Sydney Graffiti · Whether You Agree or Disagree

Description:

An amazing graffiti gallery in nearly 400 pages (196 in the ebook edition) and more than 500 full colour arts photographs of street art / graffiti writing in Sydney from 2008 – 2014.

The photographs document art from a few hundred local and international graffiti writers / street artists including Peque, Eoin, Magee, Teazer, Beastman, Vexta, Roa, Lister, Adnate, Pudl, Phibs, Nico, BCF, DCA and many others.

Besides an extensive graffiti gallery, this book also holds a wealth of information on graffiti topics as well as short histories on the graffiti at each location. In total this book contains 17,000 words of text.

Synopsis:

'Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better-looking place,' Banksy

I have put this theory to the test and for six years I have scoured Sydney's main drags, back alleys, the beach and the bush to discover if graffiti makes Sydney a better-looking place. As a journalist, I felt obliged to present an objective narrative. I have documented the bright, colourful and awe-inspiring street art as well as the darker side of Sydney. In the line of duty, I crawled through drain pipes and canals, hung out at derelict factories, walked every dodgy alley, explored an old army battery, and occasionally trespassed just to get the shot. After six years, this journey culminates in 'Whether You Agree or Disagree: Sydney Graffiti.'

This book is divided into two parts: 'Graffiti Crash Course' and 'Grandscapes'.

The first part is a crash course in images and text of all modern forms of graffiti: from the humble tag to advanced writing styles; from old school graff to neo-graffiti. Each chapter is accompanied by an informative essay on the nitty gritty of each form of graffiti.

The second part, 'Grandscapes', comes to the crux of this book: Does graffiti make Sydney a better-looking place? I have documented seven different locations to find an answer to this question. Each is a 'grandscape', a word I coined for a location strongly characterised by graffiti. These locations include the inner city; Sydney's most iconic beach, a guerrilla graffiti gallery in an abandoned factory; the largest street art festival in the Southern Hemisphere; an old tram depot and the near outback. Each chapter starts with an informative essay on the graffiti location.

Join me on this journey for an honest exploration of the good, the bad and the awesome of graffiti in Sydney!