Beauty of Graffiti

Rot, smells, damp, cold, hot and humid.
Rust and fear. Real, authentic, true.
Prolific in the core, in the hidy holes, and the highest most awkward to reach, scary places.

A vibrancy, thrilling excitement, and anger.
Seething, bleeding, splayed and sprayed.

I am drawn to it and into it.

The environment, the colours, the lines.
The surfaces integrated, cracked cement, white washed walls, glass – etched.

I try to capture it, I fail.
The gallery changes. I try again.

Over and over.

Graffiti.

A few tweets by a person living in Victoria who was intrigued and frustrated by graffiti and I reached out.

We met.

Over a cup of tea, I attempt to explain why I photograph it, to share with you I explained, to have it for myself I said, to keep it as it is – after all it will be bleached away, washed into oblivion, to become the sterile, institutional surface it once was.

To become the same here, as it is everywhere – blank.

I am saddened when I see a favorite has been replaced with yet another – the never ending creative stream.

We discussed the ‘etching’, dug deeper, how it made her angry, how it affected her life.
I brought to her more photos, we talked, and talked.
We decided on a collaboration of writing, photography, of and about graffiti.

This new-found acquaintance did not change how she physically dealt with graffiti, she did change how she felt and thought about graffiti as she washes, scrubs and rinses it away and I, did not stop taking photos of it.

We both benefited, both expanded because of graffiti.

Read the Collaboration – Graffiti Re/Examined

Photo Credits

All Images © Susan Jones, All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio

Susan Jones

Susan Jones says she is incredibly fortunate and grateful she has been able to participate in many wonderful things life has to offer. An example she provides are the several years on a remote island in Clayoquot Sound working with First Nations in economic development, including hands-on building of a 16 km world class trail and the early development of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A 3rd term board member of the Southern Vancouver Island Film and Media Commission allows Susan to work with and for people who are as passionate as she about film and photography. Susan is a Mum & Co-Mum to four now adult children, is a sister, an aunt and has been happily-in-love married for many years.

Susan works for the Times Colonist in advertising and sales. She was an early adopter of social media which enabled her to secure her own name on Twitter. Find her there @SusanJones.

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