the mediated city, assignment 2

8/12/2019 The Mediated City, Assignment 2

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The Mediated City, Assignment 2.

Does the commercialisation of graffiti or street art undermine its authenticity as a subversive urban art

form?

Graffiti art as we have now come to recognise it emerged from the ghetto boroughs of ew !or" in

the #$%&'s. ew !or" had become world famous for the graffiti (lastered subway trains. The sight

of 'burners' ) graffiti (ieces that sometimes s(an the length of a subway car ) travelling from the

boroughs of the *ron+, *roo"lyn and ueens in to the commercial and financial districts of

Manhattan were to the wider world a curiosity, the authorities sim(le vandalism# and to those who

(racticed graffiti art, the 'writers' as a medium of self e+(ression that both vented the frustrations of

urban ghetto life and was also a route to fame and recognition among their (eers. A way of

announcing to the world that a vibrant culture e+isted outside the (rivileged streets of Manhattan.

-TTT(/0This essay loo"s at the relationshi(s between graffiti art and 1i( 1o(, the commercial

e+(loitation of the scene by the art establishment and wider commercial interests in the conte+t of

its authenticity as a subversive art form.

n '3ool 3iller or the nsurrection of 4igns' from Symbolic Exchange and Death, 5ean

*audrillard tal"s about the (ost industrial city as 'the 6one of signs, the media and the code ' 2That

it's geogra(hy no longer harbours the cities truth, he suggests that 'ts truth, enclosure is in sign

form, lies all around us. t is the ghetto of television and advertising, 789 of consumers and the

consumed 789 :very s(ace;time of urban life is a ghetto' -33(%%0 *audrillard suggests that graffiti

writers have overcome their anonymity and ghettoisationroducing a '"ind of riot of signs'. -33(%$0to attac" the dominion of the code,

'there is no need for organised masses, nor for a (olitical consciousness to do this a thousand

# 5, Austin. 'Cha(ter 2 Ta"ing the trains the formation and structure of @writing culture@ on the early #$%&s', in Taking the train:how graffiti art became an urban crisis in New York City. ew !or" Columbia niversity >ress -2&.((%#;%2 1ereafter referredto in the main te+t as TTT

2 5ean, *audrillard.'3ool 3iller, or the nsurrection of 4igns' in Symbolic Exchange and Death Theory, Culture Society, Bondon4age >ublications, -#$$0(%% 1ereafter referred to in the main te+t as 33

#


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youths armed with mar"er (ens and cans of s(ray;(aint are enough to scramble the signals of

urbania and dismantle the order of signs' -33(/&0

*audrillard sees writing graffiti as authentic 'guerrilla action'. undamentally a subversive act.

Graffiti as we refer to it today begins with the 'Tag'. A graffiti writer's stylised 'nom de (lume' an

alter ego that (rotects the writers identity from the authorities while being easily read by their (eers.

'Tagging';the (ractice of writing a tag; is said to have begun at the turn of the #$%&s in >hiladel(hia

and shortly after in ew !or". -TTT(E2;E0Tagging began as territorial mar"ing in gang

neighbourhoods, and later it became a way for a writer to be "nown far further afield than local

gang lands. !oung writers realised they could gain notoriety even fame in a city that has always

celebrated the o((ortunity to 'ma"e a name for yourself'. -TTT(E&0A writers tag is more than Fust a

uic" way for the writer to leave a mar", a tag is a ty(ogra(hical condensation of the writers style, it

develo(s over years and remains a crucial element of their (ractice. utura is a founding father of

graffiti art. n his autobiogra(hy!utura, he describes studying the varied tags from the different

boroughs of ew !or" in the early %&s as a 'territorial style of calligra(hy and the beautiful dis(lay

of the written word'1e goes on to describe his tag as a signature that through his 'growth' as an

artist has 'changed and matured'. Today he describes his tag as 'more of a logo' E utura

su((lemented his income wor"ing as a designer. 1is wor" for the 'Clash' during the late #$%&s and

