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Monumental Graffiti & The Role of Public Art

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Date and time
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Virtual:

What is graffiti – is it vandalism, ornament or art? Anthropologist, Rafael Schacter proposes that we think of it as a monument – and it is indeed an ancient phenomenon. Originally thought to have come from the Italian archaeological term Graffito, meaning a deliberate mark made by scratching or engraving on a large surface such as a wall - nobody really knows. While the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians may have first coined the term, the definition and origins of modern-day graffiti continue to be debated, and Cambridge Forum is delighted to continue the discussion.

Schacter’s newest tome, Monumental Graffiti is a hefty and heavily researched read. In it, he shows why graffiti demands our urgent attention as a form of expression that challenges power structures by questioning whose voices are included in, or excluded from, the public space.

Schacter is joined by Cambridge graffiti artist, Caleb Neelon, co-author of The History of American Graffiti.

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Rafael Schacter, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of London, has curated exhibitions at London’s Tate Modern and other galleries, in addition to studying graffiti for the past 20 years.
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Caleb Neelon is a graffiti artist and co-author of The History of American Graffiti. Back in February 1990, Neelon was a 13 year-old kid, making a family trip to Germany, when he came upon the newly opened Berlin Wall, covered in graffiti and murals. It was a romantic revelation to the teenager who soon became immersed in the global graffiti scene, both as an artist and a commentator on the movement.
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