Graffiti- An art of our times or a blight of our streets?

Carrying out this blog has opened my eyes to the creative world we live in. For my final blog post I am utilizing my newly trained creative gaze to analyse a Guardian article that immediately caught my eye as a creative consultant: “Graffiti is ugly, stupid and threatening- there’s more creativity in crochet”. The article, written by Jonathon Jones, taps into one of the greatest debates within the creative industries, trying to establish what counts as art (McAuliffe, 2012)? This post will argue against the journalists hatred for graffiti through my own ideas on the way graffiti benefits us as a creative society. My blog post juxtaposing his article is a verbal manifestation of the debate between what is art and what isn’t.

In terms of my positionality, I love street art. Every time I go past a Banksy on the bus on the way to visit my girlfriend in Bristol I still get a flutter of excitement and can’t help but scramble to take a photo to upload to Instagram.

Copyright Romany WG- Naked Man located on Park Street, Bristol

Thus, the way the article aggressively argues “The vast majority of graffiti is ugly, stupid and vaguely threatening. A tiny portion of it is witty or creative” I believe is not really thinking about the variety of graffiti on offer. Just like any art form, when you walk around a gallery you don’t love everything; some of it you much prefer and some isn’t to your taste. To say it’s “stupid” contradicts mine and Macdonald’s (2002) argument that although uninvited and illegal, graffiti is far from mindless – there is a point and purpose, even if the meanings and motives are often missing in the immediate picture.

This journalist also blindly ignores the politically charged meanings behind graffiti stating “scrawled and spray-painted inchoate messages on every corner of every city do not actually enrich our world”. To him they may be scribbles but to me, Graffiti is one of the most obvious visual manifestations of activism in the creative industries. It reflects a very bold and to the point texture of resistance which I think is essential to our free speech. In my opinion it is a spearhead of Craftivism which thrives on using creative enthusiasm to help bring about positive change through personalized activism (Greer cited in Anderson and Herr, 2007:401).

Finally, he clearly ignores that it is in fact a trend of our times with policy makers now taking notice and catering for our graffiti creative needs (McAuliffe and Iveson, 2011), with his view being “we have learned to put on a forced grin and tell ourselves it is the look of our time.”. The park in my village was presented with a ‘graffiti hut’ in 2010. Although it unfortunately became a place for underage drinking, anti social behavior and other vices, it did primarily flourish as a creative hub for the small rural graffiti scene.

I should perhaps end on a disclaimer: I do not promote you to go out and graffiti as such, but before you sub-miss it as “visual white noise”, consider the story, design and creative consequences of what you see.

http://globalstreetart.com/

References:

Anderson, G. L., and Herr, K. G. (2007) Encyclopedia of activism and social justice, London, SAGE

Macdonald, N. (2002) The Graffiti Subculture: Youth, Masculinity and Identity in London and New York, Palgrove Macmillan, NY

McAuliffe, C. (2012) Graffiti or street art? negotiating the moral geographies of the creative city, Journal of Urban Affairs, Vol.34, No.2, PP189-206

McAuliffe, C., and Iveson, K. (2011) Art and crime (and other things besides…): conceptualizing graffiti in the city, Geography Compass, Vol.5, No.3, PP128-143

Lomography Fisheye camera- My tool for capturing the creative industries

After Alexa Chung took to the Chanel cat walk with a Lomography Fisheye camera in hand it helped propel this product from the tatty satchels of the worlds hipsters into the mainstream; proving it’s the “camera du jour” (Conway,2012). As a product it could be explored in numerous ways as a symbolic tool of the creative industry: looking at its collaborations with fashion including a Paul Smith limited edition release is just one example of how it symbolises the collaborative nature of the industry. This post, however, will focus on how this camera represents a new form of producing art, for a particular type of consumer, based on the age old technique of analogue photography.

The Lomography Fish eye camera is a £35 compact analogue camera with a fixed 170 degree wide angle lens that compacts everything into a distorted circular image. Typical of Lomography cameras its images with high- contrast and unusual saturation produce optical distortions, blurry silhouettes and ghostly over printing. Although based on an arguably ‘outdated piece of technology’ demand for this type of camera has never been stronger in the 21^st century and reflects a trend of desire for ‘all things vintage’.

For many people the idea of forking out nearly a pound per photo developed (often mostly blur or even the occasional finger) is ludicrous. However, for me and a certain group of people who might consider themselves part of a ‘creative class’, we cherish such a ritual (Markusen,2005). Taking a photo on my Lomography, having it developed, and holding the print in my hand is a feeling of being an artist and this is my work. The ability to produce and print your own work easily like this resonates with Anna Poletti’s study on Zines which articulates this satisfaction of producing your own creative product.

Availability of the product is wide spread from luxury department store Selfridges, their own shop in trendy Shoreditch, right down to high street brands such as Asos and Urban Outfitters. This inherently reflects the inclusive nature of this product- anyone can use it with potentially stunning results. This exemplifies Lowe’s argument that creativity induces inclusion and promotes community development (2006).

