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According to Wikipedia, the word on the street of the internet, ‘graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place’. Lest we think of graffiti as a modern phenomenon we are reminded of the presence of graffiti in ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt. Graffiti may be politically motivated, part of Hip Hop expression, an art movement, or a statement of subculture (queer, marginalized peoples, subterranean, gang, or youth culture), It occurs throughout the world within oppressive regimes and democracies and influences art, fashion, photography, advertising, product development, and public policy. Today we’ll look at street culture using it as inspiration for the subject of poetry and/or use its precepts to influence the creation of poetry. My name is Anna Montgomery and I’ll be your host today.
The aesthetic of graffiti is one of collage and decomposition; pop art and graphic art; stencils and spray paint. Its look is grungy, urban, outsider, underground. The themes range from disintegration and deterioration to reclamation and liberation. It may address consumerism, political systems, music and art, or street knowledge. At its most fundamental it is multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-media. Blurring boundaries between public and private; high and low art; and mainstream and alternative, graffiti questions and prods the establishment. Like the urban environment it comes from it can create intense collisions. Associated with parkour, streetball, Hip Hop, art toys, skateboard culture, and punk rock it creates a feedback loop of influence, creation, and dialogue about the concrete jungle.
Here you’ll find a large number of examples of graffiti poetry and here the underground world of London bathroom poetry. Hush, Lady Aiko, Chloe Early, Bansky, Taki183, and The City Loves You will provide you with some inspiration from around the world. (To avoid any copyright violations here at the Pub, the links will take you to the images and words). As King Adz points out in his book Street Knowledge: ‘This visual language is an ever-changing montage of retro and futuristic images. The cyclical nature of the culture means that looking back is just as important as looking forward.’
When I ran a nonprofit arts center with locations in downtown Denver and Aurora, Colorado I was involved in street culture and the subculture of urban artists. Housed in a former anchor and bolt factory (Denver) and a former police substation (Aurora), we encouraged the public to reclaim gallery space as public space by holding open shows, providing arts education to historically underserved populations, and supporting local artists with studios and professional skill development. The outreach into the community created events like Art Parties where families made work together in an all-day creative extravaganza. More focused efforts involved providing art therapy to vulnerable and marginalized populations. Time and again we saw the benefits of giving people the tools for self-expression as they participated in the empowerment that followed. From creative problem solving and increased economic self-sufficiency to using their voice to affect change participants gained a stronger sense of community involvement.
Today I am asking you to consider graffiti as a subject, to write a poem influenced by the aesthetic or purposes of graffiti, to graffiti the work of another author by sourcing copyright free material at the Gutenberg Project, make your own graffiti for your post at the free Graffiti Creator, go all out and make a multimedia piece, and/or any combination of these. You may even want to have your own urban adventure, absorbing the sights, sounds and smells before writing. I hope you enjoy the freedom and challenge and even have a bit of wild fun (I won’t tell on you). (psst . . . you could always leave a bit of bathroom graffiti art here in the pub restrooms, just don’t tell the staff I gave you permisssion :)).
To participate:
• Copy the direct link to the URL and paste it, along with your name, in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
• Engage in community building, a primary principle here at the pub, by investigating the work of others, reading and commenting. One of the best ways to become a better poet is to read and reflect on the work of your peers. Please provide positive, constructive feedback and appreciation. It’s how we show respect for one another at the pub.
• Share your work and that of others on your social networks. Encourage other poets to join us here at the pub.
claudia said:
very cool anna..i love graffiti and i wouldn’t mind if we had some in the pub restroom as well….smiles.. first thing what i was doing when we moved into our house, i was painting the walls with flowers and a little graffiti lettering in the floor as well..ha…
Anna Montgomery said:
Haha, I thought you might excuse my little outlaw aside about the pub bathrooms :). Homes are made for claiming, it sounds very nice!
Glenn Buttkus said:
Wow, an audacious prompt, Anna. Street art has long been an interest for me, and have taken hundreds of pics of it on box cars, bridges, alleyways, & buildings. A perfect way for us to meet the bar, tonight; thanks.
Anna Montgomery said:
Good to know; I look forward to reading your response!
Laurie Kolp said:
I find graffiti so interesting, so thanks for this, Anna. There’s not a lot of street art like you engaged in and very little graffiti to be found.
Anna Montgomery said:
Yes, we had murals painted on the side of the buildings and the city even financially supported the creation of a few of them. They were visible from the main N-S highway.
Laurie Kolp said:
(sorry, accidentally hit reply)… where I live, although we do provide a wonderful appreciation for art in museums. (I know… bor-ing).
Anna Montgomery said:
I adore art museums!
brian miller said:
the festival i went to last year was sponsored by the city as well…they painted the side of the dam which was pretty cool…
brian miller said:
oh you have tickled me…i LOVE street art….went a big festival last year….its amazing what they can do…and even the taggers…its the new hieroglyphs!!!
Anna Montgomery said:
Yes, I knew you’d have fun with this one :). Thanks for continuing to let me play here at the Pub.
brian miller said:
smiles….you are good..you always bring cool prompts….
off to check the bathroom walls to see if there is anything good…ha…
Anna Montgomery said:
Awesome.
