Graffiti in

New

York

Paoyi Huang

December 3, 2002

Graffiti Glossary

 

Bite

-

to copy other writers’ styles.

Buff

–

any means used by Transit Authority to remove graffiti from trains.

  

Burner

–

a well-done piece.

Down

–

in part of a group or action.

Fade

–

to blend colors.

Graffiti Glossary

(continued)  

Getting Up

• also known as “Getting Around,” “Getting Over,” and “Getting the Name Out.” • successfully hitting a train, or writing writing their names prolifically.

• one of the most significant factors differentiating New York’s subway writers from the creators of traditional forms of wall writings.

Going Over

• One writer covering another writer’s work with his/her own.

• Once a piece has been “gone over,” it is considered as destroyed.

Graffiti Glossary

(continued)     

Rack Up –

to steal, the process of acquiring all kinds of materials used in writing.

Tag (Up) –

paint.

writing signature with marker or spray

Throw Up –

a name painted quickly with one layer of spray paint and an outline.

Top-to-Bottom -

extend from the top of a subway car to the bottom, but not necessarily the full length of the car.

Toy –

in experienced or incompetent writer.

A Brief History of Writing I

  Fame • Taki 183 (late 1960s)  Space • Illegal space. writing had first begun on local buses and local neighborhood walls.

• In the 70s, the ultimate goal is the subway trains.

Two separate communities in mind • The community of writers themselves.

• The general city audience.

A Brief History of Writing II



“Graffiti Art”

vs. Galleried Art World • • Two very different systems – subway trains vs. art-on-canvas • Writers vs. Traditional trained artists (e.g. Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat, etc.) Common – illegal public locations, linear drawing or words in their works.

Difference – timing, tradition, etc.

• Communication between two different systems • Result and its implication

A Brief History of Writing III

  Graffiti and Hip-Hop • Writing has more than a decade of history before rap get into the popular music scene.

• Writing was rapidly broadcast, and it became a global youth art movement partly through the connections to hip-hop.

Retaking the Trains • War on graffiti, Surveillance, Clean Car Program 1984.

• The dynamics between writers and the Transit Police changed after the late 1970s.

A Brief History of Writing IV

 Return to the Walls (1980s) • • Two career paths –

bomber

vs

. piecer

(productivity vs. skill) • Space bombers take the streets.

the style masters go to “hiding places.” • Results localized loosing network/community alter traditional norms

A Brief History of Writing V

   Two Alternative Forms • Stickers • Other modes of transportation as writing means (e.g. railroad) Using Technology – the Circulation • Writers’ zines (e.g.

International Graffiti Times

) • Video Globalization • NYC as the

“Homeland of Graffiti”



~The End~