Chapter III Intentions

Chapter III Intentions

Placement

Stencil graffiti is an effective medium of public communication, mainly because it provides a direct and attractive visual expression. Besides, one image can be reproduced repeatedly in different places by one piece of stencil, which means the dissemination of information is sprayed much broader than others e.g. tags or writing.

The quantity of stencil productions motivates artists to choose it as an essential tool. Burns K. describes that 'This art feels like a language with a mind of its own, a visual language that evolves and operates on a frequency just slightly over our head.' (Burns, 2005) Although there are vast purposes of stencil graffiti, but the intentions behind graffiti are gave the impression of being utilitarian. The types of utilitarian purposes can be divided into two genres. One is space i.e. the interaction between environment and images, the other is the communication between images and audiences.

The effect of how stencil graffiti interact directly with surroundings is the most substantial motivation for artists, the placement adds to its own meaning through the imagination of grandstands, Manco T. explained the decision of placements which are made by graffiti artists is similar with mural artists, and mainly because of 'by creating art in public places, artists draw attention to city spaces and re-examine areas thought to have had no artistic interest.' (2004 p. 11) Colour graphics supplied the sense of regarding the environment, especially when people have the opportunity to take part of creating them. Except for the desire of changing the appearance of our surroundings and bring it into question, a deconstruction of façades and passerby is built at first glance. It can be explain as 'A sense of discovery and the continual metamorphosis of the city space keep the viewer positive and open to new experiences.' (Manco, 2004 p. 9)

As Manco pointed the importance of choosing spaces that' Placement is crucial for the artist to be able to communicate symbolically, politically and artistically to an audience.' (Manco, 2002 p. 11) An extraordinary example of using graffiti as a medium to play with environment is that the French artist Blek 6, who studied architecture and engraving at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He created his first stencil graffiti in 1980. The significant style basic on life-sized and easily to mistaken about the environment that effected by traditional techniques, the elements he used that inspirited from the location surprise of the viewers, such as silhouettes, mythological and classical figures. An illusion is therefore created between reality and images. It misleads the public into thinking there was a real person standing around a corner. The imagery speaks out his thought with a commentary of humanity such as love and hate, life and death. For him, the action of paint itself is a vital of art. As he described that 'I highlight the finer things in life by covering the walls with images that delight in distracting passers-by from their own concerns.' Now he works parallel to the line of both an urban artist with a gallery of characters and an individual stencil graffiti artist in Paris. (Manco, 2002 pp. 37,38)

Purposes: sociopolitical issues

'An alternative form of social reality is experienced, rooted in a class culture, but mediated by neighbourhood, or else a symbolic community transmitted through the mass media' (Brake, 1990) The inducement for graffiti artists whom adventure the risks of been cop is that aggressive conceptions proceed with the actual defacement. In the interview with Gene Swenson in Art News No.7 in New York in the 1963s, Jim Dine indicated that '… but any work of art, if successful, is in itself a critical comment about its own content.' (Lea, 1996 p. 76) This gives an explanation of the utilitarian purposes. Graffiti has been used to compose the signs of revolutions, especially in sociopolitical topics. Counteraction is developed with visual languages against the force from government or social order in favor of a new system. In parallel, stencil technique had been utilized to be an element as propagandas such as in Italy for reunite displaced families during Second World War and also the promotion of political issue in post-war Germany. MacPhee explicated the advantage of using stencil technique is because 'it is much harder to remove than posters and flyers, and it creates a uniform clean image that can be repeated over and over, saturating an area.' (MacPhee, 2004 p. 62)

This application was expanded into liberation conflict in the 1970s to the Third World, particularly in the areas like Nicaragua and South Africa. Political groups operated the motivations of making territory or showing indication of resistance, stencil graffiti show signs of being a cheaper but permanent alternative poster, like Banksy describes that '…generally is the voice of people who aren't listened to.' (Banksy, 2001) Functionality has led itself into sociopolitical critiques, for a contemporary instance, the rage of protesting against George W. Bush7 for the purpose of announcing the second war in Iraq was unacceptable. Thousand of Bush's face takes place in different cities in the world, such as Melbourne and Brighton. Those stencil graffiti serve notice on one theme i.e. to stop the war. (MacPhee, 2004)

Iconography is abounding used of creating stenciling images, the symbology of militaries such as guns, bombs are perfectly used to represent the sociopolitical subject matters. Those symbols are constituted a panorama of multiform global issues across the world, e.g. the protest of Bush, which is appeared in both America and Iran, the oil problems between America and the Middle East, anti-nuclear and nuke in Asia, and the statement of protecting human rights or against globalization like MNC, which means Multi National Corporation. What's more, the imagery of figureheads is an important element as well. Simplification of portraitures dominates by stencil graffiti on political issues, the imagery of caciques or revolutionists such as Lenin Stalin, Chairman Mao or Che Guevara represents the ideology of revolution, especially in twentieth century. (Manco, 2002)

