Dirt or Not?
Marry Douglas (1966), in her seminal book, defines dirt as a “matter out of place” (p.36).
The portrayal of graffiti as “dirt” or “pollution” goes back to the early 1970s when the authorities and the press declared a total war against it. Even in advertisements, it was epitomized as dirt, as in Gillette Quatro Titanium Trimmer ad where the razor “victoriously cuts through the unsightly graffiti to reveal what looks to be a snow-capped mountain set against a vibrant blue sky” (Waclawek, 2008, p.185).
In a similar vein, in 1972 New York city council president Sanford Garelik told reporters: “Graffiti pollutes the eye and mind and may be one of the worst forms of pollution we have to combat”, he suggested to have a monthly “AntiGraffiti Day” and invited New Yorkers to “scrub down the walls, fences, public buildings, subways and subway cars” just as in Earth Day events (The New York Times, 1972).
New York Times archive:
In 2008 authorities in Brussels announced that these practices were not art but vandalism and the city municipality, allocating a high budget, introduced Graffiti removal services that included the employment of two people(Kelly, 2008).
However, these deviant urban interventions also became admissible and even commodifiable in time:
In 2012, the alderwoman Lalieux stated that Brussels was not a “place where graffiti-sprayers can do their thing unpunished “, but in May 2017, she invited Oakoak, a French artist, to take "possession" of the city freely (Centrale.brussels, 2018).
Today, on the one hand, the City of Brussels argues to lead a fight against graffiti through removal and punishment. On the Brussels municipality website tags and graffiti are classified as “incivility” and “fight against” them is addressed under Cleaning Services together with illegal dumping, canine excrement, spits, urine, bags taken out outside hours (Brussels.be, n.d.).
On the other hand, the official website clearly states that artists need to get authorization to practice street art. An artistic diploma and positive feedback from the artistic jury are required to gain permission. Moreover, authorized sites are clearly demarcated (Brussels.be, n.d.b).
Despite the controversies, the mural was pinned on the tourist map. Find #27 on the map