Susan said:
As usual, Ms Anna, you gift us with links to marvelous landscapes where we can play. I have been lazy, taking the first thing on my mind, but I will be back to visit each site and lose myself in art, politics and frolic.
Anna Montgomery said:
I find frolicking an excellent stimulant for art-making. Sounds like fun, thanks so much Susan.
Valerie Valdes (@valerievaldes) said:
You’ve all seen mine before, but it’s relevant to the subject. I once traveled to Dublin, Ireland for a poetry class and we walked over to St. Stephen’s Green and wrote haiku on the sidewalks. Great fun.
Anna Montgomery said:
Ooo, chalk poetry is a blast, especially with children. Thanks for joining us today.
brian miller said:
oo cool…i need to start carrying chalk and leave poetry bombs around…you are getting me in so much trouble…ha….
Grace said:
What a very fascinating article and prompt ~ I have not appreciated street art or poetry that much until now ~ There are lots of stories to be told from street art ~ In Toronto, we have one called Graffiti Alley and the Mayor is debating whether to tear it down or not ~ I appreciate the links Anna ~ This is something I can go back again and again (Like your Mayer’s experiements) ~
Happy day to everyone ~
Anna Montgomery said:
I’m glad to hear you’ll be able to use the links again and the Mayer experiments especially! Yes, there’s always tension between the art form and the municipality. Luckily we won’t get into trouble today with our virtual graffiti poetry.
hypercryptical said:
Excellent prompt Anna and I appreciate the links too. Much wisdom and humour found in the words of the street and much talent in its art.
Anna :o]
Anna Montgomery said:
Very true, wonderful that you’ve played along!
claudia said:
true that…and i love that it’s an art form that goes to the people and doesn’t wait until people come and visit..if that makes sense..
janehewey said:
Fantastic prompt, Anna. Inspiring and educational. Seems only appropriate that I should skip out of work and mess with things a bit.
claudia said:
sounds like the thing to do…smiles
Anna Montgomery said:
Big smiles. We’re having a snowstorm on the mountain today so I’m immersing myself in poetry before anything else.
janehewey said:
a stunning juxtaposition btwn nature’s snowfall and graffiti
–hmmm 🙂 enjoy.
brian miller said:
look forward to yours jane…
Susan L Daniels said:
What a great idea, Anna. I had an old, old poem about graffiti of a sort I wrote long ago, but if you are offended by nasty language, don’t read it.
Anna Montgomery said:
I’m not one to be frightened by language :), now I’m intrigued.
Susan L Daniels said:
It’s really just one teeny tiny word 😉
Anna Montgomery said:
Sometimes those are the most dangerous ;).
Susan L Daniels said:
Quite true!
tashtoo said:
Bringing a little bit of my countrified graffiti to the pub this evening…loved the article Anna!
Anna Montgomery said:
Countrified also sounds intriguing :).
kkkkaty said:
hmmm..to read others’ first ..or write , post and then read…that is the question ? What a great prompt..
Tony said:
write first, then read – unless you’re completely stuck, in which case, hit the trail where there’s always inspiration 🙂
Tony said:
Intriguing article and prompt, Anna. As usual, I’m just in from my evening class (it is about poetry) so I’ll work on this tomorrow. I do have some ideas though 🙂
Anna Montgomery said:
Wonderful to hear, I look forward to your response!
Tony said:
Written and posted – unlike last week when my muse simply refused to co-operate.
cloudfactor5 said:
Can’t figure out how to move from Graffiti Creator ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Anna Montgomery said:
There should be a save button – if not you can print to PDF to save.
cloudfactor5 said:
NO SAVE BUTTON & NO OPTION TO PRINT TO PDF ?????????????????????????????????
Anna Montgomery said:
Some of the styles don’t seem to have a save button but I was able to right click to print and then change my printer selection to PDF. The Mindgem font has a save button. You may be experiencing problems with Flash. It should be able to save as a PNG file.
cloudfactor5 said:
NO SAVE BUTTON & NO OPTION TO PRINT TO PDF??????????????????????????
hollyannegetspoetic said:
Loved the prompt Anna – though I’m not sure I’ve entirely followed it. But I like the notion of something being “illicit” very much.
Anna Montgomery said:
Haha, whatever floats your boat!
Joseph Hesch said:
Hi, Anna. Here’s an older one that many have seen, but it’s so on point I couldn’t resist.
Anna Montgomery said:
Sounds good!
Anna Montgomery said:
I’m through 14 but need to take a break to go running. Great stuff so far!
Delaina Miller (@DelainaMiller) said:
How freak’in fun! I’m in. Tagging my own blog now 🙂 Cheers!
Anna Montgomery said:
Sounds like it, I am eager to see it!
aprille said:
Hiya Anna,
What a fun post.
I went negative with this and enjoyed it.
brian miller said:
for me you def raised a lot of questions…and made me think…what else can i ask? smiles.
Anna Montgomery said:
Sometimes the way to go :).