early #$/&s gave a distinct and original loo" to their sleeves and (ublicity material -T((#;0

utura began (ainting canvases in #$/& he describes how this wor" differed from the illegal wor" in

the streets and subway, for him his wor" was free of 'figurative content' and '(olitical im(lications' it

became about 'colour.' -T(0

*y the mid #$%&s tagging on the inside of the trains had evolved in to the creation of com(le+

designs (roduced on the outside ew !or"'s subway trains. This included comic boo" charactersand inventive ty(ogra(hic designs such as 'wild style' that could be read only by those initiated in

the scene. =riting on the e+terior of subway cars "nown as 'getting u(' was a dangerous occu(ation,

writers had to contend with electric rails, moving trains and the (olice in the (ursuit of their art.

>aint was e+(ensive and no writer that e+(ected to gain res(ect or 'fame' would (urchase it.

4ho(lifting or 'rac"ing' (aint and (ens was a (art of the im(overished ghetto life lived by the

movements (ractitioners. -TTT(20Disenfranchisement, alienation and ghettoisation were among the

drivers of this need for cultural e+(ression. As *audrillard (oints out, graffiti can be seen as a

utura.!utura, Bondon *ooth;Clibborn -2&&&0(#1ereafter referred to in the main te+t as T

E A((endi+ #.

2


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subversive medium in that it infiltrates the city s(aces that writers from the ghetto neighbourhoods

would normally be e+cluded from. Graffiti on the trains announced cultural identities that

threatened the sensibilities of the average city dweller, and moreover their (olitical re(resentatives

in authority. The munici(al authorities and trans(ort authorities regarded all e+am(les of graffiti

from 'tags' to full subway car (ieces as vandalism and fought a war to destroy the culture of writing

on the trains with the su((ort of the (ress. -TTT(%#0

Aside from the social conditions that contributed to (roducing graffiti, authenticity can be

defined in the cultural (ractices that belong to graffiti writers as cultural heritage and not Fust in the

conte+t of the dangers of 'getting u('. -TTT(E0t was regularly argued that graffiti was sim(le

vandalism that was (art of an urban 'criminal' culture, stealing (aint and (ens was certainly a

necessary as(ect of the graffiti culture in its formative years -TTT(H0 The e+(losion of graffiti art in

the early #$/&s is closely lin"ed to the wider e+(ansion of '1i( 1o(' culture also emerging from the

*ron+, *roo"lyn and 1arlem at the time. ew !or"s Art scene had flirted with graffiti artists in the

%&s -TTT(%20and again later in the /&s with artists li"e 3eith 1arring and 5ean;Michael *asuiat.

1owever in #$/& an e+hibition in the *ron+ ) the birth(lace of 1i( 1o( culture ; was held called

G.A.4 -Graffiti Art 4uccess for America0 hosted by 5ohnny 'Crash' Matos, it featured wor" by

utura 2&&&, Bady >in", Ie(hyr, Crash and many others from the scene, the e+hibition featured

(ieces s(rayed on '(lywood' that would be 'as colourful as wal"ing through a rainbow'This

e+hibition ;li"e many that continue to ha((en today ; was (roduced by graffiti writers themselves

and not the art establishment. t would be years later in December #$/ that the ew !or" art

establishment would (romote these graffiti artists at the '>ost Graffiti' e+hibition at The 4idney 5anis

Gallery. ; 4idney 5anis had hel(ed establish '>o( Art' with a e+hibition twenty years earlier .; The

'>ost Graffiti' e+hibition o(ened the door to an a((reciation of the aesthetics of writing by a wider

(ublic interested in a new art form.

