I am down by the canal, and it’s nearly 4AM in the morning. I sense that no-one is around but I’m not entirely sure. I have my new spray paints, and a plan to graffiti the surnames of some of my favourite late C19th / early C20th composers onto the rough wooden wall. I’m doing it during the semi-dark night as I am too self-conscious to carry out my mission in daylight.
It’s done. That was exciting, quite stimulating even.
“Oi, you there, what are you doing? Why do you think that it is OKAY to spray paint those obscure names on this wall. This actual wall, all the way along there and round the corner, has been officially designated and OKAY’D to be a graffiti wall. It’s for young graffiti artists to express their creativity and visual skills. This wall is for CONTEMPORAY visuals and references, NOT ones which are unrelatable, and have NO relevance to TODAY, RIGHT?”
“Well, OK, but I thought that it would be interesting for people to see the names of these composers in a contemporary context. They were pioneering and CONTEMPORAY for their time. They challenged the traditional art forms, with experimentation and they ‘pushed-the-boat’ around, so that NEW things could be heard and experienced. So, I think, ACTUALLY, that they have a good reason to be on these walls, as much as any of the graffiti that’s on here”.
Later that week, I went down to the canal again to see if the names I had sprayed on the graffiti wall were still there, and they were.
Iain Irving 