Construction sites have long been essential plot backdrops for many gangster movies, where such places become epicentres of illegal and wrongful actions. Their walls are often filled with graffiti that establishes their occupation by certain groups. However, these are more true for inactive sites but does not invalid for the running sites. While there is this side, there is another political dimension to graffiti which has been an essential method of representation, especially dissent. This article attempts to dissect graffiti on construction sites through why is it targeted and what it does and conveys within the site and outside.
Types of Graffiti
A raw and bare form of expression, graffitis are independent data source which are studied under social sciences as a window into the culture. Often related to street art, which also portrays strong social messages, the method, information, and place of graffiti push them as vandalized pieces of expression. The focus is on the construction sites, which indicate two types of graffiti, official and unofficial. The dynamics of an active site are a constantly changing and physically intimidating workplace for the workers, which involves a range of services brought together to complete a project, and hence is a socially and physically interactive place of work. A form of social interaction is official graffiti, which conveys important messages for caution and instruction. These representations are through signages on bare surfaces, sketches, and markings. The unofficial graffiti is outside the official capacity and not related to the work on site.
Why Construction Sites
The vulnerability of construction sites to welcome graffiti on their walls is also an indication of the culture of this industry. Since they are not as secure as finished spaces and offer large empty surfaces, they become a canvas for street art. The physical robustness of the work allows people to relate, as graffiti in itself is not a finished and elegant artistic expression. This alignment accentuates the choice of its application. Usually, the construction sites become transparent means of attracting potential customers to buy or invest in the properties so, graffiti on the wall is not professional and can make an impact on them. As a result, authorities have to spend significant amounts to get the graffiti cleared up. If the vandalized properties are not cleared on time, it might indicate a means of anti-social behavior in the neighborhood.
Platforms are available for street artists to perform legally by assigning a designated place to create art with informed vicinities and funded programs but the illegal methods choose places of interest of their own without permission and work in the shadow. There are strict laws and regulations to prevent and punish vandalism at sites.
Graffiti highlights the fact that a city is dynamic and that it reflects a tension between the needs of those who live, work, govern and play within its precincts (Stewart, J, 2008). The urban fabric of society needs places to channel its expressions, and graffiti is a way that tension can be released and addressed positively and negatively. The content is sometimes controversial and derogatory which does not fit if proposed with an established face hence the process of making gets hidden. Graffiti also becomes a dialogue by repetition, the addition or subtraction of the original idea.
Construction sites are usually diverse workspaces with workers from various cultural and social backgrounds with constructs of social cohesion and conflicts. And needless to say, they are male-dominated places of work with less or no women involved at the physical site. It becomes a cause of vulgar masculinity represented through graffiti. Another typology is the sense of establishment or ownership suggested by them. In addition, graffiti has a mysterious character itself as it does not directly reveal its creator unless stated and involves some sort of guerilla operations and still floats around a message that wants to stand out. These anonymous messages are through caricatures with humor, satire, and abstraction through black and white or vibrant colors to catch attention.
Positive Attribution
With the negative connotations that they uphold, large visible construction sites become spaces of discourse to forward an argument and are sometimes also promoted. One such is the Karlsplatz Open Air site fence that the exhibition – Urban Natures. Street art at the construction fence collaborated with street art artists to create graffiti. The European Central Bank had its new building in Frankfurt and, during its construction, allowed graffiti on its surrounding fence as a public art gallery. This brought attention to the public, even though some of the artworks were against the bank itself.
The security of construction sites becomes crucial to prevent acts of vandalism on-site. Better surveillance of the property and a friendly relationship with the neighborhood is the primary key to avoiding such acts. Graffiti removal is an expensive affair, and for smaller companies, it becomes difficult to afford the services offered for the same.
References:
Rawlinson, F. and Farrell, P., 2010, September. Construction site graffiti: Discourse analysis as a window into construction site culture. In Proceedings of the 26th Annual ARCOM Conference, Leeds, UK (pp. 6-8).
Loosemore, M., Phua, F., Dunn, K., & Ozguc, U. (2010). Operatives’ experiences of cultural diversity on Australian construction sites. Construction Management and Economics, 28(2), 177-188.
Stewart, J. E. F. F. (2008). Graffiti vandalism? Street art and the city: some considerations. The University of Melbourne Refereed e-Journal, 1(2), 86-107.
Farinloye, O., Odusami, K., & Adewunmi, Y. (2013). Theft and Vandalism Control Measures on Building Sites in Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Engineering, Project & Production Management, 3(1).
