Wall Writers

Taki 183, Stitch 1, Cornbread, Bama…these are just a few of the noms-de-plume adopted by young taggers in big American cities such as New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Their stories and ambiguous ethics are revealed in this alternately dull and illuminating documentary, narrated by cult filmmaker John Waters, which centers on the rise of graffiti and its evolution from narcissistic teen pastime to art world acceptance. Many now-60-ish artists are interviewed in Wall Writers, recounting the origins and flourishing of the tagging subculture, which began as ego-boosting vandalism. Filmmaker Roger Gastman, sometimes relying on archival footage of national newscasts decrying graffiti's vulgarity, fails to make a strong case for how this earliest and “purest” form of wall-writing added up to more than vanity practiced by kids who stole spray paint from stores. And the story certainly gets worse before it gets better, as taggers were pressured to join gangs embroiled in drug use and street violence. But a different graffiti culture emerged in Brooklyn, one more artistic, organized, and enterprising, and by the early ‘70s, urban graffiti—while officially reviled—was celebrated by the art world, although the story told here about a City College of New York student who created a workshop space for taggers and wound up being violently assaulted by the taggers is both harrowing and disheartening. Ultimately, one's personal views about graffiti are not likely to change after watching this film, but it is interesting to meet some of these people in the autumn of their lives. Optional. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $349 from Bond Educator at www.bondeducator.com.] Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)