H

1i( 1o( culture was becoming a collective identity for many varied urban cultural (ractices. *y

#$/2 1i( 1o( '5ams' would feature Mcs, D5s and graffiti writers in events that unified these cultural

(ractices under the 1i( 1o( umbrella. 1ollywood film (roductions li"e"eat Street-#$/E0 tried to

a((ro(riate these cultural (ractices of the emerging 1i( 1o( scene across what veteran MC and

founder of The Tem#le $f %i# %o# '3J4#' calls the 'core elements' of 1i( 1o(< *rea" Dancing,

MCing, Graffiti Art and DFing. 3J4# suggests that there are a total of nine cultural derivatives from

A((endi+ 2.

H Anthony, 1aden;Guest. True Colors: The &eal 'ife of the (rt )orld,ew !or" Atlantic >ress, -#$$H0(#2$


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the four core elements adding *eat *o+ing, 4treet ashion, 4treet Banguage, 4treet 3nowledge and

4treet :ntre(reneurialism, and that together these constitute 'a way of life'. % suggest that to loo" at

the commercialisation of graffiti you have to loo" at the wider a((ro(riation and commercialisation

of '1i( 1o(' and its varied cultural (ractices into the mainstream. The music, clothes, street

vernacular, graffiti styles, and street dance have all flourished in cities and towns across the globe

from *ra6il to Jomania.

The global reach of Graffiti culture was not (redicted by those who began to document its

(resence in the #$%&'s and early /&'s. 1enry Chalfont and Martha Coo(er (roduced Subway (rt

(ublished in #$/2 and now regarded by writers and enthusiasts as the seminal boo" on the culture

and develo(ment of graffiti. /Chalfont began ta"ing (ictures of the trains around #$/&. 1e was

conscious that this (henomena was then uniue to ew !or" and that it was targeted by the

munici(al authorities that saw it as a threatening, ugly reminder that ghetto life e+isted Fust a few

sto(s outside Manhattan's u( mar"et and commercial neighbourhoods. -4A(%0Chalfont set about

recording this uniue 'scene'.-4A(#2E0=hat he did not foresee was the effect that Subway (rtwould

have in the wider world. The boo" became hugely influential, ins(iring todays now world;wide

movement of graffiti writers and artists. *y the time the ew !or" trans(ort authority finally

sto((ed graffiti on the subways around #$/$ the art had already begun to infiltrate urban sub;

cultures all over the world. -4A(#2E0The growing influence of '1i( 1o(' culture s(read graffiti

writing further with the release of the films)ild Style andStyle )ars *co (roduced with 1enry

Chalfont; documented the rise of 1i( 1o( and the urban culture around Graffiti. *y 2&&2 the

(o(ularity of writing on trains in :uro(e and beyond was such that it su((orted maga6ines li"e the

Danish (ublished +et # which featured individual (rofiles, bombing, burners and tags from trains

in Co(enhagen, and the rest of :uro(e and the Americas.$. As 1enry Chalfont states in the 2th

Anniversary edition of Subway (rt '!ouths from Africa to *ra6il to China embraced the art form asa revolt of the o((ressed, a new resistance movement and means of e+(ression.' 1e goes on to (oint

out that< 'Today artists that began as 'bombers' have infiltrated every branch of the media and

entertainment business, gra(hic design, web design and dance'. Chalfont also uotes rench stencil

street artist *le" le Jat who has called Graffiti 'the biggest art movement in the history of the

world.' -4A(#2E0Austin writing in 2& also concurs that graffiti art is art, but li"e no art currently

% Tem(le Kf 1i( 1o(, Lhtt(www."rs;one.comtem(le;of;hi(;ho( N7accessed 2%#22/ 1 , Chalfont O M, Coo(er. Subway (rt -.th(nni/ersary Edition, 4an rancisco Chronicle *oo"s BBC, -2&&$01ereafter referredto in the main te+t as 4A

$ +et # 0aga1ine,Lhtt(www.wise;one.d"#&EH$#&&$(ortfolioget;u(;maga6ine;vol;2 N 7accessed 2#22

E
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narrated in modern art history' #&.

