Spring

Table of Contents

Street Art as a Tool p. 5-8

p. 9-10

p. 11-12

p. 13-14

p. 3-4

Green Graffiti

Eco Graffiti: Grow

Author’s Notes

Interview: Anna Garforth

Author's Notes

p.4

By Tyler Schuppert

I wanted to add this

section to the zine in order

to clarify a few things. I also

wanted to simply complain

about the coverage my subject

has gotten and how rare any

sort of complete and competent

journalism is regarding green

graffiti. It saddens me that such

an interesting and fairly unique

form of interdisciplinary work has

gone unnoticed. Contemporary

graffiti has been around for several

decades, and eco art has been

around for even longer, yet only

since the early 2000s have the two

been combined. It offers a unique

look into our societies response to

recent trending and how politically

stimulated art is.

Without delving into the

nuances of what make art and any

sort of philosophical discourse

regarding our society I want to

say that this new addition into

the art world is fascinating. Even

the street-art phenomenon is

intriguing, but the field’s inside is

just as diverse.

I want to establish that I

p.5

am in no way encouraging graffiti

or illegal street-art, but i want to

acknowledge its effects. Taken

by itself street-art and graffiti

offer something no other art form

does. Although these forms are

completely illegal I think we

should keep watching out.

As a reader you are

completely entitled to your own

opinion, but I hope that the articles

I have compiled may at least

open up the possibility of you

considering giving something that

is illegal a second chance. Im not

disputing if painting on someone

else’s property should be illegal.

It completely should be. But in

its illegality it should still be

considered for its diversity and as

an art form.

Steet Art as a Tool

Street art serves as a tool

for advocacy as well as a reporting

forum. It functions socially as

it helps to shed light on events,

identify key players, provide social

commentary, and even to articulate

political agendas and present

visions (8). It plays a role that is

often in direct opposition to the

media, by offering its commentary,

criticisms, and probing questions.

Partisan in nature, the art form is

not obligated to remain neutral

or unbiased, but instead works

toward advancing a cause or

idea. Street art is accessible to

everyone regardless of point of

view, and by its very nature acts

as an arena for expression and a

sounding board of sorts for the

marginalized. Whether the art form

is sanctioned or unauthorized,

it is exemplified by expressive

thought directly communicated

to its audience through the use of

an “economy of words and ideas,

and rhetorically simple discourse”

(9). Rarely are the messages hard

to decipher. Instead, street artists

rely on simple, concise messages

and a fusing of thoughts, ideas and

commentary to initiate a political

dialogue. The ever-changing

political sphere forces street art

to be highly adaptable; as issues

arise, the art form’s themes alter to

By Kristina Marie Gleaton

p.6

reflect current

problems.

Reflected

through graffiti, murals, stickers,

and posters, unsanctioned art

communicates thoughts on

pressing issues that are political,

social, economic, and cultural in

nature (9). As street art breathes

life into the walls, a community

dialogue is sparked as people

begin to ask questions. Passersby, now forced to

reflect on what it is they see, become aware of the

presence, and viewpoint, of an active underground

resistance movement. Street art, in direct opposition

to commercial

advertising,

seeks to

p.7

neutralize the themes and

“ideological discourse of the

streets” (19). Thus, a question of

control is raised: who controls

the streets? Is it the capitalists or

socialists? The art form is a power

tool for inspiring, energizing,

generating morale, and raising

the spirits of

its public,

which is most

“pronounced

at times of

crisis, war, [and] revolution” (20).

People consume information as it

is available to them, and it is street

art that is utilized as a means of

transmitting messages that help

to supplement the availability of

information and ideas (23). The art

form acts as a “framing device”

for its communities around the

world, as a “parallel voice of the

city, and as a modern primitive

art” that can be found all around

for those who wish to look

(Lewisohn 30). One must assume

that street art is an effective

means of communication; if it

were not, the general response to

eradicate the art form, specifically

from those is power, would not

be so great. From its inception,

modern day unsanctioned art was a

reflection of the

turbulent New

York political

situation.

Through

style and content, the art form

presented images of a nation

undergoing civil- and women’s-

rights movements, power

outages, a serial killer on the

loose, and “staunch racial issues”

(38). Acting as stimuli, these

factors combined with “pictorial

influences” to produce “overtly

political messages” through art

(38). Lee, an innovator of the New

York subway graffiti movement,

mentions that the “political

“People consume information as it is available to them...”

p.8

atmosphere is ripe for people who

want to listen to art as the first

word of a collective consciousness.

People know what’s going on, but

they need to see it in the arts to

confirm it” (79). Street artists are

influential not only in the number

of people their work reaches, but

also the number

of artists

inspired to

make work of

their own. The

art form is “a visual language that

incorporates the world around it”

(39). Jeffrey Deitch, a modern and

contemporary art dealer, states that

street art has “become the most

influential cultural innovation of

the past thirty years” (30). Some

street artists rely on guerilla tactics

to deliver their messages, and a

few have even

taken to “corporate sabotage” as

the main element of their work

(81). This further exemplifies the

multi-faceted nature of the art

form, which remains unbound

from the “layered editorial

complicity” the public experiences

so heavily in the media (93).

