Sharing knowledge - activists and graffiti writers, an exchange.
Just Stop Oil x Scotland Yard 2022Just Stop Oil have increased their direct actions in the past few months and the use of fire extinguishers has become an integral part of their arsenal.
I feel it is important to include these videos as the visual aspect of them is pretty wild. Those of us involved in the street art and graffiti world will have seen this technique used many times before, however there is something about seeing a pensioner using this technique that gives it new life.
The earliest video I can find of a fire extinguisher being used in this way is this clip of NUG from his infamous 2008 video Territorial Pissing.
“Nug is one of Sweden’s most renowned and internationally reputed graffiti artist. The former Swedish Minister of Culture publicly stated that Nugs work “is not art” and the former Finnish Minister of Culture bought one of his pictures. Both statements should probably be considered as equally great acknowledgements of his work…
Nug studied at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm earning a Master of Arts degree in 2008. His Masters project, presented in 2008, “Territorial pissing” is a film showing a masked man spraying a subway car and the Stockholm station entrance. The project created a media storm when it was exhibited by an art gallery in February 2009.”
Via Scam Gallery Nug’s video is closely followed by this video from KATSU, posted in 2009.
Viral Art by RJ RUSHMORE describes Katsu as a fire extinguisher pioneer and actually suggests he posted his first fire extinguisher video in 2007. Like most things it is likely that this practice and knowledge spread rapidly throughout the graffiti community. If anyone has any more info on the birth of this technique please leave a comment below.
Next up we have KIDULT who took aim at fashion houses across Paris. This video is very similar to the JSO actions as it takes aim at luxury stores and symbols of capitalist excess. This video was posted in 2011.
“I’ve never had any plans. I act in the moment, and it’s about a truth that’s not necessarily spoken, so I shout it and write it on stores. At some point, all these shops have used graffiti culture as a commercial image, riding the trend without being a part in the least and for which the only point is to make some cash. All I say to them is “hello”; if these brands really like graffiti, I only give them what they like, so what if it’s beautiful or ugly. We gotta stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us.”
Via HighSnobiety Interview with KIDULTSo with some extinguisher foundations established I would now like to think about the relationship between these two groups within society. For the most part writers are using these techniques to get up, in a big way. The acts themselves are inherently political and anti establishment in nature, but they are still closely linked to the self promotion of individual artists and the sport of graffiti. I would argue that these artists and their actions, although self promotional, are also a great critique of our capitalist society, that so often attempts to co-opt anything with a little bit of edge. The use of the fire extinguisher is so antagonistic that it feels like a beast that cannot be tamed. It cannot be used for commercial purposes.
So it is interesting to see this technique being used by activist group Just Stop Oil. It is high impact and very efficient. I personally think what Just Stop Oil are doing is really fucking class and it is cool to see them starting to use different techniques to draw attention to their cause.
This blog is basically just me thinking out loud and a way to acknowledge the history of this technique, while also looking to the future and asking what else could activists learn from graffiti writers? I personally feel that writers have developed quite a robust set of techniques that have high impact. However because they are used for largely apolitical acts, they seem to be able to go under the radar of the mainstream consciousness.
Is this what graffiti writers want? I would argue there is a fine line within graffiti culture where a writer wants fame and infamy, but not so much that it becomes impossible to create new work. It is a balancing act of doing things that are illegal, but perhaps not shouting about it and drawing too much attention to yourself. The aim of the game is to get your name up, but also not get caught. So these constraints shape the techniques and actions that writers will use.
I feel that instagram and social media has also had a huge impact on the way that writers will conduct themselves. Artists are now creating work for the online audience as much as the IRL audience. This online world, where content is created, has been a big part of the success of particular artists. Many have come to realise that documenting and posting actions online is one of the best ways to get your work out there to as many people as possible.
