to place any further restriction on access to this work. _________________________ ______________ Signature Date ii Signed statement of sources I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. ____________________________________ ____________________ Signature Date iii Statement on the contribution of others including financial and editorial help Completion of this research and exhibition is owed to the immense support received from diverse sources. Foremost of these were financial contributions, chiefly of the Australian Government through the Department of Education Science and Training, in the form of an Australian Postgraduate Award. Assistance from James Cook University in the provision of workshop facilities, office and equipment was augmented by a $1000pa expense account funded for three years by the School of Creative Arts. Additionally, financial and in-kind support for the exhibition from Thuringowa City Council and Pinnacles Gallery is gratefully acknowledged. I am incredibly indebted to a number of people who made this research possible through data collection. Keiron Wilson guided my first chorography of local graffiti; an experience both fruitful and formative in many respects. Equally significant was the contribution of my son Benjamin Foley, an inveterate traveller who photographed almost a third of the data from around Australia over a two year period. Other family members were also conscripts; husband Michael, daughters Siobhan and Clare Foley. Alexis Beckett’s contribution, which stemmed from the Distant Noises collaboration, sparked a personal investigation of Melbourne some time later. Others, whose enthusiasm for the project was incentive enough to contribute, include Therese Duff, Michelle Mancy, Jose Moreno and Jill O’Sullivan. iv Acknowledgements Over the past decade my family have endured increasingly my diversion from domesticity into arts practice, a preoccupation particularly absorbing during the period of this research. Their munificent support has extended to the point where some members became involved in this project as noted elsewhere; or they were supportive in other ways, for example, Richard built and continues to maintain and upgrade my computer equipment to cope with my voracity for digital media. Not only has my family encouraged my endeavours, collectively, each of my children, their partners and my grandchildren have provided the impetus for and interest in the communicative process through which a greater understanding of our varying world experiences is gleaned. The thesis owes much to the professional and scholarly advice of my Principal Supervisor, Prof. Diana Davis. Her profound knowledge of the research process has been essential to my experience; her resilience during a difficult period for research-led visual arts practice inspiring. I am indebted to Dr. Steven Campbell, my Associate Supervisor, whose advice to divide the methodology in order to deal separately with the data analysis and the exhibition process effectively shifted the focus from the practice to the data more than was initially intended. Subsequently, more than a third of the thesis is now comprised of data analysis. The exhibition Train of Thought benefited from the involvement of many professional associates and personal friends whose support is sincerely appreciated. Curatorial advice from Ron McBurnie, Visual Arts Lecturer and Co-Supervisor of my arts practice, assisted greatly the selection of work for exhibition; Robert Barton, former Director of Pinnacles Gallery v and Umbrella Studio, kindly wrote the essay for the catalogue and later reviewed the exhibition for Umbrella Newsletter; Mark Henshaw, curator for International Prints and Drawings, National Gallery, journeyed from Canberra to open the exhibition and similarly, my daughter Brigid travelled from Brisbane to accompany the exhibition musically. The assistance of Anthony Edwards, Gallery Officer at Pinnacles, was greatly appreciated during installation of the exhibition; as was the assistance of Ian Brunskill, then lecturer in percussion at James Cook, in organizing the performance of Eric Grissold’s Bridge by student musicians, Robert Nixon and David Gaylard. I am especially indebted to Robert and David for their performance, and Eric for permission to use his composition at the exhibition opening. My appreciation extends too, to others whose contributions are acknowledged in the preceding statement. However, my unqualified gratitude is reserved for a few students who significantly influenced the direction of this research. Chiefly, Keiron Wilson inspired and informed the research from its inception; John Bradshaw introduced me to Tupac and his influence and Douglas Arana whose personal experience, knowledge and advice contributed greatly to my own understanding of the subject that is writing. Thank you sincerely. Additionally, I acknowledge the anonymous writers (many of whom feature in