Street art and graffiti will always

retain a sense of authority that will

forever be “relevant in terms of

representing

the outside,

non-edited

view” because

the artists’

work is presented directly to the

viewer with no curator in between

to dictate what it good and what

is not (131). The communicative

power of

street art lies in the fact that there

is just one editor—just the artist,

directly initiating a dialogue with

the viewer. It is the mix of “social

activism, social outrage, and

creativity” that enable the

art form to deliver a strong

message in the most “beautiful [of]

“... artists’ work is presented directly to

the viewer....”

p.9

Eco-minded street artist

Edina Tokodi is putting a new spin

on green guerilla tactics in the

trendy art enclave of Williamsburg,

Brooklyn. Tokodi’s site-specific

moss installations of prancing

animal figures and camouflage

outgrowths are the talk of a local

urban neighborhood typically

accustomed to gallery hype and

commercial real estate take-

overs. Unlike the market-driven

art featured in sterile, white box

galleries, the work of Tokodi is

meant to be touched, felt, and in

By Abigail Doan

Green Graffiti

turn touch you in the playful ways

that her animated installations

call to mind a more familiar,

environmentally friendly state

in the barren patches of urban

existence.

Tokodi believes strongly that the

reactions of passersby (or the lack

of any reaction at all) is really

an indicator of a deeper malaise

that we need to pay attention

to and reseed with “mentally

healthy garden states” and direct

interactive engagement.

The artist states:

p.10

“I think that our distance from

nature is already a cliché. City

dwellers often have no relationship

with animals or greenery. As a

public artist I feel a sense of duty

to draw attention to deficiencies in

our everyday life. As a cultivator

of eco-urban sensitivity, I usually

go back to the sites to visit my

“plants”

or “moss”,

sometimes to

repair them

a bit, but

nothing more

generally as

they tend to get enough water from

the air, condensation, and rain–

especially in certain seasons. I also

like to let them live by themselves.

From the moment I put them on

the street they start to have their

own life. For me, the reaction

of life on the street is also very

important. I am curious about how

people receive them, if they just

leave them alone, or if they want

to, take care of them or dismantle

them. This is what makes my

work similar to graffiti, although

I am searching for a deeper social

meaning and a dialogue with

memories of the animals and

gardens of my past in a small town

in Central Europe. I believe that

if everyone

had a garden

of their own

to cultivate,

we would

have a much

more balanced

relation to our territories. Of

course, a garden can be many

things.”

Edina Tokodi studied graphic

art and design at the Hungarian

Academy of Fine Arts and also

completed urban design course

work in Milan, Italy. Her work

can be seen on the streets of

Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

“The reactions of passersby is really an indicator of a deeper malaise that we need to pay attention to...”

p.11

Eco-Graffiti: GrowFrom the Inspiration of the Nation team.

The amazing Eco-graffiti entitled “Grow”

by Anna Garforth is already famous for it’s

innovative design and simple yet very powerful

Eco message. The phenomenal art work “Grow” is

made out of moss,

a new medium for

street art, that grows

easily and has none

of the environmental

detriments of spray-

painted graffiti. Anna

Garforth works with a

diverse range of materials and skills to create unique

and experimental art. Her Wartworks have been used

for public events, community projects, workshops,

campaigns, publications and exhibitions. With a

strong background in design and illustration, she

p.12

is able to transform moss into beautiful lettering,

playing with the design, the typography and the

language to make amazing art works.

I love the way she can combine the language

and the visual arts without effort, and the message

is so crystal clear that I don’t need to explain it,

it becomes obvious from the fist glance at her art

work. As an artist with a strong ecological message,

she uses mostly recycled or natural materials and

turns them into art. She is a genius in both words

and design, as she was able to send such a powerful

sustainable and social message using juts one simple

word: “Grow”. Take a look at this amazing art work,

it will surely become one of your favorites.

p.13

Anna, give us a quick snapshot of yourself.

I grew up in a leafy part of the world and spent most of my childhood

imagining worlds and constructing things out of nature. I moved to

the city where I studied art and design and developed a strong affinity

for the urban forest. My respect for the wild merged with my love

of the city and as a result, the essence of my work is inspired by the

juxtaposition of urban and natural environments.

p.14

Conducted by David Brier

Interview

with Anna

Garforth

What began your obvious

love affair with typography?

Stefan Sagmeister. Up until the

point I set eyes on Sagmeister’s

work, I didn’t know that

experimental typography existed.

There was a particular piece of

his that started it off for me, a

giant billboard stacked with 7200

bananas! Green bananas were

used to spell out “self-confidence

produces fine results” - a message

that couldn’t have come at a

more pertinent time. I set sail

into experimental waters and

discovered a whole world of 3D

typography, since then I’ve never

looked back!

Does anyone currently

inspire you to experiment with

new materials?

A whole bunch of artists inspire

me and I am always discovering

new designers that make me push

my ideas further. To name a few,

Gyonky Laky. Her sculptural

work often features orchard

pruning’s, park debris, and other

natural materials that are screwed,

doweled or bolted together to

form constructions and type. Andy

Uprock is a street artist that came

up with the concept ‘cuprocking’

he creates beautiful lettering and

patterns in fences using plastic

cups. Andy Goldsworthy has

been a longtime favorite and

inspiration of mine; he works

solely from nature to create mind

blowing site specific installations

and sculptures. There are so

many people that encourage and

motivate me by their creativity

every day, I am never stuck for

incentive.

What inspired you to

merge environmental elements

with typography?

Quite simply, my love of being

outdoors and submersed in nature.

(Look at the way Anna created

these two signs below on fences

p.15