In addition, the mantra that accompanies the product is very much ‘fun now, think later’ with users encouraged to “shoot from the hip”. Coming from a photography background this is a refreshing notion for me: instead of being tied down to the shackles of perfectly composed digital SLR pictures, I can use this product to really express my creativity whichever way I want (Burgess, 2006).

Finally, from a geographies of cultural landscape perspective I can’t help but be amused by the way the fish eye lens physically and metaphorically distorts ideas of perspective and scale; contradicting the ancient discovery of perspective by Leon Battista Albert, which is a very large underlying factor of how art is viewed and consumed to this day. In my eyes this sums up this product: Making the ordinary extraordinary.

http://shop.lomography.com/us/cameras/fisheye-family

https://vimeo.com/63886839

References:

Burgess, J.(2006) Hearing ordinary voices: cultural studies, vernacular creativity and digital storytelling, Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol.20, No.2, pp201- 214

Lowe, S. (2000) Creating community: art for community development, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol.29, No.3, pp357- 381

Markusen, A. (2006) Urban development and the politics of a creative class: evidence from a study of artists, Environment and Planning, Vol.38, No.1, pp1921- 1940

Creating affordable art through fashion- SPRZ NY

UNIQLO a Japanese casual wear brand that has now expanded to operate in 14 countries globally is in the middle of implementing one of their biggest projects yet: SPRZ NY. Literally translated as ‘Surprise New York’, it’s the collaboration between UNIQLO and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and is something that instantly caught my eye as a creative industry blogger. Originating from their flagship store on 5^th Avenue, SPRZ NY is all about mixing fashion and art with the outcome of making art affordable and accessible for the masses.

The growing emphasis on its ‘design intensive nature’ has led the fashion industry increasingly to be considered (in academic and policy) a key component of the creative and cultural industries (Scott, 2001). However SPRZ NY takes fashion designs solid position within the creative industry one step further by showcasing cutting edge fashion and modern art simultaneously in its clothes. The clothing range uses work from some of the most famous and influential artists from the New York art scene including my personal favorites Keith Harring and Jean-Michel Basquait. This creates garments that are bang up to trend with global fashion but also inherently nostalgic to the time when this artwork was made.

With hundreds of thousands of global customers now walking around wearing the garments, SPRZ NY has essentially made one of the biggest, boundary breaking art exhibitions ever. Each customer is essentially forming part of the ‘gallery’ wall. In doing so, the company have created an example of what geographer Benedict Anderson coined, an imagined community (1982). Formed, of like minded art enthusiasts who don’t know each other necessarily but who share the common desire to be seen wearing their favorite artists, which SPRZ NY allows them to do.

The relationship between the company and MoMA has been a decade long development built on mutual appreciation of art and “as a neighbor in Midtown Manhattan, UNIQLO, shares the museums values.” (Hypebeast). This relationship is the basis of the company’s art accessibility campaign which includes ‘UNIQLO Free Friday Nights’, offering open access to the MoMA for everyone. My own experience of attending this event, one rainy Friday, two years ago tells me just how popular this campaign is with queues snaking round the Museums lobby and reflects the importance of accessibility to art in a functioning creative economy (Banks and O’Connor, 2010). The ‘accessibility to art’ the Company promote is also reflected in the prices of SPRZ NY’s feature collaboration garments: Raging from £5- £50 making prints that could otherwise cost hundreds, available for under £20 in the form of a t-shirt… Having said that my bank account is certainly taking a considerable hit following the release of the company’s latest line.

Related links:

http://sprzny.uniqlo.com/uk/

http://www.uniqlo.com/uk/

http://www.moma.org/

Refernces:

Anderson, B. (1986) Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, Verso Books, London

Banks, M. and O’Connor,J. (2010) After the creative industries, International Journal Of Cultural Policy, Vol.15, No.4, pp.365-373

Scott, A. (2001) Capitalism, cities, and the production of symbolic forms, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Vol.26, pp.11–23.

Fuller Maps- Putting pen to paper to map the city

Following my first blog which celebrated the global linking SGP, I now go on to celebrate the localized creative industry that inspires Fuller Maps. Under the pseudonym ‘Fuller’, Gareth Wood has carved himself a niche market, selling his hand drawn Maps of Bristol. Wood’s 900mm X 900mm limited edition Girclée fine art prints are an accumulation of contemporary fine art, radical cartography and an interpretation of one of the most prominent creative cities in the UK.

The guts it takes to adopt such a technique as Fuller, drawing straight onto his expansive campus, is something I can only dream of. Bristol is a city with an eye catching topography of curves and hills and the way the thousands of individual markings on the canvas all lie together in perfect harmony are a testament to Fullers ability as a fine artist. Recognition should also be given here to Fullers tool: a 0.5 architecture pen which he says “are unique” and the detailing of the map certainly reinforce the reliance he put in these pens.

