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Around the world, authorities often, treat graffiti as a minor nuisance crime, though with widely varying penalties.
Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic merit in some graffiti and to recognise it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation. In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffiti artists. Some have suggested that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing. Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. The Anti-Social Behavior Act (2003) is Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti, on the spot fines for graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to teenagers.
This is the first of a three-part documentary about graffiti. It focuses on the illegal side of graffiti. This project is not an act of propaganda on behalf of graffiti artists, rather it is a document featuring their activities over a 4 month period in an unbiased way as possible. |