I would argue that it is this relationship between the artists and the viewers that actually inspires a lot of the work that is being created. This relationship used to consist of one writer trying to impress another, or perhaps to impress their local scene but now it is possible to impress a global audience. I wonder if it is this scale of the audience that is encouraging people to continue to push the limits of what is possible in the world. There is definitely something about incremental gains within humans, once a boundary has been broken, very quickly others will follow. The Four Minute Mile being the best example of this.
Often graffiti movies will feel like action movies. Due to the proliferation of accessible cameras and editing equipment, writers and their collaborators are able to create movies with incredibly high production values. These videos are high paced and cinematic which helps to capture an audience who are so used to this level of content now. You have to take the presentation and documentation as seriously as the actions themselves in this digital world we find ourselves in.
So how does this relate to JSO and their recent actions? Well they are obviously going for high impact, high visibility, with a desire for as much media coverage as possible. There is a big difference in the motivations here though. They seem to want to be arrested, or at least have made their peace with that happening. I think this in itself is a really interesting thing to think about as it is very different to the way a writer conducts themselves. I think most writers make peace with the fact they might get caught, but ultimately they try their best not to.
I really rate that once these people have sprayed the buildings with orange paint, they stop and give an interview to camera. They explain why they are doing it.
So what can JSO and other activists learn from writers?
I think the most obvious next step would be realising you can write things with fire extinguishers. This isn’t easy but it’s possible to create some really amazing stuff with them. This feels like a good place to add that although I think that graffiti is often apolitical. There are definitely some artists who use their skills to amplify certain causes or political beliefs they may hold. I think there can be some push back against bringing politics and activism into graffiti but for me personally, I think it is really sick to see artists using their skills to speak about what they believe in.
I think for me there is something here about the power that writers and artists actually hold. They are able to command attention at quite a high level. So do they have a responsibility to use that power for good? Personally I feel like everyone should be able to do whatever feels aligned with their own inner values. But what I would say is that writers have a lot of power to alter the visual landscape of our society and I think it’s fucking sick when someone uses that to say something.
The Illusion of Democracy via Duncan Cumming I would say that 1UP are a prime example of everything I have mentioned above. They have used high production value videos to spread their message. This message started off just being about getting the 1UP crew name up but now they have turned their attention to causes that they believe in.
I think this is maybe just a bit of a love letter to graffiti and its potential for social change. I think that writers and street artists choose to go against social norms to create their art and that to me is quite a beautiful thing. It basically shows that anything is possible and I like the fact that people will go to great lengths just to paint something. It doesn’t have to be political, they are just driven to create and that in itself is valuable. In fact I would probably argue that things don’t need to be ‘valuable’, that is a metric that is fed to us but as human beings everything we do is inherently ‘valuable’. We don’t have to explain to anyone why we want to do something. There doesn’t have to be a reason why you are doing it. If it feels good and aligned with your inner world then go for it.
So I guess what I am hoping for is some sort of writer activist hybrid. People who have the skills to create aesthetically accomplished work, that says something. I am also thinking it would be sick to see JSO or other activist groups taking the climbing skills they already have and combining them with an artistic element like PARADOX PARADISE.
So I think that brings me to the end of this blog. It has been fun thinking about fire extinguishers so much the past few days. I think everyone has probably been thinking about them because the footage of the JSO activists seems to be all over social media at the moment. I don’t really watch TV anymore so I don’t know if they are managing to break through into the mainstream but from where I’m sitting it seems like they are making some impact.
I guess I will finish with a question.
Is this all just part of the ongoing society of the spectacle we find ourselves in? And if so, how do we break out of this cycle of the spectacle?
I feel like the growing trade union movement and campaigns such as Enough is Enough are reminding us the importance of solidarity and collective bargaining. So continue to do what feels right for you, but also speak to your neighbours, join a group, do something in the real world. We humans are social animals and it is through this socialising and organising that we are able to accomplish amazing things.
Cheers.
Panda.
Ps. Go check out KATSU’s Instagram where he has been sharing the JSO videos and asking what people think about them.
Peace.
