American graffiti: deconstructing gendered communication patterns in bathroom stalls

Bathroom graffiti, in both its text and pictorial form, represent viable means for strangers to communicate with each other. The text or drawings in the bathroom stalls, while written or drawn in a private space and presumably during a very private moment, are meant to be public, as they transmit ideas, images, and even responses. Using data collected in 10 bathroom stalls at a university (five men's bathrooms and five women's bathrooms), this study examines differences in communication patterns in women's and men's bathroom stalls through an analysis of graffiti content and style. Findings reveal that while communication patterns tend to be supportive and relationship-focused in women's bathrooms, the graffiti in men's bathroom walls are replete with sexual content and insults, in the course of the construction of hegemonic masculinity. In addition, an analysis of the response-and-reply chains suggests that, in the bathroom stalls, hierarchies of power are established and reinforced even in anonymous, unmoderated spaces, and even when no humans are physically present.     

From the stigmatized tattoo to the graffitied body: femininity in the tattoo renaissance

This article analyzes the spectacularly rising popularity of tattoos by showing that tattoos have become a spatial project in the largest sense: the way they participate in the creation of social space is different from that of tattoos before the Tattoo Renaissance. I explain this project as a shift from tattoos to body graffiti. In the past (predominantly male) tattoo-spheres could be located within the margins of society. Once an identity had been assumed through the adoption of a tattoo, the person could be assigned a particular geographical position within an urban sphere. Contemporary tattoos have this one-dimensional identifying function to a much lesser extent, which influences the way in which these tattoos create space. Within the new tattoo space, the skin does not wear the stigmatic mark, nor does it function as a screen of male desire, but it becomes a wall on which multiple desires are projected. In this sense, tattoos have become graffiti. I establish the particularity of the female tattoo as opposed to the masculine tattoo by focusing on an important element of the pro/contra discussion of female tattoos: the purity and ‘blankness’ of the female skin. Jean Baudrillard's concept of the blank female skin as a ‘void’ that men rush to fill with their own desires is central to this discussion. Finally, I show that the spatial function of narcissistically oriented female tattoos is at least partly established within the Suicide Girls interactive website.     

16th-Century Ship Graffiti on the Town Walls of Eivissa, Balearic Islands, Spain

Among the historical ship depictions in Eivissa (Balearic Islands, Spain), the graffiti of galleys on the Renaissance city walls are of particular interest. From archival documents the building sequences of this monument can be confirmed. Thus the galley graffiti on the eastern side of the bastion of Sant Bernat can be narrowed down chronologically to slightly after 1568. These graffiti are also interpreted from the social history point of view, in the light of ongoing corsair incursions during the 16th century.
© 2009 The Author     

‘Popular demands do not fit in ballot boxes’: graffiti as intangible heritage at the Iglesia de San Francisco,Santiago?

Contemporary practices and conflicts of cultural heritage preservation reflect shifting conceptions of what heritage is and what it should conserve. As such, the traditional notion of graffiti upon national monuments is currently being called into question, and within the context of this debate, this study argues that the emerging framework of intangible heritage is a useful model for reconsidering graffiti at heritage sites. Arguments for such graffiti as intangible heritage are particularly strong when it can be shown to function as a societal mirror that reflects political climates and protest activities. Such graffiti poses tensions between traditional theories and practices of heritage preservation, in which these markings are seen to interrupt conservation, and emerging inclusive models such that view these works as relevant layers of a site’s history. Within this context, we explore the case of the political graffiti on the north wall of a historical monument, the Iglesia de San Francisco in Santiago, Chile, through the lens of the emerging field of intangible heritage.     

Spatial Poetics Under Authoritarianism: Graffiti and the Contestation of Urban Redevelopment in Contemporary China

This article investigates the expression of resistance to urban redevelopment in the authoritarian context of contemporary China. Where conventional channels of public expression are closed, the very space of urban transformation becomes an important medium of contestation. Through the practice of “spatial poetics”, residents manipulate the taken-for-granted meanings attached to urban space, challenging the spatial codes that authorise redevelopment. Working across four spatial dimensions—territory, place, scale, and network—these poetic manipulations allow residents to de-naturalise existing power structures, escape their effects, and re-code space with alternative meanings. The article illustrates the practice of spatial poetics through an analysis of Ciqikou, a historic district of Chongqing undergoing redevelopment. Residents expressed their resistance to redevelopment by writing slogans on buildings slated for demolition. By emphasising relationships of scale, network, and place, residents’ graffiti challenged the territorial basis of the Chinese party-state’s redevelopment project and revalorised the neighbourhood as worthy of preservation.     

Bittersweet ambivalence: Austin’s street artists speak of gentrification

Both gentrification and street art are concerned with the conquest of urban space. Although historically, graffiti and street art have functioned to challenge the status quo, a growing appreciation for urban art unveils a far more collaborative attitude between some street artists and the elite. A familiar esthetic of gentrified terrains involves repurposing spaces that capture the urban experience. In some cities, urban redevelopment preserves original materials that capture that “urban feel” by highlighting exposed brick structures, rustic furnishings, industrial lofts, and urban art. In other cities, these styles are recreated consciously. This paper draws from in-depth interviews with street artists from Austin, Texas, one of the fastest growing urban landscapes in the U.S., to discuss street artists’ attitudes towards gentrification. Its examination of stories and personal narratives about gentrification shows the complexities of rapid urban expansion as perceived by Austin street artists, and concludes that street artists remain ambivalent towards gentrification. While street artists experience some negative effects resulting from gentrification, urban redevelopment also has another clear benefit for them: an expansion of their urban canvas. The growth of city space extends street artists’ creative playground, which advances the artists’ opportunities for paid work and exposure.     

国外城市涂鸦研究进展与启示

城市涂鸦自1960年代在世界各大城市普及以来,在环境指示、社会沟通、权力表达、身份构建、产业发展、规划设计等诸多方面扮演着重要角色,并成为一种典型且有争议的城市社会文化现象,吸引了国外学者的密切关注。借助文献计量分析法,以Web of Science为数据库,对国外城市涂鸦研究进行了系统分析,并重点回顾了涂鸦的内涵、涂鸦与城市环境、涂鸦的街头表达、涂鸦与空间构建、涂鸦与城市响应等主要领域的研究进展,同时从研究内容、学科、方法与数据、理论基础四个方面进行了述评与展望。最后,分析了国外涂鸦研究对我国研究的启示,从我国涂鸦的诞生背景、涂鸦者群体和涂鸦特征三个方面阐述了我国涂鸦研究对国际研究可能存在的意义,也指出了未来我国涂鸦研究的方向。     

1990年代以来广州城市涂鸦空间的形成与嬗变——基于空间生产的视角

改革开放后,涂鸦伴随后现代街头文化传入中国,逐渐发展成为融合中西方的文化景观。涂鸦作为以城市公共空间为载体的创作形式,兼具艺术内涵和反叛色彩的双重特性,因此也被视为城市管理的不稳定因素,使其空间的生产常充满了多元主体的冲突。本文运用实地调研和深度访谈的方法,通过探究广州城市涂鸦空间的形成演变,透视当代中国城市后现代文化空间的生产及其意义。研究发现,广州城市涂鸦的空间形成主要经历了三个阶段,呈现出以老城区为中心逐步向外围地区扩展的特点。涂鸦手通过建构创作空间、利用资本力量、与政府博弈等手段实现对城市空间的占据,并使涂鸦逐渐成为具有中国本土化特征的后现代文化空间的范例。本文通过广州案例的研究,希望为今后中国城市空间治理的实践及空间正义的相关讨论提供参考借鉴。