While studying in Stauffer one day, I found myself distracted by the scrawlings on the study walls.
The standard declarations of who was here made me wonder what happened to those students—where are they now? Are they documenting their presence whenever they are in a similar fashion, or have they found more interesting things to do?
“Sixty-five is a ing mark,” one student wrote, although whether it was a reminder to himself or meant to encourage others I can’t tell.
Another student wrote this forebodingly: “48 hours ’til death approaches again.” I’m assuming it refers to an exam—I can’t imagine someone awaiting a second death while sitting in an uncomfortable chair on the second floor of Stauffer. I wonder if the student survived the exam—if they pulled off the 65 the previous student declared necessary.
I recognized some of the other notes on the wall as lyrics by artists such as Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple. Others are observations by obviously distracted studiers, such as “A loser in love is something to stare at.” I noticed one last note that made me smile: “Wow—I’ve never seen a wall with educated graffiti.” While the seemingly insignificant wall of the cubicle may have been that observer’s first encounter with thoughtful graffiti, it most definitely isn’t the only instance of it.
Written graffiti has been around since writing systems were firmly established in civilizations such as ancient Greece and Rome. What is considered to be the first recorded example of graffiti can still be seen in Ephesus—once part of ancient Greece—where a handprint, a heart and a footprint at the beginning of a walkway are said to have been used to guide curious individuals to a prostitute.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii preserved graffiti in the city, including political messages written in the colloquial Latin spoken by ordinary Romans along with caricatures of key political figures of the time.
Historians use graffiti such as this to gain an understanding of ancient street life, a culture often overlooked by those documenting the events and customs of the time. Word choice and spelling hint at literacy levels, while political and social commentary refer to what sorts of issues the general public found most pressing.
My favourite example of ancient graffiti, however, doesn’t suggest much beyond a scorned lover in Pompeii. The Roman words translate to say: “Whoever loves, go to hell. I want to break Venus’s ribs with a club and deform her hips. If she can break my tender heart, why can’t I hit her over the head?”
Bitter? Perhaps.
It will be interesting to see what future historians deduce from modern-day graffiti. While I doubt scrawls in bathroom stalls of who loves who will stand the test of time, urban graffiti preserved on concrete walls, sidewalks or trains just might.
Gang graffiti, for instance, is used solely to mark a gang’s territory. It consists of the name of the gang, known as a “tag,” and is usually devoid of artistic intent and considered by public officials and residents alike to be a plague upon public space.
Graffiti art, however, stems from self-expression and creativity and takes more time than the few seconds required to scrawl a “tag.” Artists often create elaborate, political and socially-motivated murals, with messages that can open the channels of communication on social issues that might otherwise have been overlooked.
While graffiti murals are embraced as art by some, others regard them as no more than a messy nuisance, undistinguishable from gang graffiti. Leaders and politicians such as Rudy Giuliani and Tony Blair have condemned graffiti of all sorts, imposing strict penalties on anyone caught engaging in the act of vandalism. This includes individual acts of graffiti that are associated with neither gangs nor artists, but often come instead from a rebellious youth with a pen.
Some cities have designated public places as open forums for graffiti or street art, both to discourage potential vandals and to encourage artists to display their work in a safe environment.
An example of encouraging graffiti-style artwork is the east side of the Berlin Wall. After the wall fell in 1989, artists began to paint various parts of the wall, creating murals that reflected the optimistic spirit that was emerging in response to the unification of and the marking of a new era.
From Greek symbols pointing the way for men in search of sexual pleasure, to politically charged murals commemorating world events, to inane scribblings in bathroom stalls and on library desks, graffiti may carry a different message depending on when, where and how it was made. From giving clues about ancient society to providing evidence of a very bored student, it tells a story of someone, somewhere, and what they wanted to share with the world.
So Stauffer scribblers, take note—your mindless doodles just might provide for future insight into the study habits of university students. —With files from wikipedia.com and eastsidegallery.com
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