IS KAMLOOPS SETTING itself up for a new graffiti war?
Looks like a retaining wall between Seymour Street West and Victoria Street West is going to be turned into a so-called “free wall.”
It will be available for what’s called “street art,” which is defined as being image-based as opposed to “graffiti art,” which is word-based.
Street art is mostly legal, graffiti art almost never is.
This new wall is a new wrinkle in a concept that has proven to be an utter failure in previous versions. It came about after a Kamloops art supplies store pitched the idea to the Kamloops Arts Commission, citing a need to “engage” with the graffiti culture, to “build bridges.”
The wishful thinking is that if graffiti vandals and taggers see that art can be used in a positive way, they’ll be less likely to paint up the town with their spray bombs.
Let me be clear, I’m sure this is well intended. I’m certain the legitimate street artists who will use the wall (or walls, if others are approved) will create some impressive art.
But it’s not going to reduce graffiti vandalism and may even make it worse. New York, the birthplace of urban graffiti, has found that rather than being respected, street art is being defaced by graffiti bandits who resent what they consider a gentrification of — let’s call it wall art.
So, graffiti has become a weapon in defense of the old culture of rebellion.
Kamloops has tried “building bridges” before with those responsible for illegal graffiti and it always fails. Previous free walls for graffiti vandals have simply resulted in more graffiti. Even murals have been attacked — the idea of honour within the graffiti culture is wishful thinking.
The only answer to graffiti is to wipe it out everywhere, quickly, and that’s the job of the Graffiti Task Force. That includes, by the way, the biggest free wall of all, that giant eyesore on the back of Memorial Arena, which should have been painted over a long time ago.
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
