Botallack

On Botallack cliff overlooking the famous and iconic Crowns engine houses there exists amongst the recently consolidated calciners and associated mine buildings, a collection of graffiti from the 1980’s spray painted onto 2 partly rough cast concrete walls that enclose the Crown’s dressing floor. This graffiti is sprayed from the same can of paint [a cream or English Rose colour?] and appears in 4 separate parts. I first saw them about 13 years ago. The subject matter to which it refers relates to the 1980’s and so a probable age for the group would be around 25 years old. A number of the texts are hardly discernible now. Reading from the left to the right the first slogan in the group reads –‘SEX+DRUGS+MAGGIE THATCHER’ [SDMT]. The contentious nature of the graffiti and its humour made them stand out from the conventional ‘I woz ere’. It was a very evocative if not provocative [and funny] statement that for many could sum up this period. The conceptual and visual focus of the project is centred on the remains of this graffiti.