Vandals and the City: Documenting London's underground graffiti scene

Vandals and the City: Documenting London's underground graffiti scene
Writing on the wall — Over a period of twelve months, documentary photographer Marc Vallée tagged along with one of London's graffiti crews, silently painting the city in defiance of the law. Before the launch and exhibition of Marc's self-published zine in Berlin this month, Oliver Zanetti explores the politics of art in the city.

By and for whom are cities made? In London, the answer is made visible by an urban horizon clustered with skyscrapers. The city is a servant to neoliberalism, where the financial sector and an exploding residential property market dominate the landscape. The vandals documented here undertake an alternative making of urban space, leaving their mark on the bare walls found in the city’s interstices.

05022016_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writers-05.02.16_005403122015_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writer-03.12.15_0153

As a subject matter they’re far from uncontroversial. For many, the writing of graffiti is regarded as an antisocial act of defacement, contravening both legal and moral spatial codes. This is reflected in the collection’s title and the work itself, where contrast and framing conceal the location and the identities of the writers documented. But through their recalcitrance, the writers invite us to rethink the nature of the urban order.

03122015_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writer-03.12.15_013503122015_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writer-03.12.15_0113

Contemporary staples like pop ups or the sharing economy were once envisaged as routes to the democratisation of urban space, widening possibilities for public participation. Yet, in fact, such moves have served to further entrench existing urban and economic disempowerment. Habituated to seeing the effects of their work, a glimpse of writers at work is far less common.

In witnessing their resolve in the practice of their craft, we are invited to consider the various radical ways we might all intervene to create inclusive and genuinely participatory urban public spaces.

03122015_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writer-03.12.15_010403122015_marcvallee_Graffiti-Writer-03.12.15_0062160505-marc-vallee-Graffiti-Writer-0049160505-marc-vallee-Graffiti-Writer-0037160505-marc-vallee-Graffiti-Writer-0031

Oliver Zanetti is a human geographer whose work examines the interface of materiality and urban space. Oliver is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Geography at the Open University.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Latest on Huck

Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square
Culture

Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square

Peep Man — Before its LED-beaming modern refresh, the Manhattan plaza was a hotbed for seedy transgression. A new memoir revisits its red light district heyday.

Written by: Miss Rosen

In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet
Music

In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet

Coming Home — Having once been held up as a symbol of Russian youth activism and rebellion, the experimental duo are now living in exile. Their latest album explores their new reality.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?
Culture

Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?

One second closer to midnight — While the rolling news cycle, intensifying climate crisis and rapidly advancing technology can make it feel as if the end days are upon us, newsletter columnist Emma Garland remembers that things have always been terrible, and that is a natural part of human life.

Written by: Emma Garland

In a city of rapid gentrification, one south London estate stands firm
Culture

In a city of rapid gentrification, one south London estate stands firm

A Portrait of Central Hill — Social housing is under threat across the British capital. But residents of the Central Hill estate in Crystal Palace are determined to save their homes, and their community.

Written by: Alex King

Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
Culture

Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home

From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.

Written by: Maria Teriaeva

Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
Activism

Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day

PCC forever — The Soho institution has claimed its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, is demanding the insertion of a break clause that would leave it “under permanent threat of closure”.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now