DC Graffiti: Tag, You're It

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Last week, I introduced you to the concept of "CAT AIDS." I try to take photos of crazy tagging & graffiti when I get a chance but have missed a few excellent ones lately - and haven't been far enough out on the redline for awhile to snap a photo of my favorite tag job, the word "PEAR" in green & silver on a concrete wall at the Brookland station.

Actually, "PEAR" graffiti is all over the place, if looking for graffiti themes is your thing (as it apparently is mine). It's mostly further out on the redline, or at least that's where I've seen it most, when I did my two-month stint living in Glenmont & trekking in & out of the District daily. The tags out there are typically really artistic & well-done - true tagging, the kind you get arrested for but that the judge gives you some leniency on because you made an ugly wall sparkle a little. (I dunno if that happens, but if I were a judge, I might rule that way, yo.) I've long been curious about what "PEAR" meant; tonight, a Google search for "Pear DC graffiti" turned up a Flickr conversation about the social status of District taggers, including, apparently, a tagger named (surprise!) Pear. I also found this insightful piece
on DC graffiti culture, originally published in The Hoya & reposted by another local blogger, .

If you were going to be a tagger, what would your name be? I guess Suburban Sweetheart is a little long... & my artistic ability is pretty low, anyway. OK, instead, I present you with some more of my recent faves:


(Bathroom at Wonderland Bar, my photo of the day a couple weeks ago)


(Written on a stop sign in Adam's Morgan & on a nearby construction site)


(Also at Wonderland. I wonder if this person was just trying to stay out of some ongoing argument.)

4 comments:

  1. I love graffiti. Asheville is swimming in it. There is one tag that you see everywhere around town, and it's MOMS. Sometimes they spell it MOMZ. So maybe there is a copycat? Anyways, I've got some GREAT photos in my MySpace album that I took.

    http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/42/l_5c29c8656dbb436888f5a2d613006493.jpg

    http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_2948d6a78e5949bd8715cea1d5c91864.jpg

    http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/63/l_25f11527bf81430f8128c416320508a2.jpg

    http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_90a19961be754ed5b92de3c087d1d988.jpg

    http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/31/l_f0d8fdbddf5443d0bc21acbafbfca589.jpg

    http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/50/l_fd0e0b69c1d74781adbd6b9c25c0b949.jpg

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  2. I think my blog names would work pretty well. But if I couldn't use them, my name would be either "Dat Fool" or "Crotch n Sniff."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would be, of course, Pumpernickel. It doesn't sound too hardcore, but let's be honest...I'd be the tamest tagger ever to tag.

    Anywhosit, let's do Paragon Thai next week!

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  4. if you want to learn more about dc graffiti walk the red line. if you look carefully enough, you'll find holes in the csx fences. with some determination you'll find tons of spots. or you can go here: http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112134&page=913

    ReplyDelete

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