The absolute form

To me graffiti is the most honest form of design. Everyone can do it and what matters is what you write not who you are. I wish those values could apply to graphic design as well, but graphic designers aren’t supposed to have personal opinions and strong political belifs. We are supposed to obey our clients and do what they demand (which is what they pay us to do).

What annoys me is that cities like the one I come from (Oslo) has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to graffiti; they think graffiti results in more drugged up kids (at least that’s their excuse). I don’t have much knowledge in this field, but to me it seems like it would be the other way around, that graffiti actually make kids focus on other things than drugs and make them find a meaning and purpose in life, and a chance to express their frustration with society. We are a democracy and everyone is entitled their opinion, but the city is trying to control the form of how these opinions are generated. Why should large corporation be allowed to pollute every single wall space in a city with commercial messages while we, the people, are robbed of our right to free speech? It’s ludicrous. Money talks, democracy walks.

It should be argued that graffiti destroys public property, a problem the city could help prevent by setting up walls that are allowed to spray on (even if that diminish the revolutionary feeling of putting graffiti on something illegal). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if half the advertising billboard stands could be used freely by the community to hang up posters, spray, draw and write on?

When I visited Liverpool during my autumn holiday – the European Culture Capital of 2008 – I came across some fascinating urban art projects. The great thing about these projects is that they are done in collaboration with the city. Oslo could and should learn from this.

First I came across the project called The Writing On The Wall with sentences like this one painted on walls all over the city. See all of the pieces at a-ape.org.

The wall pictured below was covered with English traffic signs with the words: security, thanks, stability, money, certainty, success, status, power, attention, access, authority and respect.