Defacing Zürich
The other day, I walked down my alley and saw this:
This door, also in my alley, has been like this for awhile now:
Charming, isn't it? Unfortunately, graffiti is an all too common site all over Zürich. Actually, I wouldn't even give it the credit to call it graffiti so much as tagging. I've seen very intricate and artistic works of graffiti before, and this is just a bunch of lazy teenagers who spray paint their names or initials. How much more uncreative can you get?
I don't really even mind it when it's on garbage cans or other inconspicuous places. When it really bothers me is when they tag right over tram stop maps. I know these kids think they are "thugs" and all, but hey, don't they have to take the trams too?
I should mention, Zürich has a relatively low crime rate. So if tagging is the worst the youth have to dish out (and for the lot of them, it is), then tag away. By all means. Zürich doesn't know how lucky to have this as one of the foremost menaces to the town.
However, I can't help but think of how Harald Naegeli must be disappointed at these uninspired blemishes on the city. Known as the "Sprayer of Zürich," he painted as many as 900 black, wire frame images over the course of 22 months before being caught in June 1979. While awaiting trial, Naegeli fled to Germany and continued his graffiti. While his work gained respect in both Germany and Switzerland, he was unable to evade his inevitable sentencing in Zürich. He turned himself in to face a 9 month jail sentence and a 206,000 CHF fine. (Roughly $165,000 USD) While at the time his graffiti was controversial, he soon became known as a great artist and even had been invited to spray in Osnabrück, Germany.
This Naegeli work called "Undine" is located on at Schönberggasse 9 on a University of Zürich building.
Naegeli will turn 68 this year. How amazing has the face of Zürich changed in the almost 3 decades since his initial arrest. I can only imagine what he would say, after spending 9 months in jail for his art, and today - the garbage on the walls now with no consequence.
My suggestion is, since the kids seem intent on spraying, that Naegeli strike up a "Graffiti 101" class and show them how it's done.
This door, also in my alley, has been like this for awhile now:
Charming, isn't it? Unfortunately, graffiti is an all too common site all over Zürich. Actually, I wouldn't even give it the credit to call it graffiti so much as tagging. I've seen very intricate and artistic works of graffiti before, and this is just a bunch of lazy teenagers who spray paint their names or initials. How much more uncreative can you get?
I don't really even mind it when it's on garbage cans or other inconspicuous places. When it really bothers me is when they tag right over tram stop maps. I know these kids think they are "thugs" and all, but hey, don't they have to take the trams too?
I should mention, Zürich has a relatively low crime rate. So if tagging is the worst the youth have to dish out (and for the lot of them, it is), then tag away. By all means. Zürich doesn't know how lucky to have this as one of the foremost menaces to the town.
However, I can't help but think of how Harald Naegeli must be disappointed at these uninspired blemishes on the city. Known as the "Sprayer of Zürich," he painted as many as 900 black, wire frame images over the course of 22 months before being caught in June 1979. While awaiting trial, Naegeli fled to Germany and continued his graffiti. While his work gained respect in both Germany and Switzerland, he was unable to evade his inevitable sentencing in Zürich. He turned himself in to face a 9 month jail sentence and a 206,000 CHF fine. (Roughly $165,000 USD) While at the time his graffiti was controversial, he soon became known as a great artist and even had been invited to spray in Osnabrück, Germany.
This Naegeli work called "Undine" is located on at Schönberggasse 9 on a University of Zürich building.
Naegeli will turn 68 this year. How amazing has the face of Zürich changed in the almost 3 decades since his initial arrest. I can only imagine what he would say, after spending 9 months in jail for his art, and today - the garbage on the walls now with no consequence.
My suggestion is, since the kids seem intent on spraying, that Naegeli strike up a "Graffiti 101" class and show them how it's done.
posted by Jill Nachtman at 4:45 PM
1 Comments:
Hi there,
There's another Nägeli graffito right behind Stauffacher tram station. On the McDonald's side, walk into the passage between the Coop restaurant and the Starbuck's. There are 3 exits, take the leftmost. It's right there. Whenever they repaint the wall, they carefully paint around it so as not to destroy it.
Oh, tagging, it's not only in Zurich, even one-horse towns have their one busstop smeared. :o(
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