Since April 1966, a huge mural of Che Guevara was painted on the wall of a bus terminal in Havana; the heroic Guerrilla image was built on a portrait photograph, which is shot by Alberto Korda Gutierrez in 1960. (Dawson, 2001) However, the iconography phenomenon of the Cuban revolutionist imagery was grown until the iconic portrait was published in 1967. Amount of derivation of the Che Guevara iconographic has appeared everywhere in Cuba, and became a universally recognizable icon. Under an influence of the imagery, a rank of Che Guevara's posters is painted in West London by British stencil artist, Banksy explained that 'I think I was trying to make a statement about the endless recycling of an icon by endlessly recycling an icon.' (Banksy, 2005 p 41) Ironically, the word 'Brandaliam' was first used for his exhibition by himself in London in 2003, which to illustrate the situation of antipathy vis-à-vis corporate branding. (Manco, 2004)

Purposes: personality development

'The motives of the graffiti writers seem to have been similar to those of the community muralists: self-assertion, pride and self-expression.' (Robinson, 1990 p 6) Like Shepard Fairey commented in the book Stencil Graffiti. (Manco, 2002) 'In a world saturated with high-priced corporate imagery, beyond just having a charming aesthetic, the stencil is a cheap and effective way for an artist or activist to put their work in front of public and level the playing field.' To the contrary, Shepard Fairey9 is seemed as a celebrity in street art field who based in Los Angles, the imagery of Andre the Giant renowned for its concept that anti-advertising control, and bring surrounding into question, i.e. to reawaken a sense of wondering about our environment.

However, after he stuck the first giant sticker in 1989, somehow the position of Obey campaign switch ironically from an underground organization over a worldwide brand, by developing the Giant clothing and skateboard line between 1992 and 1996. As well as various gallery shows ensued since 1992, the terms of the cooperation Obey Giant with commercial graphic design e.g. sports and music industry. The statement is no longer existent through the popularity with the typography of Obey campaign and the iconography of Andre the Giant. (Shepard Fairey, 2002)

Except for the sociopolitical issues, ego making is one of foundations of utilitarian; the word ego is the consciousness or projection of oneself i.e. a sense of self as a unique and separate individual. Like other art forms, the intention of contemporary graffiti artists tends to create their own images by personality development. The mystical subjects10, such as devils with angels, monsters within myths, expend the imagination of passerby. The imagery of hero and villains shows the reflection of humanity and creates a narrative for our surroundings. However, the ego making style is easily grown into a brand name, especially when the style consists more personal individuality. A connection is built between commercial industry and artists; those low-tech images suddenly commence irrupting into record shops, clothing stores and magazines.

Dave Kinsey i11, a San Diego artist who famous for his stylized figures, the composition of stencil technique with posters and stickers creates an urban style across metropolitan California. His images are combined with canvas, skateboard design and record sleeves. (Manco, 2002) The characters are shown on magazines and skateboard stores. As a general rule, mainly because of 'graffiti often borrows from the aesthetics of signage and the jargon of advertising campaigns.' (Manco, 2004 p. 11) However, despite of the output of Dave Kinsey is not be restricted to streets, but for graffito itself, as commented by another graffiti artist, D-Face. 'If the work was taken out of its urban context, placed on a canvas, given a hefty price tag and hung up in a gallery, it's likely those same people that viewed it as vandalism would see it as art.' (Hundertmark, 2003 p. 6)

Ab initio, the basis of traditional graffiti has used to mark the regions of artists themselves, the slogan getting up represents one of the functions of graffiti is to write the names of practitioners as many as possible in different places. The function of using stencils to mark territory is similar with Tags as a rule. In addition, post-graffiti movement had opened a new entrance of street art in early 1980, especially after the combination of Andre the giant has a posse image with the word Obey were created by Shepard Fairey, most of activists imitate the structure of attaching their names around artworks for self-promotion. Following the set of circumstance, this evolution lead 'a clear departure from the pure ephemeral and illegal essence of graffiti.' criticized by Louis Bou. (2005)

Guerrilla artist Bansky, is a famous contemporary artist cross the world, his artworks are shown ubiquitously. To begin with, he has followed the structure of traditional graffiti by tagging his name on most of works on the streets. In consequence, highly visibility has made him as the most renowned artist in the contemporary, and he is therefore taken attention by art world, commercial industry and the news. Such as the article from The Times magazine, Banksy hits the big time, '… few years ago the only place he was a big name was in the niche milieus of Soho ad creatives, Hoxton clubbers and British graffiti artists.' (Leitch, 2006) But recently he is described as 'The subversive political messages Banksy conveys through his stencils and sculptures can be found on streets, walls and buildings across the world, from London to New York.' by BBC News. (Pryor, 2007)

Either the stenciling paint for the Think Tank album cover12 of the band Blur by Banksy in 2006, (Bowes, 2006) or his artwork Bomb Middle England13, which is made from acrylic and spray paint on canvas, was sold a double high estimated price in London in 2007. (Pryor, 2007) Although, an advice 'the time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else.' suggested by Banksy. (2005) However, the status presents that the direction of stencil graffiti is shifted gradually from sociopolitical issues to personality development.