Legal walls or open walls,[1] are public spaces where graffiti is allowed by any member of the public.
Legal walls started in Scandinavia,[1] and the first legal wall was likely the klotterplanket ("scribble board") in Stockholm which opened in 1968. The wall was repainted white every morning by a civil servant.[2] They are still most common in Scandinavia,[2] as well as Australia[3] where there are over thirty legal walls in Canberra alone.[4] However, legal walls exist around the world.[5][6]
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Legal walls are different from commissioned murals or commercial graffiti as writers and artists are given relative freedom in what they create,[1] although hateful messages are often disallowed.[7] They may be state-designated spaces[8] or privately owned.[2] Privately owned walls may need council permission to exist in some jurisdictions, where graffiti-style art is illegal in public even if done on personal property.[9]
Culture
editIn typical graffiti spaces, going over someone elses writing (or "capping") is an insult, but legal walls are often repainted multiple times a day with no disrespect taken by artists.[10]
Some writers dismiss legal graffiti as "not real" and avoid legal walls.[10] These people may consider a writer who uses legal walls to be a toy (inexperienced or uncultured writer).[10] Some writers believe that legal walls defeats the purpose of graffiti, as a rebellious act[3] to reclaim public space.[1] Writers interested in acquiring graffiti "fame" are often uninterested in legal walls.[3] Despite this, legal walls are used equally by both inexperienced and experienced writers.[3] They can attract "retired" writers who are at a higher risk from doing illegal graffiti.[3]
Cameron McAuliffe says legal walls can help legitimise graffiti as an art form.[3] This was seen on a legal wall in Malmö, where after a group of young people were attacked by neo-nazis, large scale protests were held and a local legal wall was painted with a piece using the words "Kämpa Malmö" ("Keep fighting Malmö") with a rainbow ribbon, and the anti-fascist slogan "No Pasaran".[2] The piece became an attraction, and was restored multiple times. There were calls for the art to be protected by the local council.[2]
Effect on illegal graffiti
editThere is debate about whether legal walls discourage or encourage illegal graffiti.[2] Paramatta in Australia used to have several legal walls, but after the local council decided on a zero-tolerance policy in related to graffiti in 2009, all but one of the legal walls were demolished.[3] The council said that graffiti had decreased in the area since the legal walls were removed.[11] Other research has shown that legal walls reduce illegal graffiti by giving writers a safer, often visible space for their art.[12] Opponents of legal walls argue that if writers wanted to produce art legally, they would already be using canvases instead of illegal spaces.[12]
Places mistaken as legal walls
editSome places are "grey areas", where graffiti is not legal but is generally left up by authorities, often due to popularity with tourists.[2] These include Hosier Lane in Melbourne[13] and Rush Lane (Graffiti Alley) in Toronto.[14] Others walls exist as something between commissioned art and legal walls, and are curated, invitation-only art walls that are in public spaces but not open to anyone to paint on[2] such as the Venice Art Walls.
Notable legal walls
editFully legal walls include
See also
editExternal links
edit- Legal-walls.net – interactive map of legal walls globally, user-based content
References
edit- ^ a b c d Centea, Smaranda (2022). Public space negotiation around Stockholm's legal graffiti walls – an environmental justice perspective. Stockholm University.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kimvall, Jacob; Hannerz (2019-01-01). ""Keep Fighting Malmö" – Graffiti and the negotiations of interests and control at Open walls". Creating the City. Identity, Memory and Participation – via Semantic Scholar.
- ^ a b c d e f g McAuliffe, Cameron (2013-01-24). "Legal Walls and Professional Paths: The Mobilities of Graffiti Writers in Sydney". Urban Studies. 50 (3): 518–537. doi:10.1177/0042098012468894. ISSN 0042-0980.
- ^ "Culture in a can: Canberra's legal graffiti walls". ACT Government. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ "Free-for-all graffiti wall unveiled in Sarkandaugava, Rīga". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ "Romania photo of the day: Cluj-Napoca launches its first legal wall for street art". Romania Insider. 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ "Plan for 'legal graffiti' walls to be identified in Glasgow under new pilot". Glasgow Times. 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ Chang, T.C. (2018-09-28). "Writing on the Wall: Street Art in Graffiti‐free Singapore". International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 43 (6): 1046–1063. doi:10.1111/1468-2427.12653. ISSN 0309-1317.
- ^ Iveson, Kurt (2013-10-28). "War is over (if you want it): rethinking the graffiti problem". Australian Planner. 46 (4): 24–34. doi:10.1080/07293682.2009.10753419. ISSN 0729-3682.
- ^ a b c Ericsson, Hjalmar (2020). "Graffiti: A subculture alive within the legal. A pluralistic study of the regulations within Swedish graffiti and the influences of formal law". LUP Student Papers.
- ^ Whyte, Sarah (2011-05-14). "Councils write off graffiti walls". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ a b Gee, Elizabeth (2013-01-01). "City Walls Can Speak: The Street Art Movement and Graffiti's Place in First Amendment Jurisprudence". Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal. 20 (1): 209. ISSN 1074-9187.
- ^ "'It's a bad look for Melbourne': The street artist who wants to take back creative control of the city". ABC News. 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ "YYZ Why?: Graffiti Alley evolved to become a top Toronto destination – Toronto | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- ^ "USYD Graffiti Tunnel – Street Art Cities". streetartcities.com. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ Diehl, Caleb. "Sydney University keeps street art alive while others scrub it away". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-05-08.