Graffiti

I always like to read the graffiti on a cities street. Its a nice way to read the city, its under currents, its anger...its humor...its creativity. Beirut is full of great graffiti. Its limited to locations and size, but from what I have experienced, it seems a more accepted form of expression - even in the class room.

I have asked around, about graffiti and what they mean. Most of the tagging occurs on either abandoned (read bombed out) buildings or blank privacy walls along sidewalks (the ugly ones - not the nice stone ones). And they arn't quickly covered over. From what I can see, there isn't a sort of need to "preserve" or even "maintain" certain elements in the city. Its where memory perhaps prefers to be encoded with new thought, new exclaimations. The graffiti is political, humours. The work is graphic the work is repetitive, abstract and some is just bad.

On the first day of studio, after doing our introductions to the course, the students returned our assigned room. They are each given one desk, one stool and a locker. In the long tradition of architecture studios, the fight for the best desk and the right stool - as well as proximity to or from certain individuals is an immediate first minute action. Surprisingly...not only did the students claim their desks in person, but they passed around a red spray paint can, tagging their desk with fresh paint. The room filling with aeresol. How cool is that.

And how could this come as a surprise even, the architecture and graphic design programs share the building together and the halls are adequetly marked with a series of life sized to miniture artwork, colors and verbel exclaimations. My favorite is a collage of color prints under the stair case documenting all the graffiti in the building.

I will try to give some translations to the graffiti I do know under the images. Check them out here. I am sure there will be more to come.


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