What question did this study set out to answer?

The central aim is to explore graffiti's relationship with urban spaces and writing practices.

May 1, 2007

Framing Context

Key Points

The central aim is to explore graffiti's relationship with urban spaces and writing practices.
Examines graffiti through a close reading of visual inscriptions in two cities, Montréal and Warsaw.
Utilizes an interdisciplinary framework to analyze iconographic, spatio-temporal, and linguistic dimensions.
Engages with theoretical references to develop a comprehensive approach to urban surface manifestations.
Identifies critical insights into the connection between place and graffiti writing practices.
Shows how a combined treatment of images and text enriches the understanding of urban graffiti.
Highlights the interplay between representational and discursive forms within specific urban locales.

Abstract

Suggesting that the form of signature graffiti presents a number of vital insights into the complex relationship between place and practices of writing, this paper centers on the visual space of two cities, Montréal and Warsaw. By recovering some neglected and pointing to little-known theoretical references, the essay proposes a framework for studying graffiti, a method of examining urban surface manifestations that supports a close reading of inscriptions in situ. This close reading engages with the iconographic, spatio-temporal and linguistic dimensions of wall writing in its specific locale—within the urban context as well as the discursive and graphic space of writing on graffiti. By foregrounding the place of graffiti in these varied contexts, the essay also aims to reconcile the often separate treatments afforded to images and text, representational and discursive forms.

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