Reframing Graffiti Writing As a Community Practice: Sites of Youth Learning and Social Engagement
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Reframing graffiti writing as a community practice: Sites of youth learning and social engagement Ron Corey Baird orcid.org/0000-0002-8628-2939 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2018 Youth Research Centre Melbourne Graduate School of Education The University of Melbourne i ABSTRACT This study investigates how graffiti writing is learnt and how graffiti writers experience this learning. Drawing on the concept of communities of practice, it frames graffiti as a skillful and aesthetic practice that is learned in a communally- situated context. This shifts the focus from graffiti as a stigmatised practice to a demonstration of the expert knowledge that young men develop over time through their engagement with a learning community. The research consisted of semi- structured interviews and observations of graffiti practice with eleven male graffiti writers. The thesis argues that graffiti writing involves a wide range of cognitive, social, emotional and bodily skills. These skills coalesce at the site of practice where they in turn inform the learning of novice graffiti writers. This thesis shows that the way writers experience the learning of graffiti occurs within a highly masculine space that can serve to exclude women’s participation. By developing an understanding of the lived experiences of male graffiti writers, this research contributes new knowledge about youth cultural practice as a site of learning and production. ii DECLARATION i. the thesis comprises only my original work toward the PhD; ii. due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used; iii. the thesis is fewer than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliographies, and appendices. Signed …………………………………………………………… Date ………………………………………………………………. iii ACKNOWLEDGEGEMENTS Completing a PhD thesis is a task that is not undertaken and sustained alone. I was supported on my doctoral journey by a number of wonderful and amazingly helpful individuals, who without their support and encouragement this thesis would not have been completed. Thus, there are a number of people I owe a debt of gratitude to and who I wish to formally acknowledge. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisors Professor Johanna Wyn and Professor Julie McLeod who have been steadfast supporters of my study, guiding me expertly through the trials and travails of the research process. They are a supervisory ‘dream team’ and I am eternally grateful for their support. I offer a very special thank you to the participants in this study. They are amazing, talented artists with a passion for life and a spirit of adventure. They welcomed me into their world and eagerly shared their knowledge and experiences of graffiti writing with me and for that I am truly grateful. To my colleagues in the Youth Research Centre with whom I regularly discussed my research I thank the following individuals for having shared their knowledge, experience and advice. Dr Babak Dadvand, Dr Eric Fu, Dr Tamara Borovica, Ms Michelle Walter, Ms Rosie Yasmin, Ms Josie Reade, Dr Monique Dalgleish, Dr Bruce Hurst, Ms Claudine Lam, Mr Adam Seet, Dr Hernan Cuervo and Professor Kylie Smith. I would also like to add a special thank you to Dr Lachlan Macdowall for sharing his wide-ranging knowledge of graffiti writing with me and for also allowing me to access his extensive achieve of graffiti newspaper articles that were extremely helpful in the writing of this thesis. I acknowledge the help and friendship accorded to me by Mr Damir Lendich, Ms. Charlotte (Lotte) Hilder, Mr Sebastian Franz and Mr Adrian Doyle without whose assistance I would have not gained access to the graffiti writers who participated in this study. Finally, it gives me great pleasure to thank my amazing wife Dr Valeria Cotronei- Baird. Valeria has been by my side throughout this journey, discussing my research with me, helping me brainstorm ideas and work through concepts. She has read my work, offered advice, provided feedback, encouragement and love all while being there for our beautiful and equally amazing daughter Ilaria who has been a patient, loving and helpful girl throughout. I honestly could not have done this without their steadfast love and support. Thank you. iv DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to two men, one who I knew intimately and another who I never met, but who both marked the writing of this thesis. Firstly I dedicate this thesis to my Father, James Arthur Baird Sr. from who I learned first hand the benefits of hard work, but more importantly I also learned that hard work must also include passion and commitment. This thesis is also dedicated to Melbourne graffiti writer SINCH, aka Jordan Porter, who embodied the passion, commitment and hard work described by the participants in this study and who became one of the most known and respected graffiti writers in Melbourne. What these two men share, apart from their hard work and dedication is that they both passed away during the research and writing of this thesis. My Father lost his three- year battle with cancer on September 10, 2015 as I was concluding my fieldwork for this study. SINCH, who was well known amongst my research participants and who was particularly close to one of my informants lost his life in a graffiti related train accident on June 27, 2014 as I was in the early stages of my fieldwork for this study. R.I.P James and Jordan v Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. ii DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEGEMENTS ................................................................................. iv DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. viii GLOSSARY OF TERMS .......................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 The Significance of Graffiti Today ..................................................................................... 1 The Shifting Perception of Graffiti in the Urban Space ................................................. 11 The Place of Graffiti in Contemporary Melbourne ........................................................ 16 Research Focus ................................................................................................................... 18 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 19 The Study ............................................................................................................................ 31 Contribution ....................................................................................................................... 33 Organisation of the Thesis ................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 2 Literature Review: Contextualising Graffiti ........................................ 38 Historical Graffiti ............................................................................................................... 39 Contemporary Graffiti ...................................................................................................... 41 The Origins and Shifting Landscape of Melbourne Graffiti ......................................... 43 Key Themes in Studies of Graffiti .................................................................................... 49 Space and Graffiti ............................................................................................................ 51 Graffiti, Deviant Careers and Subcultures ....................................................................... 52 Identity, Self-Making and Graffiti ................................................................................... 58 Risk and Pleasure ............................................................................................................. 59 Learning and Graffiti ........................................................................................................ 60 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3 Theoretical and Methodological Framework ....................................... 64 Practice Theory .................................................................................................................. 64 Theoretical Framework: Communities of Practice, Intent Observation and Reflection-In-Action ........................................................................................................... 68 Communities of Practice .................................................................................................. 69 Communities of Practice: Core Concepts for Data Analysis ........................................... 70 Legitimate Peripheral Participation .................................................................................. 71 Situated Learning ............................................................................................................