Parks Thompson Professor English 111 16 November 2012 Is Street Art Really Art? When most people think of graffiti and street art they conjure up crude images of gang related graffiti and useless tagging, which is understandable, but it has evolved into so much more than that. Street art is used an outlet of self-expression and a way to tackle social issues for those whose voice might not get heard otherwise. To understand street art we must first go back to its origins. The term graffiti comes from the Italian word “graffito” which literally means to scratch.
A significant majority of individuals label graffiti as vandalism, but certain minority groups respect and practice graffiti as a form of artistic expression. It appears that many people who do not know of the background and the origin of this art stereotype graffiti as being associated with criminal activity. This negative label placed on graffiti has established a bad reputation for graffiti artists, however when looking at the long history and passion of the artists, it is evident that graffiti is a form of art. Graffiti has proven to be a new type of art; it can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of cave men, Egypt, Rome etc. “All these civilizations wrote on walls and rocks using symbols, pictures, and words.
Every week there is a new expedition as there is always new work being pasted and sprayed around. People travelling through London and New York and other cities popular for street art have the advantage to enjoy all different types and styles that range from political messages to just pure fun and excitement from the element of surprise. “Walls are the ideal canvas for many forms of art. But although pieces are there for all to see, they are not always accessible or comprehendible.” Sticker City, page 68. “I would like to make as many people laugh, without resorting to selling them anything or demanding anything from them.” ‘Chaz of the London Police’ Sticker City, page 68.
HISTORY OF HIP HOP Hip-Hop emerged in the 1970’s upon the arrival of a one Kool DJ Herc. Kool DJ Herc migrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica and settled in the West Bronx of New York. Kool DJ Herc was a disc jockey that attempted to incorporate his Jamaica style of disc jockeying, which involved reciting improvised rhymes over reggae records. Unfortunately for Kool DJ Herc New York seemed uninterested in reggae at that time. This forced Kool DJ Herc to find another appealing sound in order to please his audiences, which he did.
Back then, when I hear “Hip Hop”, I associated it with egoistic rappers and gang violence. It was my least favorite music genre because rap artists only rap about their shopping list and other meaningless topics. It came to the point where I asked, “What is Hip Hop?” I was so curious that I decided to use it as an English research topic. From that point on, my opinion on Hip Hop changed completely due to the fact that there’s more to it. As I researched on what Hip Hop is, I found out that it isn’t just a music genre, but a massive culture that originated within the Bronx during the 1970s.
Slang (AKA) Street Lingo Slang is looked upon as A Negative Ideology, The Origin of Street Slang, The Boundaries of Street Slang, The Variety of Street Slang its Essence and Dynamics should give Visual Perspective Because Slang is used worldwide by Professionals and Slang is completely Diverse along the Linguistic Spectrum. Street slang gets a bad report socially as a condescending infectious disease crippling the minds of kids in America, and truly there is no reason to say that it is broken English with no sentence structure or it represents a lack of education or it displays genuine ignorance. Consequently everyone who speaks slang is not a thug, in a gang and or uneducated. Rap music for instance is considered a foul, violence orientated and provocative by what it represents? It seems that cultures outside the African American poetic society have reached their own beliefs?
The Stigma of Tattoo's 2 Getting my first tattoo was an unforgettable rush. Feeling sexy and empowered I easily became addicted. Unfortunately not all people feel this way when it comes to tattoo’s. With or without valid reasoning society today has a variety of opinions about tattoo’s ranging from culture and art, to personal beliefs. Tattoo’s today are a form of expression for individuals who love to be artistic.
Was it for inspiration or the opinion of the mind? Graffiti is a true art with different meanings that involves many styles and risks that can damage the artist physically and socially. Graffiti is an art, not a simple tagging on a trash can or an alley wall but an actual mural that represents meaning in every detail, style, and even every color. Under legalizing graffiti, people shouldn’t judge the artwork because it is a way of expressing what the world is going through; in addition, graffiti artists are unfairly punished when they are not a danger to society. Looking at graffiti, don’t judge it as “bad” especially when you don’t know what it stands for.
Personally, I’ve seen some beautifully amazing graffiti, which is why I got interested in this topic. I am sure that all of you have also seen graffiti and have either classified it has an art or crime, No matter what you call it, graffiti is a form of expression that has been used throughout history. It has changed in many ways throughout history, and I’m going to share some information about its role in ancient times, it's evolution in the 60’s and 70’s, and its continuing presense today. II. Body A.
However there is growing conflict about the practice. Since public space “ …is landscaped, bounded, and controlled space,” its uses are normalized. [1] Graffiti constitutes damage. Which is defined as, “ permanent or temporary impairment of value or usefulness.”[2] Furthermore, the criminal aspect that is coupled with the normalization of public space causes a moral panic. This is said to be a “reaction to a pattern of behavior that is seen as violating accepted norms or laws is disproportional to the threat posed then the behavior in question.”[3] The reaction is disproportionate because the aesthetic and cultural aspects of graffiti are set aside for the criminal code.