The Synchronous Converter

Graffiti has incurred a mixed press over recent years. On the “good press” side, gifted graffiti artists such as Banksy have made graffiti an artform that is pleasing on the eye, employing stencils to produce tricky artworks with a subtle meaning attached. This sort of graffiti was bound to become popular with the public and the artworld : pleasing to the eye, and the intellect. This type of graffiti is even purchased as canvas prints, and placed on the walls of middleclass households and office meeting rooms.

Nonetheless, what about the opposite end of the spectrum? - the scally, the tagger, the gangbanger type - this type of graffiti is frequently seen as antisocial, an offence perpetrated by the talentless. However this is to misinterpret graffiti as purely art. To many individuals, it’s not just an artform, but a way to put your stamp on a neighbourhood, or even two fingers up at society : anti-establishment, anti-social, even anti-art.

Spraying has always been an underground pursuit, even though the effects are public. The targeted audience is often unidentified. Is it for a rival gang? A communication to an individual? To the public? Or….perhaps it’s simply uncalled-for and out of nothing else to do.

Whatever the causes may be, there seems to be some kind of enduring need to spray on walls. Some city councils have admitted that graffiti isn’t going to go away, so they’ve designated areas where graffiti is allowed - normally derelict areas, but occasionally more civic areas like temporary boarding that surrounds inner city buildings under construction.