The Book of Acts) whose words and images form part of the data, and whose actions have been analysed here at length. I apologise in advance for any possible misrepresentation this perspective may offer; any malevolence is entirely unintentional. vi Abstract In any given context where the subjective need of groups to survive becomes an objective desire, a shift in culture is almost certainly predictable. The considerable debate as to whether graffiti, ubiquitous in contemporary urban environments, is art or vandalism or the communicative strategies of individuals or groups who have been disaffected depends on who is producing the work, where it is, who the viewer is and who is commenting. This debate has spawned a multitude of studies of graffiti internationally. However few, if any, have given consideration to graffiti as a communicative act at the intersection of the visual and verbal. The connections and disconnections between verbal, written and visual languages in contemporary graffiti, all of which have specific properties and structural, communicative and psychological characteristics underpin the research questions of this study. No communicative action, however, exists in a vacuum. The key to understanding the diverse communicative acts of outsiders is to locate the often multiple intertexts involved. For example, there may be a close connection between contemporary Australian graffiti (writing) and the ideologies of the culture in America, primarily through the selection of the medium. Its form, image and idea originating in the ghettos of New York and Los Angeles, the politico-religious message of Afro-American and Latino youths strike a chord here and in other capitalist countries. Writing might be hypothesized as a battle between insiders and outsiders, or a counteraction against unilateral forms of communication (one sided and authoritarian) as exists in books, newspapers and television. Writing might also constitute a reversion to a medieval chirographic culture, the vii technology of writing a retroaction against typographic print culture which, until recently, was the dominant technology of the Industrial Age. Slayden et al (1999) argue that, despite the existence of more means today, less real communication is taking place; discourse has been subsumed by ritualistic and stylistic performances. The acts of writers might be considered to be of such a nature. Personal artistic practice is driven by an abiding interest in the relationship between survival instincts and desire manifest in such communicative acts. In order to explore these questions, the data collection involved a group of volunteers photographing graffiti encountered anywhere in Australia but primarily along the east coast. The data analysis framework provided a conceptual basis for visual textual imagery reflecting the subversive elements of the social protest ethic; the initial outcome being presentation of imagery at exhibition. However, other significant questions materialized from the visual orientation of this study of the communicative acts of Australian writers, questions which may perhaps be answered more comprehensively at the intersection of the visual and verbal than
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Education Kit Years 7-12 the Writing’S on the Wall - a Short History of Street Art
    Education Kit Years 7-12 The Writing’s on the Wall - A Short History of Street Art The word graffiti comes from the Italian language and means to inscribe. In European art graffiti dates back at least 17,000 years to wall paintings such as are found in the caves of Lascaux in Southern France. The paintings at Lascaux depict animals from the Paleolithic period that were of cultural importance to the people of that region. They are also believed to be spiritual in nature relating to visions experienced during ritualistic trance-dancing. Australian indigenous rock art dates back even further to about 65,000 years and like the paintings at Lascaux, Australian indigenous rock art is spiritual in nature and relates to ceremonies and the Dreaming. The history of contemporary graffiti/street art dates back about 40 years to the 1960s but it also depicts images of cultural importance to people of a particular region, the inner city, and their rituals and lifestyles. The 1960s were a time of enormous social unrest with authority challenged at every opportunity. It is no wonder graffiti, with its strong social and political agendas, hit the streets, walls, pavements, overpasses and subways of the world with such passion. The city of New York in the 1970s was awash with graffiti. It seemed to cover every surface. When travelling the subway it was often impossible to see out of the carriage for the graffiti. Lascaux, Southern France wall painting Ancient Kimberley rock art Graffiti on New York City train 1 The Writing’s on the Wall - A Short History of Street Art In 1980 an important event happened.