ManicDdaily said:
Hi Anna – a fun prompt that took me in an unexpected direction – I wasn’t actually thinking of posting so much today, but enjoyed. Thanks much. k.
Anna Montgomery said:
That’s terrific!
Sheila said:
thanks, Anna. Been looking forward to this prompt!
Anna Montgomery said:
I loved your response.
Bodhirose said:
A great prompt, Anna…I think quite progressive…it’s exciting!
Anna Montgomery said:
Thank you, I’ve been working at encouraging experimentation throughout my time writing for Meeting the Bar. It’s wonderful that you find it exciting!
claudia said:
oh wow…waking to 38 entries..you have been busy while i was sleeping…off to dive into your verse in a bit.. good morning
henryclemmons said:
Glad you’re the one waking up, cos’ I be glad it’s bed time for me. Later, Claudia S.
henryclemmons said:
Sorry, Anna, just got home. Kept us late tonight. I enjoyed your article, but I’m pretty brain drained, yes more than usual, to attempt anything tonight. And it’s a long day tomorrow getting ready for Saturday. BUT, I will try to write a grafitti-ish piece for Tuesday night. I gotta chill a lil right now, Sleep would be a nice thing. Gonna find some music to drift off with. But I wanted to show some luv and support for you before I wusssed out. Later, Colorado Mountain top Girl!
brian miller said:
wassup henry…whats up on saturday?
henryclemmons said:
Just helpin’ a lil charity thing.
Anna Montgomery said:
Thanks for the support! Tuesday would be wonderful, have a great weekend.
Gretchen Leary said:
Genius prompt!
brian miller said:
so do let me know on the ‘S’….ha
Anna Montgomery said:
Thanks for the encouragement!
Susie Clevenger (@wingsobutterfly) said:
Hi Anna, great prompt! Mine is dark. That is where my muse wanted to go with it.
brian miller said:
a little reality…a little 1984…scary stuff you know….
Anna Montgomery said:
I’m looking forward to it!
rosross said:
http://roslynrosssmallstones.blogspot.com/2013/02/never-drink-on-full-heart.html
Graffiti is a message we want to share and so it is ‘written’ publicly. Often it is a catchy line or one word and sometimes a few sentences. One of the most famous forms was the word Eternity, written on Sydney footpaths for nearly forty years by Arthur Stace and, in honour of the word and his ‘work,’ emblazoned on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the 2000 Olympics.
http://www.wesleymission.org.au/publications/eternity/eternity.htm
Anna Montgomery said:
Thanks for the links; I’m excited to read them.
Polly Robinson said:
Ultra cool prompt Anna 🙂
vivinfrance said:
I love this prompt, Anna, and had tremendous fun first writing and then decorating my poem! Only lunchtime pangs of hunger stopped me playing more!
Anna Montgomery said:
That’s marvelous to hear, tremendous fun even. Well, you’ve made my day.
Anna Montgomery said:
Thanks Polly!
brian miller said:
good morning poets…working on a cup of coffee and will be back…no school today due to ice…woot…
Tony said:
Good morning Brian. Coffee is hot, even if the weather isn’t.
brian miller said:
ha true that man..good morning back to you….just coming back online and got yours pulled up…
Kim Nelson said:
One of the BEST challenges in a long time, Anna! Thank you!
Anna Montgomery said:
Thank you Kim, so happy to be of service!
Tony said:
Cakes baking in the oven – now it’s time to hit the trail, starting at the high numbers for a change 🙂
claudia said:
cake…nice…can i get a piece….? smiles
Tony said:
If you manage to fit Edinburgh into your busy schedule – there can be cake!
festivalking said:
Thanks for the challenge Anna! Worked my butt off trying to make my own graffiti 😀
Anna Montgomery said:
Can’t wait to check it out when I return!
claudia said:
way cool..on my way over..
Anna Montgomery said:
I’m through #40 and will be away at work for a few hours. Fantastic work so far!
claudia said:
have a great time at work anna
Anna Montgomery said:
Thanks Claudia, it was a long but good and productive day.
Imelda said:
I took advantage of the permission to post bathroom graffiti 😉 Thanks for the indulgence. 🙂
Anna Montgomery said:
Hehe :).
Snakypoet (Rosemary Nissen-Wade) said:
Great fun! Thank you. Loved the graffiti creator. 🙂
Anna Montgomery said:
Awesome :D.
lucychili said:
this made me laugh
ttp://www.diodepoetry.com/v6n1/content/stoykova-klemer_k.html
Anna Montgomery said:
I’ll check out the link :).
markwindham said:
late to the party again… this work thing is for the birds
Anna Montgomery said:
Haha, too true. Glad you made it, late or otherwise :).
JodetteP said:
Hi Anna, sorry I didn’t make it in time for the linky, but i couldn’t bear to waste this opportunity- I love the prompt!
So I wrote the poem and posted it on my blog, please check it out 😀
Cairenn Rhys said:
I’ve chosen you as one my favorite blogs… 🙂 for the Versatile Blogging Award. Info is on my latest post.