To
be honest I have not really been that interested in graffiti
until the Tate modern had that extraordinary exhibition on the
outside of the building. At well over a hundred feet high you
couldn't really miss them. Before that, like most people, I was blind
to it to a certain extent as I walked the streets of towns and cities
across the country. What I did notice after viewing these wonderful
drawings is the proliferation of tagging which in my view is a
blight on the built up environment. If you are going to do it make it
interesting otherwise save the paint.
The
other day I had my arm gently twisted to purchase a copy of Wall and
Piece by Banksy forcing my interest in graffiti to another level. His
book is more a picture book than a read. One of the things I picked
up from the photo's in the book apart from his sense of humour, is
that we still walk around with our eyes wide shut even though picture
taking is at epidemic proportions. On a subsequent visit to another
book shop I checked out the art section to see if there were any
other books on graffiti and there are quite a few. Leafing through
some of them they also depict some wonderful public art. I know! a
lot of people think it degrades the neighbourhood, but done well I
think it lifts it, maybe it is time to make spaces where it is legal
for anybody to post.
What's
this got to do with photography? Quite a lot. It is about keeping
your eyes open to picture opportunity even if you walk the same
streets every day. It has happened to me on a number of occasions
where a set of circumstances falls into place, opening my eyes to a
composition that I have been blind to in the past. It is a strange
sensation to think I have walked this way over the years and this is
the first time I have really seen this view. I suspect this happens
to all of us from time to time.
Graffiti
what are your thoughts?