Following my background in Cartography studies, examining the power of maps, I cannot ignore the links between Fullers map and Pickles (2004) geographical analysis of ‘Radical Cartography’. Political issues and art often goes hand in hand and this piece of work is no exception. The way he draws the city, giving emphasis to certain areas, and playing down other areas reflects the socio-political views the artist holds. My interpretation helps me decipher such messages in the image, but I’m quick to stress that that’s just my academic head playing its part- on first glimpse of the image you do not see the messages behind it but simply the exquisite beauty of it as a piece of work. Part of me however does wonder: are the people who are shedding out £285 for it doing so for a piece of art or a piece of Fuller’s political sub conscious?

A large part of any artists work is the surroundings in which they produce it. For Fuller inspiration was all around him, something Morris (2005) argues is imperative for ‘makers’ in the creative economy. My own experience of walking Stokes Croft- stumbling upon his map in a gallery window reflects the creative hub Fuller is trying to portray. The history of Bristol as a creative hub is well documented (Bassett et al, 2002) and perhaps this is what drew Fuller to the city? Fuller’s artistic journey involved immersing himself in all aspects of the creative city, “I also spent time in local pubs and Café’s-that’s the way you really get to know communities” (BBC news), immersing himself in the city is essential to understanding the ‘Buzz’ of the city (Currid, 2009) and he directly communicates this buzz with pen to paper. Creative cities thrive on such interactions and the way Fuller intricately draws the thin black lines of his illustrations, squashed side by side onto the canvas, reflects how the different cultural hubs are physically compacted together throughout the topography of Bristol.

Commercially, Fuller is definitely taking the expensive- low sale approach: putting a very high price on the limited edition prints of the map constricts the clientele considerably. However scrolling down his Facebook page for five minutes, reading the reams of happy customers suggests the success of this, not to scale, geographically inaccurate, “psycho- geography” illustration.

Related links:

http://www.radicalcartography.net/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-26887276

http://www.fullermaps.com/

References:

Bassett,K. (2002) Testing governance: partnerships, planning and conflict in waterfront regeneration, Urban Studies, Vol.39, No.10, PP1757- 1775

Currid, E.(2010) The geography of buzz: art, culture and the social milieu in Los Angeles and New York, Journal Of Economic Geography, Vol.10, No.3, PP423-451

Morris, A. (2005) The cultural geographies of abstract expressionism: painters, critics, dealers and the production of an atlantic art, Social & Cultural Geography, Vol.6, No.3, PP421-437

Pickles, J. (2004) ‘Counter-mappings: Cartographic reason in the age of intelligent machines and smart bombs’, in his A History of Spaces: Cartographic reason, mapping and the geocoded world, Routledge pp.179-194

Secret Garden Party- Thinking outside the metaphorical toy box

Secret Garden Party is a 30,000 attendee music festival held in the Cambridgeshire countryside that every year in sunny July (ever the optimist), turns Mill Field Hill into a playground of “creative and chaotic hedonism” (Prior, 2014). The brain child of creator Freddie Fellows, SGP (as it’s commonly known) is an incredibly interesting case study within the creative economy because of its founding aim to incorporate art into the weekend, giving interactive and installation art just as much precedence as the bands they book. Along with being a relatively novel idea within the music festival scene, it exemplifies the transient nature of the creative industry, whereby creativity is all around us. Through this example we see how art has taken an intriguing leap from the gallery walls, to the everyday spaces, with emphasis on creating art from the natural world we live among giving greater exposure to artist, in addition to greater exposure of art to the general public. In fact, the way SGP hangs pieces of art from trees and displays sculptures made from entirely organic materials throughout the hedonistic site draws parallels to cultural geographies investigation into the surge in Landscape Art: displaying art within the landscape or more adventurous still, creating art from the landscape (Morris,2011).

Of particular interest to me is the way anybody can enter their artwork to be displayed at the festival (I say with baited breath as mine is currently ‘under consideration’). The fact anyone, worldwide can enter, both professional and amateur, reinforces Graham Drake’s theory that instead of literature on the Creative Industry typically focusing on the relationship between people and place in terms of focus on collective and place- based creativity, we should investigate the relationship between place and individualized creativity (Drake,2003). In other words we must begin to explore more individualized creativity, which SGP promotes: people like me, sat in my uni room in my own world trying to explore my own creative journey.

The Festivals yearly theme, under which competitors must submit their pieces, for me is what gives the festival its charm. “100 acre toy box of a party” is the tagline for this years theme: All things childish. This exciting and humorous theme perfectly encompasses the very nature of the festivals fun- loving art policy. Artist’s, who need no advice on how to express themselves anyway, are encouraged to think as far out of the metaphorical box as possible to create the most unique, thought provoking festival interior that the events audience has ever seen. Is this art? Is it interior design gone mad? For me, it’s a perfect excuse to showcase British creativity side by side: cutting edge artists and forward thinking musicians.

What I can say for sure is Secret Garden Party 2015 is already shaping up to be the creative melting pot it’s notorious for and perhaps it might just feature an unknown artist from Exeter…

createography

Geography// Creative

Graffiti- An art of our times or a blight of our streets?

Lomography Fisheye camera- My tool for capturing the creative industries

Creating affordable art through fashion- SPRZ NY

Fuller Maps- Putting pen to paper to map the city

Secret Garden Party- Thinking outside the metaphorical toy box