Classification of Graffiti
The issue surrounding graffiti is that most people generalize it without truly understanding the diversity of graffiti. To grasp the impact on communities it is valuable to look at the different classifications of graffiti, as well as the writers and the dynamics that are unique to each. In attempting to come to an understanding of the argument surrounding graffiti in the context of beneficial versus detrimental and legal versus illegal it is important to understand that there are many kinds of graffiti and each has its own motivations and levels of social impact.
10.1 Gang Graffiti
Gang graffiti is created by people, usually teen to young adult males who are member of gangs or are gang affiliated. Gang graffiti is commonly used to establish territory, publicize conflict with other gangs or gang members (Weisel, 2011), or as memorials for killed gang members. Gang graffiti can be characterized by a single coloured paint usually involving numbers or symbols. Often the gang graffiti is crossed out by rival gangs a sign of disrespect.
It is important to know that not all graffiti is gang related and not all gangs create graffiti. This dynamic is typically based on location and region. For example street gangs of California utilize graffiti extensively to demarcate territory, as opposed to the criminal gangs of Vancouver that rarely engage in graffiti. In his presentation at the 2016 Anti-Graffiti Symposium Sgt. Keiron McConnell of the Vancouver Gang Squad illustrated the differences of gang dynamic based on geographical location. McConnell suggests that the street gangs of American inner-city neighborhoods form on a neighbourhood level to protect territory and their legal or non-legal activities from rival gangs, offering protection and sense of family as a part of gang life. In contrast, gangs in Western Canada are mostly formed by middle class and affluent youth not out of community, allegiance, or security, but for the sole purpose of power, image and making money through illegal trade. Differing from the inner-city gang members in the United States, Canadian gangs generally do not tag and are not interested in protecting territory, but try to keep a low profile in the community to not impede their drug, weapons, and prostitution business.
10.2 Hate Graffiti
The motivational factor of this kind of graffiti is spreading a message of racism, bigotry, and hatred. This graffiti is generally non-artistic, and may comprise of short statements or a sentence to inflict messaging of hate on individuals or groups of individuals (City of Burnaby, 2007). Those who perform hate graffiti often use paint, markers, or scribe text and often symbols such as swastikas that represent their message. Hate graffiti is often created in areas that are in direct relation to the target group. It is not uncommon for graffiti of this nature to appear on religious buildings, monuments and public areas to get the most attention and inflict messaging to a population group that may be sensitive to this (Weisel, 2011).
10.3 Political Graffiti
Political graffiti is commonly protest based vandalism directed towards an individual, group or current social issue (Weisel, 2011). Typical political graffiti can be derogatory statements made towards political leaders, corporations, environmental and social issues, anti-war, and any other agenda that is current in society. Political graffiti typically promotes the agenda of interest groups attempting to deliver a message to mass population with anonymity and without financial cost. This graffiti is commonly created in open visible areas either to raise controversy or to appeal to a population group that may be sympathetic to the messaging (Alonso, 1998).
10.4 Hip-Hop Graffiti
Differing from hate, gang or political graffiti there is a category of graffiti that is created simply for the self-exhibition of the writer. Not motivated by any belief system other than getting recognition for writing one’s own name or a crew name known as “getting up”, this group of writers account for a tremendous amount of graffiti (Alonso, 1998). Hip Hop graffiti is the tagging that is a result of the mass popularity and media attention gained from the migration of hip-hop culture into mainstream culture. The influence of Hip-Hop encompasses a wide range of youth social culture not limited to just the music. The acceptance and embracing of Hip-Hop into mainstream youth culture delivered a wave of influence through music, fashion, and graffiti art (Alonso, 1998).