As a (art of wider 1i( 1o( Culture, graffiti writers a((ro(riated, develo(ed and re;invented

e+isting cultural memes and (ractices in similar ways to other as(ects of 1i( 1o( such as D5ing.

D5s would 'dig in the crates' for records with a suitable 'brea" beat' ; a section of a record that could

be 'loo(ed' often with solo drum seuences such as the '(men "reak' '!unky Drummer' and '(#ache'

## These sections would be used as both the basis for a 'ra(' trac" and as a section in the music

reserved for 'brea" dancers' These brea"s came from often long forgotten trac"s from the H&'s and

early %&'s and their use by 'in the "now' D5s gave rise to a series of com(ilation B>s such as

'ltimate "eats and "reaks2-#$/H;$#0 series for those D5s who didn't have the originals, the sleeves

of these B>s were often richly decorated with graffiti style designs, #2graffiti writers delved into

comic boo" history and 'counter culture' (sychedelic (osters for ins(iration, -TTT(EE;E0characters

and lettering styles brought forgotten comic boo" characters li"e Paughn *odQ's 'Cheech =i6ard'

and 'Bi6ard' # to the forefront of the culture. Authenticity can therefore be also seen as an

awareness of the de(th of urban sub;cultural (ractices and history as much as the dangers of 'getting

u(' in train yards.

Graffiti has now become ubiuitous in its influence (ermeating gra(hic design, (roduct design,

and branding designs such as clothing manufacturer 4tussy's tag li"e logo.#EGraffiti style fonts are

available online for gra(hic designers, smart(hone a((s to (roduce tags li"e Tag1or Tagor +raffiti

Creator, e+ist alongside games such as Subway Surfers,#a traditional (latform game which

em(loys the idea of a 'graffiti writer' character running from a transit (oliceman having (ainted the

games title as a 'burner' on the side of a train. Avoiding 'death by trains' while collecting coins is the

obFect of the game. 4everal avatars re(resentative of '1i( 1o(' and /&s cultural identities feature in

the a((. *rands such as 4tussy, (roduct designers and advertisers continue to affirm the subversive

roots of graffiti art as they ho(e to give their (roducts a((eal with a discerning buyer. n recent

years the (o(ularity of graffiti and street artists wor" has raised commercial o((ortunities for the

many (ractitioners of the form. 3 street and graffiti artist *an"sy has been a celebrated e+am(le.

*an"sy grew u( near *ristol and is associated with the urban culture of the area that (roduced Tri(

1o( grou( 'Massive Attac"'. Bead MC and vocalist with Massive Attac" D, is himself a well

"nown graffiti artist who learned his craft on *ristol's streets. Today he too is a successful

#& 5, Austin. 'More to see than a canvas in a white cube for an art in the streets', in City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory,#olicy, action, Abingdon Taylor O rancis -2&0 ((;E2

## 4ee 'Music' in *ibliogra(hy

#2 A((endi+ .# Paughn, *odQ. Cheech )i1ard 3olume 44, 4eattle antagra(hics *oo"s,-#$$$0(#;2& 4ee A((endi+ E#E A((endi+ .# A((endi+ HO%


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e+hibiting artist. *an"sy's (ieces have found their way in to galleries both legitimately and

illegitimately as an e+hibiting artist and with subversive additions to the walls of famous museums

and galleries.#H n 2&&2 *an"sy and his agent 4teve Ba6arides set u( '>ictures Kn =alls' to mar"et

street art and graffiti artists wor" directly to the (ublic on both the internet and in (o( u( sho(s in

Bondon's =est :nd. >K= set u( in 4horeditch 'their own (roduction facility in an :ast Bondon shit

hole where (rints could be (roduced 789 without the usual art world sham, snobbery and mar" ; u(

