Graffiti: So!!

[Albert]

Does anyone know who is doing the "So!!" (with two curved underlines) around town?

As I said in an email earlier today, the best examples are in blue and white, but sometimes only in white. There was a wonderful one at UH-Manoa but, alas, it was painted over yesterday.

Very simple, but quite stylish and instantly recognizeable.

A young friend of mine, who is a graffiti-creating enthusiast, explained the mystery of the white. (I never saw a white pen.) Evidently, you buy a large felt-tip pin, flush it out and fill it with that office "white-out" stuff. Dries very fast, that, so the pen must not last very long.

I know (after living in NYC) that excessive graffiti can be very tiresome, but I quite admire this "So!!" artist.

[scrivener]

I love graffiti art when it's in the right places at the right times. I haven't noticed So! but will definitely keep an eye out for it.

I've always thought that if I'd been less law-abiding, I could have been a pretty decent street-artist myself.

But Albert, you know what kind of replies this post is going to get for all eternity now! You've begun the insipid chain of replies that will never die!

[helen]

You mean like the one at HawaiiStories (http://www.hawaiistories.com/archives/005000.shtml)? I don't think it will happen here unless either the current subscribers are into Graffiti or those people who happen to comment on that thread come here and register for HawaiiThreads.

[Albert]

I think Helen is right, this thread isn't likely to deteriorate like the one on our "sister station".

(Why does KHPR refer to the weaker one as a "sister"?)

There is an underpass beneath H-1 outside lower UH-Manoa campus with big blank walls just screaming for graffiti. They constantly paint any contributions over and I noticed today how they use different tints of paint each time, so it is actually becoming a huge abstract "graffiti", rather reminiscent of some 50s abstract painters.

[Albert]

This is just absurd:

"Graffiti vandalism suspect arrested

A Kalihi man was arrested today on suspicion of criminal property damage after police caught him about 1:10 a.m. painting graffiti on a wall on the mauka side of the H-1 Freeway near The Queen's Medical Center.

The man, 24, was charged with second-degree criminal property damage, which indicates the amount of damage done was estimated to cost more than $1,500 to repair, police said."

[adrian]

I saw some at the USS Missouri Bus Stops a few weeks ago. They were in red spray paint, with the words "West side" (or something to that effect).

They were on the sidewalk, brick wall (on the Waipahu bound bus stop's wall) and some were even on the bench.

[pzarquon]

Wendell just posted a neat entry on a graffiti exhibit (http://hawaii.metblogs.com/archives/2004/10/aloha.phtml) at the The Contemporary Museum (http://www.tcmhi.org/) over at the just-launched Metroblogging Hawaii (http://hawaii.metblogs.com/) site.

The Barnstormers (http://www.tcmhi.org/ex_Barnstormers.htm):The artists worked with PACT teens on a large-scale evolving painting on the Museum's grounds... Woven through the genesis of the work were themes inspired by the interests and concerns of the teen participants, and by the rich interactions between artists and teens.

[Miulang]

Wendell just posted a neat entry on a graffiti exhibit (http://hawaii.metblogs.com/archives/2004/10/aloha.phtml) at the The Contemporary Museum (http://www.tcmhi.org/) over at the just-launched Metroblogging Hawaii (http://hawaii.metblogs.com/) site.

The Barnstormers (http://www.tcmhi.org/ex_Barnstormers.htm):
I just hope the museum guards that exhibit carefully, if it's been staged outdoors. Up here, a group did exactly the same thing: got some street kids of decorate some walls with really beautiful artwork. Not even 2 days later, some punk taggers came along and destroyed the kids' hard work! I think the punks were jealous that some adults paid attention to people who were "less worthy" than they thought they were...no respect. :mad:

Miulang

[Mocha]

The graffiti doesn't even look like graffiti! It's just beautiful art! But guard it well, someone may want to deface it. The graffiti in some places looks really like artwork but when is it done? Guess I'm too naive to think that people have better things to do...than spray paint underpasses/overpasses and everywhere else they can. :(

[craigwatanabe]

I think every grafitti should have an attachment underneath it saying...Is an Idiot!

Pretty soon those grafitti artists won't want to put their "Signature" on the wall because everyone will think he/she is an idiot.

Grafitti has a place, but not on someone elses property. I say catch the bastards, and spray their faces with the cans of paint or markers found on them and publish their photo's in the daily rags. Hey they want to get noticed? They'll get noticed!

Yeah I got victimized by one of those bastards, he was a student my age in Intermediate school. It was so obvious because he used day-glo green and painted the word F@#K on every car down our block. The next morning we saw the damage and saw the residue paint on his fingers at school too...what an idiot! Needless to say but...he was sporting a new hair color for about a week after. Kinda matched the cars he vandalized.

