Interview Questions with 2 local Graffiti artists

So for our group research project, we are focusing on Graffiti in Toronto and we have interviewed 2 logo artists. It was really inspiring to hear from them and just to learn more about the whole graffiti culture and politics behind the art.
Here are the interview notes:

1. What are your graffiti names?
- Tom: Life, KRY – take names that are given
- Toby: Morph, DSK – come up with different names on sketch books, often change names for style, also for when they get caught name needs to be changed
- Numbers originates from streets of New York, based on street numbers where the graffiti lives.
What others are there?

How do people pick them?
- take names that are given
- come up with different names on sketch books, often change names for style, also for when they get caught name needs to be changed

2. Why do you do graffiti? How did you start?
-Tom: Started young (12yrs old?) drawing on stop signs with markers, and doing more as he got older.
-kept going for recognition and fame, he was recognized in Edmonton everywhere.
-Al: getting motivations, to get his names out.

What do they see in it, what drives you?
- After fame, it was more about art

3. What locations are desired and why?
- Tom: On streets, people are passing by all the time. But for places like in Yards, can be able to stay for long time (about 8hrs)
- Trains, traveling can carry his graffiti to everywhere. Graffiti on trains last.
- Al: graffiti artists would wait for trains to come out in the morning.
- chose places where lasts long, such as alley ways, trains,
- Even on grounds

Can you show us some of your work?
- Usually no photos was taken from the artists, they enjoyed the process of graffiti more than collecting images of their own. It was about doing it for others to see.

4. What is the writers’ relationship with police?
- over 18 and get 3 times strike will go to jail.
- “Bad” relationship with the police
- Tom: First time got caught was under 18 from police got a warning, paints taken away (Edmonton)
- 2nd time, at a wall in Vancouver, chased by bike police and tackled by police officers.
- Police’s got photos of their tags & files for records.
- Al: After 3 times strike, police can restrict them in terms of mobility and traveling.
- Tagging police cars

How much appeal of graffiti is form the fact it is illegal?
- Huge appeal and controversy for artists to do things breaking the rules/law.
- It is the Cool factor for some others.
- Often messages are carried in the graffiti.
- 3 types of graffiti: tag, throw (bubbly letters), a piece (multicolor multi-layered graffiti)

5. What are the important aspects of graffiti culture? (the adrenaline of knowing you are breaking the rules)

What are the politics behind the culture?
- Ed from New York banned graffitis since 1982, before that graffiti was seen everywhere like trains.
- Here in North America, it traced back from New York, based on names here. Depends on where you are in the world, it could be based on politics or name. For Tom it is a bit of both.
- many artists stop doing graffiti as they get older because legal issues are effecting their personal life. (some needed to wear masks in order to keep doing graffiti)

6. What is your relationship with other graffiti artists? Conflicts?
- Everyone develops their own style, originally from seeing other’s works, to eventually develop their own unique style.
- Beef – graffiti artist crossing other artist’s name out. Very much like b-boys, and free-style rap artists, graffiti war is very much the same.
- Conflicts can get as bad, and violence could be involved.
- Graffiti develop from hip-hop culture. Without graffiti, there is no hip-pop culture and is one of the sub-cultures(4 sub cultures: graffiti, rap, rave dance, MC)
- Movie: Warriors – Gang tags to claim territories.; Style Wars (HMV); Wild Styles
- Tom and Troy’s style is not hip-hop however.

7. What makes Toronto graffiti unique?
- Keel station- subject of wild animals which is unique to Canada
- Internet influences the local cultures of graffiti, and it is becoming a global style.
- Style is different from city to city, Toronto and Vancouver is different as well.
- New York (silver linings and bold style), Brazil (verticle) , and Taiwan (Chinese characters) all have their distinctive style.
- Futura from the 80’s

8. Are there any misconceptions or myths you think the public doesn’t understand and you want to share?
- Al: Graffiti is art regardless of other’s opinion
- Tom: People often get misconceptions artists only do one specific type of graffiti, artists does all 3 types of graffiti. Not all graffiti artist are violent.
- Cops likes to push that graffiti are gang markings, but really it is not.
- Graffiti culture is a youth culture (in age range of 12-20).