The eyes see, The eyes see sore

When I refer to graffiti as a form of art, I am not however speaking of ‘tagging’, which is one of the worst forms of visual pollution we currently see destroying any possible beauty of our cities today. The incessant and wilful damage of appalling graffiti, spread over many areas of private property, public property, public transport and private. The lack of any true artistic vision by scratching or spraying a couple of initials, some stylised into a shape (about the limit of the artistic endeavour) is pathetic and dreadfully primitive. It spoils architecture, damages the environment and corrupts vision.

There are some ingenious artists in the world today, whose various forms of ‘graffiti’, contributes to enhancing a building, structure, environment or even landscape. They may still do it in an un-authorised way, but sometimes it is the surprise introduction of this art, which enhances the quality of the viewer’s visual experience. Some have gone on to fame (and a little unfortunately, excessive fortune), others have simply created, to enhance their urban environment with great success. Sometimes it is their twist on perception that creates the ‘art’, other times is their real understanding of visual cognition that successfully creates a form, shape or new interpretation of what until then has been a standard form. Unfortunately there are not enough of such artists in the world (or permitting councils, building owners or citizens). Occasionally some of these artists get to create ‘installations’. Where a vacant space or a public space (occasionally), is altered from its functional purpose and becomes a place where art transforms it or (in some cases) assaults it.

Often it is the use of familiar visual cues, which are used or modified. A collection of wooden boxes, familiar objects you will agree, may be collected into covering not only areas of the floor, but the walls and even the ceiling. Transforming something familiar into an all together different landscape. One, I saw many years ago was in the corner of a space, with the walls of the space painted completely white, a large white painted rowboat lay on a beach of white …… pieces of plates. The image, while retaining familiarity of a boat on the shore, was a transformation of an understood visual. Even thirty years later I still recall the impact of the piece.

It is unfortunate that such works are only around us temporarily, instead we are assaulted daily with billboards and placards which set out to ‘burn’ a name or product into our lives. The most successful in terms of promotion may be one that it is controversial. Such a sign and will generate enormous media conversation or promotion. But it is generally just a marketing tool. There is nothing philanthropic or purely artistic for arts sake. I drew up one piece for an idea, where the frame of the billboard existed and the panel was clear Perspex with text saying simply….. “watch this space”. The text referred of course to exactly what people would be looking at and used common marketing techniques. Cleverly placed, it could be ‘art’ and ‘marketing’, if the space people looked at was a wonderful view of nature or a specific view of a city.

(Continued tomorrow)