10.5 Common Tags
The most simple and often common form of recognition graffiti is a “tag” which is a quick scribble of text usually in the writer’s moniker and or the crew or group they belong to. Tags generally are created very quickly with a marker pen, spray can, acid etching or carved with sharp objects (Bandaranaike, 2001). These tags invite more tags, and if left uncleaned will attract other writers to use the same surface for creating graffiti. If allowed to continue without removal these writers will take up the existing space or surface and will then compete for space either covering over other tags or expanding to surrounding areas causing excessive visual noise and tension to the community. These tags carry vary little weight in regards to influencing social capital as a single tag, as these tags spread and multiply however, their presence can and often does influence the perceptions of members of the community and impact the levels of community social capital. Tags are the entry level of recognition graffiti and although most common carry less street respect than the more elaborate throw-ups and pieces (Alonso, 1998). This is not to say that the writers who create this style of graffiti are not respected in the graffiti sub-culture, but it acknowledges that this form of graffiti is often tagged over by other writers, or covered by pieces or throw ups.
10.5 Throw Ups
The next step up from the common tag is the “throw up” which is a larger work that may have a painted drop shadow or three dimensional elements (Bandaranaike, 2001). Throw ups are generally created quickly with one or two colour spray cans and are typically larger than a tag but like tags incite further graffiti on the same or neighbouring space. Throw ups are created in highly visible areas, generally with little attention paid to the artistic merit of the painting resulting in an aesthetically low valued product. Because throw-ups are commonly created quickly without attention to the visual quality or details the result is often a large roughly painted lettered element that has paint runs, overspray and inconsistent lines. With this level of painting on a large scale the impact to the community is typically one of negative value causing extensive damage and removal or repair costs. Although throw-ups typically garner more respect from the graffiti sub-culture than tags, because of their low aesthetic value writers often will tag, paint a throw up, or create a “piece” over existing throw ups.
10.6 Masterpiece
A masterpiece or “piece” is the next step up from a throw up. Pieces are more elaborate multi-coloured images adorned with shadows, highlights, flares, 3d elements, etc. Pieces take substantially more time to create, and are often worked on by more than one writer, who work off of a sketch or drawing that was created prior to the painting. Generally pieces are larger and more elaborate works, requiring locations that provide more isolation and time to paint without being interrupted or apprehended, thus are not so predominant in the community (Alonso, 1998). Unlike tags and most throw ups, pieces have the potential to be highly artistic, although writers who can produce pieces that carry high artistic merit are rare. High quality pieces hold great respect in the graffiti subculture, and are rarely defaced, vandalized or tagged over by other writers (Alonso, 1998). In the case of “pieces”, the topic of aesthetic value becomes more subjective and debateable as does its level of community impact and community value.
10.7 Productions
The next level of graffiti writing is the creation of murals “productions” which is a collaboration of several people in producing works with elaborate artistic lettering, stylized backgrounds and highly detailed painted characters that complement the text (Novak, 2015). Productions can often be designed to tell a visual story with elements and characters interacting with each other or the text. Similar to pieces, “productions” can present high artistic and aesthetic value that attaches more appreciation and leniency from the general public (Spicer, 2005). Although some productions can lack visual and artistic quality, most writers who attempt productions are more artistic, highly skilled and experienced graffiti writers. Often the work that is created by writers that are artistically capable of doing works that carry positive artistic value are created in isolated locations, or as part of a legal art project like commissioned murals or part of community arts projects.
There is often confusion from the general public regarding the types graffiti and the classification is not a simple or black and white concept. “This confusion rests in a misunderstanding of the connection between the tags, bubble letters and pieces. Usually people like the pieces and dislike the tags and bubble letters. Unfortunately in the graffiti subculture these three forms are inextricably linked and the ultimate goal is always fame and subcultural acknowledgement.” (Spicer, 2005. p.30). Rarely do writers fall into and remain in one of the listed categories, but are commonly involved, progressing or evolving in the creation of different kinds of graffiti writing. Although many taggers do not have the skills to create pieces or productions (NSW Gov. 2009 it is not uncommon for taggers to aspire to paint throw-ups and even attempt pieces. Similarly it is likely that many writers who paint pieces or productions also create throw-ups and tags depending on opportunity and level of risk. Determined by the situation or the location presented, writers, particularly those deeply immersed in the subculture will often engage in graffiti in several ways (Alonso, 1998).