DRUGS: detail from the dressing floor. Botallack, West Penwith, Cornwall
Such a striking set of texts added much to the interpretation of the sites context during this devastating period of mining history in Cornwall. In view of this, and the increasing delapidated state, I started to formulate a variety of visual strategies that would allow other formats to emerge in the presentation of interpretation and photographic documentation of historical and socuoiological activities. Further to this is a desire to see how this can assist their survival in some way [if only in a virtual context] and highlight the importance of recording such activity occurring in the landscape. The graffiti occurring at the dressing floors happens in a dynamic and uncontrollable way. It doesn’t appear to be done in a way as to censor or dominate that which has gone before it. The writing or pictures are being continually eroded, drawn or scratched over by those who indulge in such activities. The incredible inclement weather appears at times to be its biggest censor. The main tool for inscribing on the walls, other than spray paint, appears to be debris from the site.This type of anarchic order is important if you wish to see the development of a sociological context still occurr at a site like this. To actively seek to preserve a particular set of texts at the site would lead to the end of this interaction and the destruction of others. Signs would go up, graffiti cleaning equipment would have to be bought, a budget allocated to ensure that certain texts would be restored and the perpetual application of contemporary graffiti at this site would be perpetually removed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You write very well.


Text from the exhibition

Text from the exhibition

Self guided trail

Self guided trail

Contemporary response

Contemporary response
Prediction - digitally imagined graffiti

Record

Record
Digitally remade graffiti

S+D+MT

S+D+MT
Digitally remade graffiti