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Taking the train

how graffiti art became an urban crisis in New York City
Author: Search for this author Austin, Joe (author)
Statement of Responsibility: Joe Austin
Year: 2001
Publisher: New York, Colombia University Press
Media group: Buch
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Content

In the 1960s and early 1970s, young people in New York City radically altered the tradition of writing their initials on neighborhood walls. Influenced by the widespread use of famous names on billboards, in neon, in magazines, newspapers, and typographies from advertising and comics, city youth created a new form of expression built around elaborately designed names and initials displayed on public walls, vehicles, and subways. Critics called it "graffiti," but to the practitioners it was "writing." Taking the Train traces the history of "writing" in New York City against the backdrop of the struggle that developed between the city and the writers. Austin tracks the ways in which "writing" -- a small, seemingly insignificant act of youthful rebellion -- assumed crisis-level importance inside the bureaucracy and the public relations of New York City mayoral administrations and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for almost two decades. Taking the Train reveals why a global city short on funds made "wiping out graffiti" an expensive priority while other needs went unfunded. Although the city eventually took back the trains, Austin eloquently shows how and why the culture of "writing" survived to become an international art movement and a vital part of hip-hop culture.

Details

Author: Search for this author Austin, Joe (author)
Statement of Responsibility: Joe Austin
Year: 2001
Publisher: New York, Colombia University Press
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Classification: Search for this systematic GT3913.N72
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ISBN: 0-231-11142-8
ISBN (2nd): 0-231-11143-6
Description: viii, 356 p., [12] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) : 24 cm
Tags: Graffito, Martha Cooper, Metro, New York, NY, Stadtsanierung, Train, Trainwriting, Untergrundbahn, Urban Culture, Wissenschaftlich
Participating parties: Search for this character Cooper, Martha (photographer (expression) )
Language: Englisch
Media group: Buch