Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Dezeen.
Abandoned Los Angeles skyscrapers covered in graffiti.

Is graffiti a scourge or an art? I guess that depends on the graffiti and your point of view. In Los Angeles, graffiti on a monumental scale is the subject of debate.

Corina Knoll reports at the New York Times that, first, there were fancy buildings.

“It was a billion-dollar aspiration meant to transform a neighborhood. A trio of shimmering skyscrapers would feature luxury condos, a five-star hotel and an open-air galleria with retailers and restaurants. …

“The vision was called Oceanwide Plaza, and the chief executive said it would ‘redefine the Los Angeles skyline.’ An executive for the design firm said it would create ‘a vibrant streetscape.’ The website said it would be a place of ‘rare and unexpected moments.’

“All these statements, some would say, proved to be true. Just not in the way originally imagined.

“Funding for the venture quickly evaporated. The towers went up but were unfinished and empty. Plagued by financial and legal issues, the plaza was in a quiet limbo for five years. …

“Now those skyscrapers have become a symbol of street swagger, ‘bombed’ with the work of dozens of graffiti writers and artists. Their aliases cover windows that rise more than 40 stories, visible from the nearby highways.

“ ‘Everybody’s talking about it, of course,’ said Ceet Fouad, a French graffiti artist based in Hong Kong, known for his commissioned murals featuring cartoon chickens. … ‘It’s the best promotion you can have.’

“The sentiment is obviously not universal. Many Angelenos see the graffiti as unconscionable vandalism, encouraging waves of crime. Those who live near it say it has jarred their sense of safety. Civic leaders see it as an immediate hazard to the neighborhood as well as to trespassers, not to mention a worldwide embarrassment.

“Others have admired the work, some traveling to see the embellished towers for themselves and ruminate on what they represent. …

“A subculture took note that no one was bothering to clean off the fresh paint. Crews were trudging up together, their backpacks rattling with spray paint. Some lugged up gallons of paint and roller brushes. Security guards on patrol were easy to evade. Inside, they saw loose wires dangling from ceilings and rebar left exposed. Ladders and buckets littered the concrete floors. Bathtubs were full of water from the rain.

“ ‘We got a little lost at first; it’s kind of like entering a little city,’ said a graffiti artist who goes by Aker and managed to paint his alias twice. Although advice was passed around (bring water, the flight up is killer), he said there was no coordination among artists, just individual ambition. …

” ‘This is the problem of the city, people do whatever they want,’ said Rodel Corletto, who built Aladdin Coffee Shop on a nearby corner four decades ago.

“Mr. Corletto, 76, said that over the last 15 years, his windows have been broken, his chairs thrown into the street. He often feels like there is no recourse. The plaza, he said, was a larger example of downtown’s lawlessness. …

“In mid-February, city leaders were scrambling to figure out their role in a private property gone wrong. They had a responsibility, they said, to keep people safe and set an ultimatum: The plaza owner, Oceanwide Holdings, a conglomerate headquartered in Beijing, was ordered to secure the property within a matter of days. …

” ‘For them to have just completely abandoned these properties speaks more volumes about their irresponsibleness as opposed to the graffiti artists,’ said Kevin de León, the councilman who represents the area.

“The city earmarked $1.1 million to start to secure the property, including fencing. Mr. de León also said city leaders were looking into estimates for graffiti removal and putting a lien on the property. ‘The taxpayers will be repaid,’ Mr. de León insisted. …

“Some residents have openly wondered whether the funds might be better used to house the homeless. Or whether the trespassing will be curbed completely. …

“Whatever happens, graffiti artists like Aker say the takeover magnified and transformed a company’s folly hiding in plain sight.

“ ‘They failed not just themselves but the city,’ he said. ‘And this is what happens when things just get left — graffiti artists are like spiders, we’ll go out and put webs up there.’ “

Many outlets have covered this. More at the Times, here, at Dezeen, here, and at the Guardian, here.