517 theory
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517 theory zineTRANSCRIPT
517*Theory: how graffiti impacts Lansing communities
517*Theory is:Danielle DeVossBrooke Hawkins
Mike KulickEthan Tate
Jessie Whitmill
for more information:www.ce.cal.msu.edu/projects/517project/
www.517theory.tumblr.com
Last year in REO Town, an old crime-ridden hotel was transformed into a public art space by way of graffiti art.
We saw that this use of graffiti art temporarily boosted the community and made it a safe place for many different types of people. People who didn’t identify themselves as graffiti artists took part in art and interacted with their community in a creative way. Though it often comes with many negative connotations for property owners and community members, here graffiti was positive and impactful.
The impacts of this event continued to affect the community long after this interesting space was demolished. Graffiti seeped through the streets in unconventional ways: as the art decoration of a main wall downtown, as the flower boxes that line the neighborhood’s streets, even as the address sign for a building. Despite its possible negative connotations, it seemed the community was embracing this art as a positive thing. We wondered why the community was taking it up in these positive ways.
We talked to property owners and artists in order to see different perspec-tives on what was happening.
Property owners are interested in graffiti as an economic advantage, as it is appealing and can spruce up tired looking walls. Yet they still have a concern over it devaluing their properties when put on places they didn’t approve, like their storefronts. Something that began as an illegal form of street art began to have a specific place in REO town, giving community members an outlet for impacting their surroundings in a creative way.
The artists we interviewed also explained that they have no interest in de-stroying property; that any illegal work they do is on abandoned property. They were hopeful and proud of the graffiti work they’ve done, and identify with this art form as a deeply personal and valuable experience. They too see how graffiti art allows them to interact with their community and feel it livens the communities they do their work in.
We look forward to the future changes that will happen in REO town. There is an energy there, as community members help establish the com-munity as a successful, thriving place. Embracing the creative work in the area has been hopeful – it shows the power that communicating through art can have. We plan to continue to study how this communication impacts REO Town, and hopefully, how it can help REO Town develop in new and interesting ways.
Story and Writing: Mike KUlick
As the Night begins, numerous people all over the world set out into the night.
Statements are made into the public spheres about the person who ventured into the night, like ThIs banksy piece in detroit.
And walls like this are transformed into things...
Like this!
In graffiti anonymity is
crucial since it is an
illegal act in most places.
HOwever, graffiti
enters into many
mediums, places, and
graffiti artists put their names' and messages into the public sphere through tags, bombs, pieces, and even modern art, testing the idea of anonymity through infamy
Graffiti artists commonly refer to themselves as writers, able to convey messages and statements in the most uncommon places
One Example is Sam debourbon Who took A Civil Disobedience Charge and decided to use his community service to paint the defunct Deluxe Inn in
lansing, Michigan. A weekend of Graffiti art and community
collaboration ensued.
With the collaborative work, a former eyesore and nuisance was transformed through Graffiti into a full blown outdoor gallery.
Being able to differentiate between vandalism and
statements can open your idea of the medium.
He opened up the space of a boarded up former hotel and offered it to artists to create their statements and convey their own messages, be it art, community, or just for fun.
there are also former graffiti artists who have taken the graffiti style to the Fine art gallery aesthetic, with variable
successes.
HOwever, the hotel was later used by the lansing fire department in a fire drill, so all that remains of this community day are photos. For many graffiti artists their photos are the only evidence of their work, as most get covered either by other artists or whited out by property owners or city officials
Haring gained notoriety with his bold dancing figures on subway lines, and took this into a full fledged gallery career.
Keith Haring,
1958-1990
First a street artist by the writer name "Samo" basquiat pushed the place of graffiti in the art
world, while he also became rather famous
along with Keith haring, Jean Michel
Basquiat took the ARt World by storm using the graffiti style with
pop art and his connections with
Andy warhol
Basquiat's Pieces are multimillion dollar works of Art now after his
untimely death at age 27.
So though graffiti
artists may become famous, The vast
majority are still laying claim in the
night. But does that mean we're
artists?
Some People
believe so, and that there is
room for art, graffiti, and
more.
Basquiat 1960-1988
So why do
we have to work at night?
WELL, IT IS STILL ILLEGAL so Most graffiti artists
must stay as anonymous as possible.
the graffiti writer known as"Banksy" is famous for his stencil pieces that
test the space they occupy, the dialogue of the people, and the patience of law enforcement
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE ARTIST WHO HAS
BECOME RATHER FAMOUS AND STILL STAYS ANONYMOUS.
So Famous in fact that when his street art came to detroit, a gallery took the concrete that he painted from a defunct factory - literally taking
graffiti into the gallery!
So we remain in
the shadows and our
works are preserved? That doesn't seem fair.
It may not be fair,
but as the art world accepts fine graffiti...
There is still a great deal of vandalism in the art form, which many people in the general
public find distasteful. For example, this gang piece for the Latin kings signifying their claim to that land. They are using graffiti to convey
a message, just one of violence and territorial claim as opposed to bansky or
Basquiat pieces that spark larger discussions.
Alright, so that was a lot of
information to cover. do we know
what graffiti is though?
Well, its not an easy definition, and its
open to interpretation.
Graffiti is definitely all around us now, be it art pieces, tags, or gang
symbols you can't be in any metro area without seeing
some paint in a place it "shouldn't be."
some people and localities are developing areas for 'legal graffiti,' like DEbourbon's art project, or walls in some european cities such as this one in Warsaw, Poland. it gives a place for people to try graffiti without being on the wrong side of the law.
But since graffiti can take so many forms now, like this alley in Queens New York, there may not be a clear definition of graffiti. We have
talked about a few graffiti artists in the world, but this discussion is far from over.
But some writers may think this takes away from the statement of the writer, just as being in galleries and fine art. Its important then to remember to view graffiti with a critical eye, To ask whether the piece is taking the public space back, claiming for the artists' own goals, or other reasons entirely
so Maybe the next time you see a spray painted piece on a building you'll analyze it a bit more, or maybe you'll just start spotting pieces more often.this discussion over public art and spaces will continue in the graffiti world, as long as artists still venture out into the night.
What is the difference between civi l disobedience and civic disobedience?
Is graffiti a sign of decay or a sign of creativity?
What do YOU think?
REOTown graffti. The installation on the top left was made from remants of the painted walls of the demolished Deluxe Inn.
More REOTown paint.
Location: Bridge over Red Cedar between Main Library and Red Cedar Road, MSU.
Location: Bridge on Lansing River Trail near Kellogg Center, MSU.
Location: Bridge over Red Cedar between Main Library and Red Cedar Road, MSU.
Location: Kedzie Hall, MSU
Location: Main Library, MSU
Location: River Trail near Bessey Hall, MSU
Location: Outside Snyder-Phillips Hall, MSU
Location: Near Auditorium, MSU
Location: Near Auditorium, MSU
Location: Outside Agriculture Building, MSU
Location: Behind Cook Hall, MSU
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