Using what has already been discussed about Graf Art or Writing talk about the development of the writing scene here in SF Bay and who some of the major artists are/were and how the art scene looks now. Talk about any distinguishing aspects of the genre here in the SF Bay versus let’s say, the East Coast (Style Wars.)
Piece by Piece
Piece by Piece documents the history of San Francisco's controversial graffiti art movement, with a fast-paced journey into the world of San Francisco street art, as seen through the eye of the artists. Chronicling more than 20 years of creation and destruction -- honestly, accurately, and critically, the film takes you alongside those who lived in what is arguably one of the most influential youth cultures of our time.
San Francisco's graffiti style arose in the period from 1983 to 1993. Piece by Piece starts by documenting what laid the groundwork for today's Bay Area graffiti: "Cholo" writing and the impact of PBS's 1983 documentary, Style Wars. The film includes not only San Francisco's graffiti originals, but also commentary from noted New York "writers" such as Seen, Cope 2, and Case 2. It also covers the tragedy of Dream One, a San Francisco graffiti pioneer and a vocal figurehead in Bay Area urban welfare activism.
From 1993 to 2000, San Francisco became an international magnet for ground-breaking graffiti styles yet to be seen in other parts of the world. The film elaborates on what it takes to establish credibility among the graffiti community, featuring classic works from KR and the horses of Reminisce; and documenting the creative expression of these and other "writers." The film also features well-known graffiti artists such as Grey, Buter, Joro, Norm, and Barry McGee (Twist).
While graffiti is largely considered an underground movement, it's no secret that this art form has provoked a huge response from everyday citizens. The final segment of Piece by Piece explores the wide range of public opinion towards graffiti by giving a voice to the citizens of San Francisco and the law enforcement officers who claim to represent their interests. The film also captures the artists' heartfelt confessions of their love of and addiction to graffiti art and typographic lettering, as well as their social activism, and the short life span of their works.
http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/trulyca/episode.jsp?epid=192903
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4 comments:
Kimberly Peterson
English 1B
Thursday
10/23/2008
Peice by Peice
SF urban art, a memoir. A Letter fend. Writer, graffiti writer. It is a religion. It is a way of prayer, meditation and a release. "Cholo Writing," started in Spanish neighborhoods. It is a black type font. Thats a little bit of SF history. Rif, is a real life Cholo graffiti-st. Different infulences from outside of the neighborhoods appeared after a while. New aesthics from different plases. SF has it own style..
Does graffiti happen out of defiance? Bus art, hahaha.... When "Style Wars" came out in 1983 on PBS, lots of people watched it thinking they were the ONLY ones.
New York has subway cars, SF didn't so they would write on walls instead to recreate it.
This is a mutli-million dollar business. And, the only art form created by the youth. *I wish I could be apart of a tagging crew... different crews have different styles within the same type of art work. All is considered urban, and all had a different purpose within the groups.
Dream One was murdered in Oakland, in 2000. This movie is mostly about the politics of graffiti. The where, why, what, who and how of graffiti. Internationally, SF is a magnet. A tourist trap, but even more than that. It is just acrossed the bay. Thousands of layers of stories are even under the paint. "REST IN PEICES" *I liked that quote from the movie. The early 90's, finding spots to tag around was a real challenge. Imaganary, pictures was a big thing too.
Aerin O'Leary
English 1B
Piece by Piece
This video documents graffiti as it is today in its rawness. This "style" of graffiti is said to be based on funk. Street writers pour there ideas, thoughts and opinions onto to walls when a great deal of people view it as vandalism these "artists" are just doing what they do and are truly passionate about it.
Throughout the film we see the different styles and how although the output of graffiti varies and artists often don't agree with one another's style they respect it.
Graffiti is an art style, multi million dollar corporation, style, museum..."it is the only culture ever created by the youth." It's all about expression and not caring what people think and focusing merely on the message and what your produce as an artist.
So why is graffiti considered a crime? A street writer claimed, "vandalism is throwing a rock through a window...graffiti is art, a flow, style, color, movement." Graffiti is dominating the hip hop scene and taking over in today's society.
“Piece by Piece” pbs.org
John Rawson
English 1b
“Piece by Piece” is an engaging and entertaining film about graffiti writers in the Bay Area. They speak about ‘creating while at the same time destroying.” I think this is an interesting outlook because their seeing it as making something beautiful and destroying something plain. The history and culture of Bay Area graffiti was very fascinating to me.
The history and roots in the Bay Area was initially started with the introduction of Hispanic writing. Tagging came after and set new fire to the world of hip hop and graffiti. Tagging was a different spin on this art form. It focused mostly on putting a quick “throw up” of your name on everything you possibly could to spread your influence and reputation. Because of the fact that unlike New York there was no subways in the Bay Area. Because of the lack of subway trains, Bay Area artists used buses and walls by train tracks to push their message to the masses. I think it’s really interesting how these graffiti writers, here and in New York, both used public transportation as a literal and figurative “vehicle” to show and spread their message.
Graffiti was a movement that simply screamed hip hop. It was in the same genre as DJing, breaking, and rapping. All forms of expression all spread the message of the urban communities. People in the hip hop community related heavily to this art form of graffiti.
The two styles that graffiti came in the Bay Area were “funk” a traditional New York style with emphasis on lettering and classic style. “New Wave” however, was a different and newer form of graffiti that used complex lettering and used the addition of complex characters. The divisions between these styles and the mediums were vast and defined though one person was able to bridge the gap better than any others at his time, his name was Dream, and he was looked up to and appreciated by many artists.
With the development of these new graffiti styles, and more writers all the time, they needed canvases to express their messages. These canvases were known as “yards,” places where writers could congregate and do their art. When people and police started shutting down these “yards,” they unknowingly made this movement explode all over the Bay Area. No longer was restricted to small areas and respect for public property is forced to be mobile and secretive. With emphasis no longer on beauty it was instead emphasis on putting it up in hard to get to places and places where others could see your work.
The character development is crazy and the variation within the art form makes this film astounding to me. These artists have my respect and are truly a subculture with an interesting history and obviously have the capability to grow and change as a movement. This style of art, to me isn’t a form of vandalism because if it was people wouldn’t spend so much time trying to make it beautiful. I think people shouldn’t pay our tax dollars to get rid of this art form. It wastes the same money that we could use against people who do harm in law enforcement and valuable time is wasted trying to arrest and convict these “criminals” who in fact a lot are nothing more than artists. I don’t understand that people want put these artists in jail, when in fact it keeps these kids in art instead of out, alone, and doing something worse. I for one would rather have a kid with a paint can than one with a gun. Graffiti is culture not crime.
Between 1993 and 2000, San Francisco erupted in a metamorphosis of graffiti artwork. Many brilliant works would come from young artists that no one would think possible. As this form of art grew, it soon became evident that letting your name be known proves how great of an artist you really are. After time, the same symbols and letters could be seen on every block of the city; on every surface, whether smooth or rough. But even in San Francisco, where many are more lenient, there are still people that are against this style of freedom. During that time, many kids considered graffiti as “the last free speech.” With so much hate in the world, it wasn’t much of a surprise that an amazing kid, respected throughout the streets for his work, is killed on one night of careless fun. But with death after death, or paintings everywhere being cleaned up, these kids, the future of America would not give up. Every death that is caused, every drawing that is erased, is just another push for them to keep going; to fight for their last spec of free speech. Even if they don’t know each other personally, every hip hop kid shares a passion that cannot be broken. The unity and unbroken bonds that these kids have, and the support of hip hop culture is how hip hop is now a leading element in today’s society.
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