' #%This by;(assing of the traditional art mar"et hel(ed to cultivate a new urbane customer interested

in accessing the cities aesthetic in the form of the street art (rint. *ut (rofit was not the only

consideration. Artist and screen (rinter for >K= :ine states in an interview 'we're not Fust about

ma"ing money. ts nice, but its not what its about' ->K=(%&0This way of commercialising street art re

reinforces its legitimacy and is a lesson learned from the early the days of the ew !or" art scene of

the mid #$/&'s. Graffiti writers who (layed the art game were accused of selling out. ->K=(H0

=riters will often form grou(s or 'crews' localised in s(ecific neighbourhoods with young writers

wor"ing alongside more e+(erience artists learning their craft. -TTT(HE04ince the early #$/&s

Bondon has had several 'graffiti crews' such as DD4 ; the Diabolical Dub 4tars ; and ATG 'Ahead of

the Game' these have been the bane of Bondon's trans(ort authorities for over 2& years with attac"s

on TB stations and trains including infamous attac"s on Camden and *ri+ton tube stations over

Christmas 2&&H#/ Bondon has (roduced many successful graffiti artists among them is Jemi

Jough. Jemi is also a 1i( 1o( Mc and (roducer and has been writing graffiti since the #$/&s.

Jemi has wor"ed with some of graffiti's most celebrated names including ew !or" writer '6 The

=i6' in the early #$$&'s. #$Jecently Jemi too" (art in the nderbelly(roFect, a collective of

international e+hibiting graffiti artists that included utura and many other veterans of the scene. 2&

This (roFect ta"es successful established artists and finds hidden even inaccessible s(aces to create

new wor". The (roFect was about graffiti as art (ractice and not as a commodity. Jemi gave a tal"

on graffiti culture at Tate Modern as (art of a 4treet Art e+hibition held there in 2&&/ . 1e recently

(ainted the facia of the Megaro 1otel in 3ings cross as (art of 'Agents of Change' (roFect. This

(roFect involves #2 artists who 'attac" s(ace'. 2#'The Ghost Pillage >roFect' was another tac"led by

the collective. An abandoned 'brutalist' #$%&s village on the west 4cottish coast was transformed

#H *an"sy. )all and 5iece, Bondon Jandom 1ouse -2&&0((#;#E

#% B, Dic"ens. '>ictures on walls? >roducing, (ricing and collecting the street art screen (rint' in City analysis of urban trends,culture, theory, (olicy, action, Pol#E-#;20(HE 1ereafter referred to in the main te+t as >K=

#/ A((endi+ /#$ Jemi Jough Archive Lhtt(remirough.comtagarchive N 7accessed 2#22

2& The nderbelly >roFect, Lhtt(www.theunderbelly(roFect.com N7accessed 22#22\# Agent Kf Change Lhtt(agents;of;change.co.u" N 7accessed 22#22

H
http://remirough.com/tag/archivehttp://www.theunderbellyproject.com/http://agents-of-change.co.uk/http://remirough.com/tag/archivehttp://www.theunderbellyproject.com/http://agents-of-change.co.uk/


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into a gallery of large scale new wor"s. Jemi is currently e+hibiting wor" in a Foint show with

veteran ew !or" graffiti artist 5ohn 'Crash' Matos in ew !or". 22 interviewed him via email

regarding his thoughts on the (ractices of writing graffiti 2

Kn Jemi's first e+(erience of graffiti art

'1i( 1o( and electro record sleeves definitely had my eye, guess Fust didn't realise why at that

(oint. The6elly"eancover definitely stic"s out in my mind too, 2E7...9 then a "id at school came in

with Subway (rtand loaned it to me for an evening. studied it cover to cover and thin" that was

it really.'

Kn the Tagress -2&.