    [Show full text]
  • Asemantic Approach to Urban Graffiti from Semiotics Viewpoint
    Archive of SID International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Vol.6, No.1, Winter 2016 A Semantic Approach to Urban Graffiti from Semiotics Viewpoint 1Siamak Panahi, 2*Nazanin Bahrami Samani , 3Anosha Kia 1Associate Professor, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Branch, Iran. 2Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art and Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Branch, Iran. 3Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art and Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Branch, Iran. Recieved 09.28.2015; Accepted 12.21.2015 ABSTRACT: City is the most complicated and tangible creature of man. There is a critical mutual communication between human and city; and the effect of one’ living environment is beyond question. Graffiti is a new urban phenomenon, which has drawn attention in light of its connection with protestation culture and street art. Thanks to symbolism of graffiti, the artists have added mysterious aspects to their work and distinguished themselves from formal culture. Social protestation is the most notable feature of the graffiti found in Iranian cities. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no notable research work in Iran on the relationship of human, society, and existence from of graffiti symbolism viewpoint in particular. The present study is an attempt to survey and evaluate common symbols used on urban graffiti through documentary research. Technique and content analysis in stratified semiology based on Iranian-Islamic culture were taken into account. Keywords: Graffiti, Street art, Semiology, Symbol, Vandalism. INTRODUCTION but also causes heavy costs. Importance of symbols and the Cities are centers of cultural and social activities so that one main urban elements in readability on one hand, and chaos in can witness the most disciplined and elegant appearance of urban landscape and mental image of the citizen on the other cultural and artistic works in cities.
    [Show full text]
  • RMIT Gallery Exhibition Program 2011 97
    RMIT Gallery Exhibition Program 2011 97 1 21 January — 12 March 108 2 September — 5 November China and Revolution: Space invaders: australian . street . History, Parody and Memory in Contemporary Art stencils . posters . paste-ups . zines . stickers The exhibition re-evaluates the Cultural Revolution through propaganda poster art Drawn entirely from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, the produced in the 1960s and ’70s, as well as through oral histories collected by the first Australian institution to have collected this type of work, this exhibition curators in 2008–2009. It opens dialogue between the past and present with work surveys the past 10 years of Australian street art. Featuring 150 works by over from artists with first hand experience, as well as through the display of original 40 Australian artists, the exhibition celebrates the energy of street-based political posters carrying political and social messages to the Chinese masses. creativity, recognising street stencils, posters, paste-ups, zines and stickers Curator Professor Stephanie Hemelryk Donald, Dean of the School of Media and as comprising a recent chapter in the development of Australian prints and Communication at RMIT University, and Professor Harriet Evans, Coordinator of drawings. Curator Jaklyn Babington, Assistant Curator, International Prints, Asian Studies Research at the University of Westminster. Artists Liu Dahong, Xu Drawings and Illustrated Books, National Gallery of Australia Artists Aeon, Weixin, Li Gongming, Shen Jiawei. Public Program
    [Show full text]
  • 65 Introduction the Silver, Partially Gilded, Plate Found by the Czech
    Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia nr 66 Patryk Skupniewicz https://doi.org/10.26485/AAL/2020/66/6 SCENE OF FIGHTING TIGERS ON A SASANIAN PLATE FROM MES ‘AYNAK. NOTES ON THE COMPOSITION ABSTRACT The article discusses, from formal perspective, the mounted hunting scene on the Kushano-Sasanian silver plate found in Mes Aynak in Afghanistan. The scene represents the model related to other Sasanian silverware, however with significant variances. When compared the scene to other models defined by Author, conclusion is made that except for several “canonical” layouts, Sasanian toreuts, allowed themselves a dose of freedom in combining them. This phenomenon seems to be related to peripheries of the Sasanian Empire and model of a sword-wielding rider in combat with large felines while holding an object in outstretched left hand was defined as originating from Kushanshahr and combining Assyrian and Achaemenid formulae of men killing beasts with mounted archer/lancer layouts popular in Sasanian silver. Key words: Kushano-Sasanian art., silver plates, iconography SCENA WALKI Z TYGRYSAMI NA SASANIDZKIEJ PATERZE Z