Does painting your town with graffiti make it a nicer place?

[saaby93]

Port Talbot - improved by graffiti?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001b16l/our...

[Heathwood]

The only way you could improve Port Talbot is to level it and start again.

[the-norseman]

Lots of grey dingy underpasses in MK have had local artists colour them in and they look 100% better, I'm all for these big murals you see around places.

The town that I used to live in has just had a Leah Williamson one done on a building that used to be run down.

[ZedLeg]

Yeah, a well curated street art project can really invigorate a run down area. A venue in Glasgow has an annual two day event where they invite street artists to redecorate their outdoor area. It's a former industrial site, a steel fab business I think and this has really brightened the area up.

https://swg3.tv/arts/urban-art/

[Wacky Racer]

No, it makes it looks it look like the Bronx.

[Randy Winkman]

I've just watched the programme and mostly liked what was going on. Some of the flowers were great. I should think that most people would love the place that they live to look like a quaint Cotswold village or somewhere smart in Belgravia but in places like Port Talbot that's just not going to happen. But I'm not sure that the murals in the programme were really "graffiti" as the thread title suggests.

[donkmeister]

the-norseman said:

Lots of grey dingy underpasses in MK have had local artists colour them in and they look 100% better, I'm all for these big murals you see around places.

The town that I used to live in has just had a Leah Williamson one done on a building that used to be run down.

I think murals can look good; a lot of graffiti artists are simply artists who specialise in the medium of paint (usually, but not always, sprayed) onto a canvas of concrete.

Whereas when I see or hear the word "graffiti" I think of tagging, or people scrawling profanity and extreme political views in underpasses.

Notable exception for the PEAS bridge; it certainly wasn't an art, but it was mildly amusing when it said "give peas a chance".

Has anyone here seen the "M Khan is bent" graffiti that was the subject of 50% of Newman and Baddiel's comedy?

[foreright]

donkmeister said:

Has anyone here seen the "M Khan is bent" graffiti that was the subject of 50% of Newman and Baddiel's comedy?

I used to pass that everyday on the way to work - raised a smile every time. It was on the A406 north circular. Don’t think it’s there any more though.

[BabySharkDD]

It almost always looks st.

[FourWheelDrift]

foreright said:

donkmeister said:

Has anyone here seen the "M Khan is bent" graffiti that was the subject of 50% of Newman and Baddiel's comedy?

I used to pass that everyday on the way to work - raised a smile every time. It was on the A406 north circular. Don’t think it’s there any more though.

It appeared a few more places after they mentioned it.

[Ian974]

I don't mind it, we've a few good murals put up locally, but I'm not sure if they're falling into a category where cities are now deciding they need a graffiti mural project all over the place for unspecified cultural reasons.

[Countdown]

There is a lot of decent stuff around the Northern Quarter in Manchester, it definitely improves the area.

[Electro1980]

donkmeister said:

Notable exception for the PEAS bridge; it certainly wasn't an art, but it was mildly amusing when it said "give peas a chance".

Given the cultural impact I would say there is a good case for it being art. Not all art is beautiful and not everything beautiful is art.

[chemistry]

BabySharkDD said:

It almost always looks st.

This.

[FourWheelDrift]

Would you rather be the only person walking down a street that has graffiti all along it or one that is clean and normal.

[Randy Winkman]

FourWheelDrift said:

Would you rather be the only person walking down a street that has graffiti all along it or one that is clean and normal.

Clean and normal please. But despite the thread title, the programme linked to in the opening post is about murals and not graffiti.

[LukeBrown66]

Give Peas a Chance

[Faust66]

Loads of street art where I live... and I like it: makes the place look a bit more interesting.

https://beestoncivicsociety.org.uk/beestonstreetar...

[saaby93]

FourWheelDrift said:

foreright said:

donkmeister said:

Has anyone here seen the "M Khan is bent" graffiti that was the subject of 50% of Newman and Baddiel's comedy?

I used to pass that everyday on the way to work - raised a smile every time. It was on the A406 north circular. Don’t think it’s there any more though.

It appeared a few more places after they mentioned it.

https://londonist.com/2015/01/10-london-graffiti-s...

What is the difference between graffiti and street art?
If it's paid for?

[paul.deitch]

In my opinion yes. Our city organises the graffiti. Encourages it and organises tours!
https://graffitiartist.de/graffiti-paderborn/
https://www.nrw-tourismus.de/o-paderborn-graffiti?...
Our photo club has done it to death and I spent 1/2 a day with some talent shooting with graffiti as a backdrop.