'

Austin,5. 'More to see than a canvas in a white cube for an art in the streets', in City: analysis of urban trends, culture,

theory, #olicy, action, Abingdon Taylor O rancis -2&0

*an"sy.)all and 5iece, Bondon Jandom 1ouse -2&&0

*audrillard, 5ean.'3ool 3iller, or the nsurrection of 4igns' in Symbolic Exchange and Death Theory, Culture Society,

Bondon 4age >ublications, -#$$0

*odQ, Paughn. Cheech )i1ard 3olume 44, 4eattle antagra(hics *oo"s,-#$$$0

Chalfont, 1. O Coo(er, M. Subway (rt -.th(nni/ersary Edition, 4an rancisco Chronicle *oo"s BBC, -2&&$0

Dic"ens, B. '>ictures on walls? >roducing, (ricing and collecting the street art screen (rint' in City analysis of urban

trends, culture, theory, (olicy, action, Pol#E-#;20((H;/#

utura.!utura, Bondon *ooth;Clibborn -2&&&0

1aden;Guest, Anthony. True Colors: The &eal 'ife of the (rt )orld,ew !or" Atlantic >ress, -#$$H0

ilms

"eat Street,dir by, 4tan Bathan,-Krion >icture Cor(oration, #$/E0

Style )ars,dir by, Tony 4ilver,->ublic Arts ilms, #$/0

)ild Style, dir by Charlie Ahearn,-=ild 4tyle DD :ntertainment, #$/20

Music

(#ache7 The ncredible *ongo *and, %SMGM Jecords,-#$%E0

The !unky Drummer 5arts 8and -, , 5ames *rown, %S3ing Jecords, -#$%&0

(men "rother, The =instons, %SMetromedia Jecords,-#$H$0

3arious, ltimate *rea"s and *eats,4treet *eat Jecords, -#$//0

nterview

nterview with Jemi Jough via email December 2

:lectronic Jesourses

Agent Kf Change Lhtt(agents;of;change.co.u" N 7accessed 22#22

$
http://agents-of-change.co.uk/http://agents-of-change.co.uk/


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+et # 0aga1ine,Lhtt(www.wise;one.d"#&EH$#&&$(ortfolioget;u(;maga6ine;vol;2 N 7accessed 2#22

Jemi Jough Archive Lhtt(remirough.comtagarchive N 7accessed 2#22

Tem(le Kf 1i( 1o(, Lhtt(www."rs;one.comtem(le;of;hi(;ho( N7accessed 2%#22

The Bondon Pandal *log Lhtt(www.thelondonvandal.com2&2remi;rough;dra+;beef;grass;snitch N7accessed 2#22

The nderbelly >roFect, Lhtt(www.theunderbelly(roFect.com N7accessed 22#22

ltimate "reaks4leeves,Lhtt(wehavetheoriginals.blogs(ot.co.u"2#&$ultimate;brea"s;beats;sbr#E;l(.htmlN7accessed 22#22

A((endi+ -(hotogra(hs are screenshots or the authors own or credited to source0

#. utura Tag 2. utura G.A.4 e+hibition #$/&

#&
http://www.wise-one.dk/10469/150039/portfolio/get-up-magazine-vol-2http://remirough.com/tag/archivehttp://www.krs-one.com/temple-of-hip-hop/http://www.thelondonvandal.com/2013/02/remi-rough-drax-beef-grass-snitch/http://www.theunderbellyproject.com/http://wehavetheoriginals.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/ultimate-breaks-beats-sbr514-lp.htmlhttp://www.wise-one.dk/10469/150039/portfolio/get-up-magazine-vol-2http://remirough.com/tag/archivehttp://www.krs-one.com/temple-of-hip-hop/http://www.thelondonvandal.com/2013/02/remi-rough-drax-beef-grass-snitch/http://www.theunderbellyproject.com/http://wehavetheoriginals.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/ultimate-breaks-beats-sbr514-lp.html


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.ltimate *rea"s and *eats

E. Cheech =i6ard and Bi6ard by Paughn *odQ . 4tussy 'Tag' Bogos.

##


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$. Jemi Jough and 5ohn 'Crash' Matos in ew !or" 2E.

#


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#&. Jemi Jough Megaro 1otel 3ings Cross 2

##. 5ellybean, )otu#ski99, Album, :M America, #$/E

#E

the mediated city, assignment 2

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