On a recent research expedition into the back streets and 'trendy' Northern Quarter of Manchester
I came across a portrait on the electricity substation on Tib Street.
The portrait was of Walter White, the main protagonist from the television series Breaking Bad.
The Artist is Akse p19, a spray can artist working out of Manchester, who working with 'out house project' a team working toward creating street art in and around the Northern Quarter are of Manchester City Centre.
The Out House Project support and are sponsored by local businesses in the Northern Quarter also.
http://outhousemcr.thecolouringbox.co.uk/
Anyway my main point... that after the time, work, effort, money and talent that went into the portrait, it was vandalised.
There was some opposition to the piece as it depicted Walter White, a fictional bumbling drug dealer,
it was said to 'glorify' crime and 'rub people who have battles substance abuser's nose in it'.
It was seeing the art work in the latter state that the I realised graffiti is not vandalism, vandalism is something else and I was stood looking at the perfect example of how the two are different.
Before the content of the piece is even taken into consideration the skill and aesthetics of the work are immediately apparent.
Even if you didn't agree with what it was 'saying' why would you want to spoil something that looks so good? I could not get my head around the fact, people had a problem with it as it 'condoned crime' then those same people cheered when it was criminally damaged and left looking like the back of a toilet door in a pub.
After mulling it over decided to try and find the answers, and so this is going to be the topic of my dissertation.
Is Graffiti, Vandalism? (or along those lines) its a working title.
The irony.
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