Brownstoner in Berlin: Part 2
The first thing that struck us as we walked around Mitte yesterday in Berlin was the amount of graffiti. From what we could tell, the buildings with graffiti tend to be the ones with squatters, like the one on the jump. Of course, the squatter buildings are among the oldest and most beautiful, albeit in…
The first thing that struck us as we walked around Mitte yesterday in Berlin was the amount of graffiti. From what we could tell, the buildings with graffiti tend to be the ones with squatters, like the one on the jump. Of course, the squatter buildings are among the oldest and most beautiful, albeit in a rundown way, that we saw.
Brownstoner in Berlin: Part 1 [Brownstoner]
Hmm, I beg to differ with most of you. I looked at the photos and thought how beautiful it looks and realized how much I miss seeing graffiti in NY. Yeah, I’m one of those people who loved NY in the 70’s. The city could be Anywhere, USA now. Different strokes, I guess.
Grafitti is horrible. I spent the 70’s riding around on trains that were like moving garbage cans, filled with grafitti and I think grafitti is vandalism, pure and simple. I also associate grafitti with the 70’s in that it was the worst time in NYC history, out of control crime, drugs and grafitti could take over because police were putting out fires everywhere (metaphorically) and trying not to get shot (literally) so who gave a shit about grafitti. I loathe grafitti and I can’t understand the fascination with it. It seems to be like the only people who like grafitti are well off peoplel who enjoy slumming for the atmosphere. Too bad that is what they copy in Europe.
I am quite thrilled with the idea that nordic kids in scandinavia are imitating the bros in the hood.
I feel strangely proud to belong to the culture that has brought a little color and grit to the otherwise staid and perhaps self-satisfied socialist communities on the outskirts of the North Pole.
Noo Yawk rocks!
I live in Copenhagen now and the grafitti culture here (as in Berlin, Stockholm and most northern cities) is growing and derives inspiration from the American grafitti/street culture and the way that NYC looked in the 1980s.
In a way, it’s disgusting and kind of a blight on the quality of life, and it’s allegedly being fought very heavily among building owners and police, but, as in every city, they’ll keep coming. Examples like Mitte where squatter-occupied buildings still exist, why would vandals have any respect for the streetscape when these cities (including Copenhagen) allow buildings to fall into disrepair and squatters to occupy them.
That, however, is a completely separate issue. Hope you’re enjoying Berlin though, Mr. B.
“second grafitti renaissance” – you gotta be kidding me. It is called vandalism.
And if Brownstoner people enjoy and glorify this stuff they should shut their mouths about bricolage, fedders, drug dealing and other urban blight.
Who’s the mayor over there now?
Dave Dinkins?
UGH
This looks like NYC in the bad old days.
Berliners need to get a grip.
As someone who wrote grafitti in the 80″s during tthe second grafitti renaissance, Europe is still catching up. That first photo “heif” is a direct swipe from a piece on the cover of “subway art” by a guy named “heist”… and Heist was a teenager in the 70’s 80’s, the Berliner who stole the letters is probably an college age art student(the bottom left picure looks very “Zephyr-esque” to me as well)…then again, i’m just an bitter old man
Check out the photographs of Frank Hallam Day, a DC based photographer (no, I am not him or related to him, I just love his work). He has a series called Berlin Mitte that are amazing, and really showcase the grafitti you have shown. Your pictures are very artistic as well!