MES ‘AYNAK. UWAGI NA TEMAT KOMPOZYCJI ABSTRAKT W prezentowanym studium poddano ocenie, z formalnego punktu widzenia, scenę konnego polo- wania z kuszano-sasanidzkiej partery znalezionej w Mes Aynak, w Afganistanie. Scena reprezentuje model pokrewny dziełom znanym z toreutyki sasanidzkiej, jednakże z wyraźnymi różnicami. Porównując scenę z modelami wyróżnio- nymi przez Autora, pojawił się wniosek, że sasanidzcy mistrzowie obróbki srebra, poza „kanonicznymi” figurami, po- zwalali sobie na formalne eksperymenty. Jest to zjawisko znane z peryferii imperium Sasanidów, a model obejmujący jeźdźca uderzającego mieczem „kotowatego drapieżnika” a w wolnej, wyciągniętej ręce trzymającego inny obiekt, wykształcił się w Kuszanszahr i łączy w sobie asyryjskie i achemenidzkie formuły ludzi zabijających dzikie bestie z układami ukazującymi konnego łucznika czy jeźdźca operującego włócznią, znane z sasanidzkigo srebra.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Solutions Through Distinguishing Graffiti Art from Graffitiandalism V
    University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform Volume 26 1993 The Writing on Our Walls: Finding Solutions Through Distinguishing Graffiti Art from Graffitiandalism V Marisa A. Gómez University of Michigan Law School Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Law and Society Commons Recommended Citation Marisa A. Gómez, The Writing on Our Walls: Finding Solutions Through Distinguishing Graffiti Art from Graffitiandalism V , 26 U. MICH. J. L. REFORM 633 (1993). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjlr/vol26/iss3/5 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE WRITING ON OUR WALLS: FINDING SOLUTIONS THROUGH DISTINGUISHING GRAFFITI ART FROM GRAFFITI VANDALISM Marisa A. G6mez* I. Graffiti's Roots .......................... 636 II. Types of Graffiti and the Motivations of Its Creators .......................... 644 III. Proponents v. Opponents: Sketching Out the Arguments For and Against Graffiti .......... 650 IV. Methods Used to Combat Graffiti ............ 656 A. Criminal Prosecution and Penalties ...... 657 B. Civil Causes of Action Against Writers .... 670 C. Measures Against the Writer's Parents .... 672 D. Prophylactic Measures ................ 673 V. Towards an Integrated Solution That Recognizes and Meets the Needs of the Writers . 696 A. Drawing a Clearer Line Between Graffiti Art and Graffiti Vandalism ............
    [Show full text]
  • Engaging with Histories, Theories, Practices, and Discursive Strategies in Global Contexts
    CONFERENCE THEME Reconceptualizing Diversity: Engaging with Histories, Theories, Practices, and Discursive Strategies in Global Contexts. The American Educational Studies Association (AESA) and the International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE) are presently accepting proposals for their joint conference “Reconceptualizing Diversity: Engaging with Histories, Theories, Practices, and Discursive Strategies in Global Contexts.” Together we will provide a critical space for socio-historical, political and philosophical dialogues focused on reframing diversity within a global context. In particular, we are interested in submissions that address diversity as a multifaceted and dynamic idea as well as the structures that transform, maintain, and reproduce the many intersectionalities of identity. By focusing on colonialism, settler ideologies, capitalism, and neoliberalism, among other related topics we can resituate diversity in a global context. Turning to issues of transnational immigration, cosmopolitan citizenships, and globalized knowledge networks, we might find new approaches to equity and social justice in education. Who We Are The American Educational Studies Association (AESA) was established in 1968 as an international learned society for students, teachers, research scholars, and administrators who are interested in the foundations of education. AESA is a society primarily comprised of college and university professors who teach and research in the field of education utilizing one or more of the liberal arts disciplines
    [Show full text]
  • Julian Day Gabriella Hirst Mason Kimber Tanya Lee Liam O’Brien Anna Varendorff with Haima Marriott
