Blog #3
Danny Ziegelman
October 12, 2015
The trip to Detroit was very interesting despite how cold it was. When I saw the deteriorating walls covered from floor to top in spray paint, it made me think that these walls got a fresh breath of air. Detroit is filled with walls of artistic expression in the form of graffiti. It is a lifestyle and a language that I do not necessarily understand, but can appreciate it for its rough beauty. The city of Detroit is doused with thousands of murals with decorative patterns and styles of different significance to each and every person that sees it. Coming from the city of Chicago I have seen graffiti before, but nothing like this. What I am used to is called “tagging” where an artist would write his name in a seemingly illegible way on wall and assert his dominance there. Tags cover walls, allies, and various other structures usually hidden, but sometimes clear as day in the city streets. The concept of claiming space is very important in graffiti subculture as the more important you are or the more street rep you have, the bigger your name can get. The walls are the artist’s canvas, and the city is its inspiration.
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