Just a small question?

getting worse

On a pillar outside the Arts building there is a stencil painting. If you go in to the the building through the door into the LG area facing the lake, you can’t miss it. It has been bothering me for months now. Does anyone know why is there? Does it signify anything? Is there a history to it? or is it just graffiti?

Tayto2000

It's graffiti in the Banksy sense I guess, been there for years now... Seems to have been unofficially recognised as street art, it's survived all the big clean ups along the concourse so far.

There used to be a very nice large piece of graffiti on the wall on the left as you go up the lane towards the Fosters avenue pedestrian gate... often wondered who did that one.

WellCultured

Its a stencil of two girls kissing isn't it? or am i only seeing what i want to see?

getting worse

Yes wellcultured that is the stencil, and I see the same. But I have been wondering why it is there, Tayto answer seems to make sense, I was just wondering if there was a more interesting story to it.

rain on

Mate of mine did it. To brighten the place up basically. She was going to do more but I don't think she ever got around to it. We've both graduated now. We did some other less permanent stencilling together a few years ago as well.. some people might remember it, I think it was about 2003. I'm not admitting any more than that though!

Tom65

Some graffiti wouldn't be the worse thing to happen to the area around the Arts block/lake. The place really needs a lick of paint.

scop

UCD is begging for graffiti. We have to be one of the most conservative student bodies in Europe. In addition to rain on there was another stencil head in UCD, but he tended to stick to town although one or two of his stenciles live on in UCD.

Blush_01

Ha, I remember other stencils around the place, even if they didn't survive.

arbeitsscheuer

scop wrote: »

UCD is begging for graffiti.

I've been saying this for years, the place is crying out for it. Belfield would look amazing with some good art around the place. It would change the whole f**king atmosphere of the campus - aesthetic changes often do.

wandering_star

I thought I was the only person who noticed that graffitti
Everyday I see it it cheers me up.
Can't explain it.
Just does, maybe it's just a little bit of hope, bit of individualism amongst the big nasty concrete, fake-tan, establishment...
A little heart-shaped gem.

Goodluck2me

+1

scop

wandering_star wrote: »

I thought I was the only person who noticed that graffitti
Everyday I see it it cheers me up.
Can't explain it.
Just does, maybe it's just a little bit of hope, bit of individualism amongst the big nasty concrete, fake-tan, establishment...
A little heart-shaped gem.

Lots of people dig graffiti. I know of at least three 'proper' graffiti artists who have passed through UCD in my time here one of which is now considered a 'king' (cheesy graf speak for hero!). The problem is that by doing graffiti in UCD you let people know you attend there. Hence the lack of good stuff on what seems like a perfect canvas.

scop

arbeitsscheuer wrote: »

I've been saying this for years, the place is crying out for it. Belfield would look amazing with some good art around the place. It would change the whole f**king atmosphere of the campus - aesthetic changes often do.

See post above. Its sort of a catch-22. Get caught by services and they identify you you're well fooked whereas in the rest of the city its fake names and never going back all round

rain on

scop wrote: »

See post above. Its sort of a catch-22. Get caught by services and they identify you you're well fooked whereas in the rest of the city its fake names and never going back all round

hoodies + bikes for quick getaway are your friends, or so i've heard.

PennyLane

scop wrote: »

The problem is that by doing graffiti in UCD you let people know you attend there. Hence the lack of good stuff on what seems like a perfect canvas.

Not if you're just popping by to do a little brightening up of the place...I'm all for it, but I only dabble in stickers and I don't think they'll work very well on concrete.

scop

PennyLane wrote: »

Not if you're just popping by to do a little brightening up of the place...I'm all for it, but I only dabble in stickers and I don't think they'll work very well on concrete.

I guess I mean on a sustained basis. Most places don't have their own security type people as UCD does with services. If you wanted to hit a good spot in UCD with a large piece you'd need to be quick

scop

rain on wrote: »

hoodies + bikes for quick getaway are your friends, or so i've heard.

Also mastering the art of the flawless fence leap

Cannibal Ox

It'd be nice if we had something like this. I'd almost be proud of the place.

My family would deny my existence if I was expelled for wheat pasting around ucd. That kinda turns me off the idea, also...I kind of want a degree. Any chance of a petition for a free wall to mess with? Its not exactly like we should be preserving the architectural beauty of ucd for future generations.

arbeitsscheuer

Cannibal Ox wrote: »

Any chance of a petition for a free wall to mess with? Its not exactly like we should be preserving the architectural beauty of ucd for future generations.

That's actually not a bad idea. Nobody's gonna tell me it's any less valid than that f**king stupid Egg outside the Vet building or the marginally-less-pointless Blob in Arts!

Also, in response to scop's point about the greater risk of getting caught: While that's undoubtedly why some of Dublin's more prolific graffiti artists stay away, Belfield IS a massive campus and I'm convinced that there are places around this concrete jungle where sustained spraying could take place... Definitely greater risk tho, no question. Damn pity really

Chakar

Graffiti is vandalism of public property and thus anybody caught is liable to be charged with criminal damage. You can be sent to jail if proven to have been involved in the vandalism of a certain number of sites especially in cases when a 'tag' is used.

There's a big graffiti drawing that has appeared recently near Rathfarnham Castle where I get the 17 bus. It's an absolute abomination and I hope the council uses the recent availability of monies under the RAPID intiative to clean it up.

While I don't mind that little stencil mentioned, most graffiti is an eyesore. The recent explosion in graffiti in Dublin is related to the rise of people coming here from Eastern Europe where graffiti is prevalent.

PennyLane

Some of it, yes, is ugly. And some of it is gorgeous. Don't let the strict confines of traditional aesthetics confine your views of what may or may not be art.

Chakar

I don't hold any traditional aesthetics as such when it comes to art but I do draw the line with vandalism of public and private property.