[Mocha]

Sorry Craig...didn't mean to imply that graffiti SHOULD be condoned, I think we even have a small tag on our side of the garage...with silver paint. At least whoever did it didn't spray our cars. Too bad the guys/gals who do this can't be
given a place like the Contemporary Museum to "show" off their work...but I guess then they would be exposed and the challenge is to do it without being caught.

[pzarquon]

KHON last night featured a story on a HPD crackdown on graffiti... or graffiti artists, to be exact. They report actually catching people in the act (but gave no names), including a 24-year-old man (presumably the same one Albert posted about yesterday).

Not only someone obviously not too bright, but... wouldn't you say a little old to be running around with spraypaint? At least he can buy it at the store without problems...

I don't know if one arrest a "crackdown" makes, but I always thought it wouldn't be too hard. Just provide a bright, white, highly visible flat surface with enough shadows nearby to give the impression of safety. Guaranteed someone will show up with a pen or can within a day.

[Albert]

"but... wouldn't you say a little old to be running around with spraypaint?"

Age really has nothing to do with it. One of my favorite people in the world is 29 and is an avid graffiti artist. Hell, if I had the "noive", I'd be one, too.

(Although I would pick my "canvases" with some discretion.)

[craigwatanabe]

I can see it now. Now that we've got skate parks for the skateboarders, and bark parks for the dog owners, pretty soon we'll have grafitti parks too.

[Miulang]

I can see it now. Now that we've got skate parks for the skateboarders, and bark parks for the dog owners, pretty soon we'll have grafitti parks too.
that's not too far from the truth! In some restaurant bathrooms, they've installed already blackboards and chalk so people can scribble their inspirational writings there instead of marking the walls of the stalls. There have been at least a couple of books that have compiled the best (and worst) of the bathroom writings over the years. :cool:

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

That reminds me of my military days when we would install those large writing tablets used for presentations (they sit on easles and you flip the pages over) in each stall in all the bathrooms.

Every Monday at our supervisory meetings someone would bring in these pages and all the supervisors would review them. It wasn't to find out who's making trouble, what we were trying to accomplish was what the true problems with our troops were and the writing was basically "on the wall". We would also know who were the problem supervisors. It became an effective tool to better our leadership skills and understanding those who worked below us. We also found out who were the hot chicks on base too!

The women's restroom sheets were the most amazing though. They were basically attacking each other and not at the supervisors!

[avid]

so is a graff crew...kinda like...te, hp, dom, and af, its just a group of artists. and, um...sorry but us graff artists dont drop names or anythin, but its nice to see stuff about graff here in hawaii. i used to live by the UH..so yeah..i know alot about the stuff goin on there...i dont kno if i should do this, but.....ah what the hell....educate yourselves :http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33776&st=12760

avid...from lo and ack..out. oh and to that guy sayin that 24 is a little too old for doin graff....most graff artists, atleast the good ones are around 30 years old.

[Miulang]

Eh Avid, is a graf artist different from a tagger? And if you're a graf artist, what do you think about the lolo wannabes who deface private property?

Just curious. I've seen gorgeous work done by graf artists, but I don't like taggers.

Miulang

[kimo55]

Eh Avid, is a graf artist different from a tagger? And if you're a graf artist, what do you think about the lolo wannabes who deface private property?

Just curious. I've seen gorgeous work done by graf artists, but I don't like taggers.

Miulang


employing the appellation; "graf artist" is the end result of taggers and graffitti vandals getting the exposure, validation and legitimacy they seek within their twisted minds and corrupt souls. Exposure comes in many colors; News casts, online discussion groups.....

[adrian]

Speaking of graffiti, I took some pictures of some on a Route A bus today here (http://hawaiianboy.modblog.com/?show=gallery&view=mid&image=70658) and here (http://hawaiianboy.modblog.com/?show=gallery&view=mid&image=70659).

I know that there's more on other buses, but I rode the same bus to and from my destination (which was weird).

[kimo55]

I rode the same bus to and from my destination (which was weird).


Gawd! Absolutely unheard of! Uncanny! How can that be!?

[adrian]

Gawd! Absolutely unheard of! Uncanny! How can that be!?
I guess the bus got delayed when it went to Manoa, so I had some extra time to take pics at Ala Moana and walk back to the bus stop.

:confused:

[craigwatanabe]

Graffiti is simply that, and no matter how beautiful it is, if it wasn't endorsed by the property owner, then it is unwelcomed. There is no justification for defacing someone elses property in the name of art.

Graffiti artists shouldn't be glorified, they should be jailed for criminal property damage plain and simple.

[manoasurfer123]

merger might be in need here...just realized this was started long before I was an HT member.

[admin]

Manoa, you know there is a more current, active thread (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=5103) on graffiti and have been participating in it. There was no reason to necropost here except to again call attention to yourself. Leave board management to the board managers, and if you have a concern, PM one of them (but not me).