Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Top Ten Tags
Three months, 1014 photos, 31 unique tags, much wasted time, and 378 blog views later - the top 10 tags around TagBagger's Halifax are as of Jan 31/2007:
VA 102
YOOPZ 64
SARS 34
FYPTL 30
SAME 28
ENDER 23
HEUG 19
OMC 8
BDC 6
APT 5
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Frog Pond Family Skate with VA
A beautiful winter Sunday, a spare hour to spend with family and friends skating on the Frog Pond near the Dingle Park. What more could I ask for? Not much more, especially when I noticed 2 VA tags on a rock in the middle of the pond. Camera ready, they were duly recorded. It would appear, given the weathering of the tags, (and the warm weather in general this year), that these are at least 1 year old. These guys clearly get around.
A good time was had by all. TheGiftedTypist mentioned to me that her Blog hits from Google had skyrocketed since she had used my suggestion of Britney Spears "Gash Flash" as a term deserving of banning. If only there was a way to work something so blatant into a graffiti photography blog.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
YOOPZ
The tag I refer to as "YOOPZ" is present all over the downtown core. It appears to be the work of one person - there is not much variation in its simple looping style. Rarely (but with a few egregious examples that are the exceptions that prove the rule) YOOPZ is not found on buildings, but any other surface - mailboxes, paperboxes, light fixtures, and phone booths are all fair game. YOOPZ is sometimes adorned with a halo over the two OOs - this character is also present sometime with the Tags SARS, SAME and ENDER, but I do not know what it's significance is. YOOPZ seems to work solo as the Tag doesn't seem to be associated with other Tags in the same locations, colors or styles. YOOPZ is usually sprayed on, but is also seen in marker, pastel, and even on applied stickers.
Although I call this tag YOOPZ - it is clearly open to some interpretation - any alternative suggestions as to the spelling?
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Commentary
Sometimes graffiti carries a bigger message from its artist than simply "Kilroy was here" - social or political commentary. From the words "Is this our solution to poverty?" scrawled crudely on a condominium hoarding, to the humorous "SKETCH" at the Commons Skate Park; it's purpose is to convey a message to it's viewer. Some even include an URL for more information - such as Fire Your Boss And just what does the "Something Special" on the Commons Washrooms signify - I'm scared to ask. Your Thoughts?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Who's Bad?
HRM's graffiti policy is crystal clear. HRM will remove graffiti from HRM-owned assets within 3 days. The theory is that the longer graffiti is displayed, the more likely additional graffiti will occur, or spread to nearby sites. So therefor HRM will remove graffiti aggressively from its public buildings. Like the Public Library. The policy looks good on paper.
HRM also offers this friendly advice to anyone who might think about publicizing graffiti - "Avoid showing graffiti as it only gives more fame to the person who did it. If graffiti must be shown, only use one small unrecognizable area, or ensure the background of graffiti be slightly out-of-focus to distort any tags. It can also be photographed at an angle that makes it illegible." "Do not refer to the graffiti writer as an “artist”."
So, I suppose by the HRM's Graffiti policy point of view - I am bad - I photograph (in focus, in it's entirety), post, publicize graffiti, and used the verboten term "artist". In fact - I must be very bad - avoid me at all costs.
So how does HRM shape up? The left photos were taken 2 weeks ago, the right today (Jan 16, 2007). Two full weeks have elapsed. The top 3 are from the HRM Public Library on Spring Garden Road, the 4th from the Black Market.
So - tell me again - Who's bad?
HRM also offers this friendly advice to anyone who might think about publicizing graffiti - "Avoid showing graffiti as it only gives more fame to the person who did it. If graffiti must be shown, only use one small unrecognizable area, or ensure the background of graffiti be slightly out-of-focus to distort any tags. It can also be photographed at an angle that makes it illegible." "Do not refer to the graffiti writer as an “artist”."
So, I suppose by the HRM's Graffiti policy point of view - I am bad - I photograph (in focus, in it's entirety), post, publicize graffiti, and used the verboten term "artist". In fact - I must be very bad - avoid me at all costs.
So how does HRM shape up? The left photos were taken 2 weeks ago, the right today (Jan 16, 2007). Two full weeks have elapsed. The top 3 are from the HRM Public Library on Spring Garden Road, the 4th from the Black Market.
So - tell me again - Who's bad?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Giraffiti
Giraffiti (juh.raf.EE.tee) n. Graffiti painted in a very high spot.
The prototypical example is the famous "Surrender Dorothy" graffiti in Washington D.C. It is one of the best known examples of "giraffiti", and became so well known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding of their religion.
"The famous graffito in the D.C. metropolitan area first appeared on the outer loop of the I-495, the Capital Beltway, on a railroad bridge near the Washington, D.C temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon Church, in Kensington, Maryland, beginning in late 1973. By odd coincidence, the sections of the bridge match exactly the number of letters in the graffiti message, "Surrender Dorothy". It was graffitied by an anonymous artist and was removed by the Maryland State Police after pressure from the Church;[citation needed] however, it has been periodically repainted in various forms by equally unknown persons since the initial police removal. The imposing architectural design of the Temple apparently (but unsurprisingly) reminded the artists of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz [2].
The rail line which contains the bridge is the old B&O Metropolitan Branch, now owned by CSX Transportation, which operates the MARC Brunswick Line and various freight trains on that branch. The location of the phrase is visible on approach driving on I-495 from the east, but only after one passes under the first of three bridges. It is the second of three bridges over the Beltway approaching from the east, with Seminary Road before it, and Linden Lane after it. It's doubly effective because as you approach the bridges, first in the distance you see only the Mormon Temple, then you pass under the first bridge, the Temple comes back into view JUST AS the words "Surrender Dorothy" appear." Criibed in its entirety from Wikipedia
The prototypical example is the famous "Surrender Dorothy" graffiti in Washington D.C. It is one of the best known examples of "giraffiti", and became so well known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding of their religion.
"The famous graffito in the D.C. metropolitan area first appeared on the outer loop of the I-495, the Capital Beltway, on a railroad bridge near the Washington, D.C temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon Church, in Kensington, Maryland, beginning in late 1973. By odd coincidence, the sections of the bridge match exactly the number of letters in the graffiti message, "Surrender Dorothy". It was graffitied by an anonymous artist and was removed by the Maryland State Police after pressure from the Church;[citation needed] however, it has been periodically repainted in various forms by equally unknown persons since the initial police removal. The imposing architectural design of the Temple apparently (but unsurprisingly) reminded the artists of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz [2].
The rail line which contains the bridge is the old B&O Metropolitan Branch, now owned by CSX Transportation, which operates the MARC Brunswick Line and various freight trains on that branch. The location of the phrase is visible on approach driving on I-495 from the east, but only after one passes under the first of three bridges. It is the second of three bridges over the Beltway approaching from the east, with Seminary Road before it, and Linden Lane after it. It's doubly effective because as you approach the bridges, first in the distance you see only the Mormon Temple, then you pass under the first bridge, the Temple comes back into view JUST AS the words "Surrender Dorothy" appear." Criibed in its entirety from Wikipedia
Monday, January 01, 2007
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