    4 March - 8 May 2016 Education Kit Australian Centre for Contemporary Art Education 1 NEW Series ACCA’s annual NEW series was established in 2003 to create opportunities for contemporary Australian artists to present newly commissioned work in an ambitious curatorial context, and to encourage new art practices, tendencies and ideas in a public context. The premise of NEW is to commission new works and to enable professional development opportunities for artists by providing them with curatorial expertise and financial assistance to help realise their plans in the demanding spaces of ACCA. The exhibition title does not insist that the artists themselves are ‘new’, although there is a general tendency for the participants to be considered as ‘emerging’. There is no theme for NEW. It is not expected that the artists need to have common purpose or ideas linking their projects. Whilst a characteristic of the NEW series is the involvement of guest curators whose role it is to propose new tendencies and areas of focus around current art ideas and developments, the emphasis is on individual projects which are variously engaging and captivating, and for these projects to have scope enough that the ideas of the artist can come to the front of any and all discussions. Education 2 Jacobus Capone Catherine or Kate Julian Day Gabriella Hirst Mason Kimber Tanya Lee Liam O’Brien Anna Varendorff with Haima Marriott Education 3 NEW16 2016. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2016. Photograph: Andrew Curtis Education 4 NEW16 Floorplan Jacobus Capone Gabriella Hirst Julian Day Tanya Lee Mason Kimber Anna Varendorff with Haima Marriott Catherine or Kate Liam O’Brien Education 5 Curatorial rationale Guest Curator NEW16 brings together eight newly commissioned Annika Kristensen is Curator at ACCA.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Graffiti's Contra-Community" (2015)
    Maine State Library Maine State Documents Academic Research and Dissertations Special Collections 2015 Anti-Establishing: Contemporary Graffiti's Contra- Community Homer Charles Arnold IDSVA Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalmaine.com/academic Recommended Citation Arnold, Homer Charles, "Anti-Establishing: Contemporary Graffiti's Contra-Community" (2015). Academic Research and Dissertations. Book 10. http://digitalmaine.com/academic/10 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at Maine State Documents. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Research and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Maine State Documents. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANTI-ESTABLISHING: CONTEMPORARY GRAFFITI’S CONTRA-COMMUNITY Homer Charles Arnold Submitted to the faulty of The Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy April, 2015 Accepted by the faculty of the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in partial fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________ Sigrid Hackenberg Ph.D. Doctoral Committee _______________________________ George Smith, Ph.D. _______________________________ Simonetta Moro, Ph.D. April 14, 2015 ii © 2015 Homer Charles Arnold ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. -Philip K. Dick Celine: “Today, I’m Angéle.” Julie: “Yesterday, it was me.” Celine: “But it’s still her.” -Céline et Julie vont en bateau - Phantom Ladies Over Paris Dedicated to my parents: Dr. and Mrs. H.S. Arnold. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author owes much thanks and appreciation to his advisor Sigrid Hackenberg, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Marissa K. Munderloh Phd Thesis
    The Emergence of Post-Hybrid Identities: a Comparative Analysis of National Identity Formations in Germany’s Contemporary Hip-Hop Culture Marissa Kristina Munderloh This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 3 October 2014 Abstract This thesis examines how hip-hop has become a meaningful cultural movement for contemporary artists in Hamburg and in Oldenburg. The comparative analysis is guided by a three-dimensional theoretical framework that considers the spatial, historical and social influences, which have shaped hip-hop music, dance, rap and graffiti art in the USA and subsequently in the two northern German cities. The research methods entail participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a close reading of hip-hop’s cultural texts in the form of videos, photographs and lyrics. The first chapter analyses the manifestation of hip-hop music in Hamburg. The second chapter looks at the local adaptation of hip-hop’s dance styles. The last two chapters on rap and graffiti art present a comparative analysis between the art forms’ appropriation in Hamburg and in Oldenburg. In comparing hip-hop’s four main elements and their practices in two distinct cities, this research project expands current German hip-hop scholarship beyond the common focus on rap, especially in terms of rap being a voice of the minority. It also offers insights into the ways in which artists express their local, regional or national identity as a culturally hybrid state, since hip-hop’s art forms have always been the result of cultural and artistic mixture.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ MODERNITY, SECULARISM, and the POLITICAL in IRAN a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisf
    UNIIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ MODERNITY, SECULARISM, AND THE POLITICAL IN IRAN A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in POLITICS with an emphasis in FEMINIST STUDIES by Omid Mohamadi December 2016 The Dissertation of Omid Mohamadi is approved: _________________________________ Professor Vanita Seth, Chair _________________________________ Professor Megan Thomas _________________________________ Professor Anjali Arondekar _________________________________ Professor Minoo Moallem ________________________________ Tyrus Miller Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Copyright © by Omid Mohamadi 2016 Table of Contents List of Figures iv Abstract v Acknowledgements viii Introduction: “Neither Secularism Nor Islamic Republic” 1 Chapter 1: The Iranian Women’s Movement: Hybridity, Rights, and Political Imaginaries 39 Chapter Two: The Politics of Time in Iran 95 Chapter Three: Art & The Islamic Republic 144 Epilogue: Historiography & Politics 189 Bibliography 201 iii List of Figures Figure 1: Shahyad Monument/Azadi Tower 158 Figure 2: The Imperial-Colonial Enemy 165 Figure 3: The Velayat-e Faqih 165 Figure 4: The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the export of the revolutionary tradition to Muslim lands” 165 Figure 5: Martyrs of the Iran-Iraq War 165 Figure 6: Moral Proclamation 165 Figure 7: Beautification Mural 165 Figure 8. Beautification Mural 1 by Ghadyanloo 169 Figure 9. Beautification Mural 2 by Ghadyanloo 170 Figure 10: Beautification Mural 3 by Ghadyanloo 171 Figure 11: Beautification Mural 4 by Ghadyanloo 172 Figure 12: “Woman with Dish Soap” by Black Hand 174 Figure 13: “Gaza” by Black Hand 174 iv Abstract Modernity, Secularism, and the Political in Iran by Omid Mohamadi In the last decade, theorists in anthropology and other disciplines have vigorously critiqued commonplace distinctions between secularism and religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Making the Case for Legal Graffiti As a Legitimate Form of Public Art in Sydney
    Spray Away: Making the case for legal graffiti as a legitimate form of public art in Sydney Jessica Irons 3158750 Abstract Graffiti is increasingly being recognised by both professionals and the general public as having the potential to be used as a legitimate form of public art. Graffiti’s history is firmly ingrained in the streets, providing the art form with a unique suitability for use in public domain projects. One of the challenges faced by planners, artists and local authorities is that of differentiating between the legal and illegal forms of the practice, as well as educating the public on how the graffiti sub-culture can positively impact upon the community through youth engagement, development of young artists’ skills, and increased community pride and ownership. This thesis will strengthen the case for the use of graffiti in public art projects in Sydney through a survey of existing policies, initiatives and projects relating to graffiti management in metropolitan Sydney. It involves an examination of tools and resources available to local councils that provide a context for the principles and actions necessary for implementing successful graffiti projects. National and international case studies offer examples of how graffiti can be used successfully within the public art context with important implications for Sydney. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Rob Freestone for his guidance and feedback over the course of writing this thesis in his role as my thesis advisor. I would also like to thank my parents
    [Show full text]
  • Is Graffiti Art?
    IS GRAFFITI ART? Russell M. Jones A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2007 Committee: Andrew Hershberger, Advisor Allie Terry ii ABSTRACT Dr. Andrew Hershberger, Advisor Illegal graffiti is disconnected from standard modes of visual production in fine art and design. The primary purpose of illegal graffiti for the graffiti writer is not the visual product, but “getting up.” Getting up involves writing or painting one’s name in as many places as possible for fame. The elements of risk, freedom and ritual unique to illegal graffiti serve to increase camaraderie among graffiti writers even as an individual’s fame in the graffiti subculture increases. When graffiti has moved from illegal locations to the legal arenas of fine art and advertising; risk, ritual and to some extent, camaraderie, has been lost in the translation. Illegal graffiti is often erroneously associated with criminal gangs. Legal modes of production using graffiti-style are problematic in the public eye as a result. I used primary and secondary interviews with graffiti writers in this thesis. My art historical approach differed from previous writers who have used mainly anthropological and popular culture methods to examine graffiti. First, I briefly addressed the extremely limited critical literature on graffiti. In the body of the thesis, I used interviews to examine the importance of getting up to graffiti writers compared to the relative unimportance of style and form in illegal graffiti. This analysis enabled me to demonstrate that illegal graffiti is not art.
    [Show full text]