Something that really pisses me off about urbex.

InvisibleElvis · 01 Jun 2015, 11:38 am

Vandals

Not only are we given a bad name for simply exploring but they destroy a beautiful abandonment for everyone else, abandonments should be "fixed in time" untouched and left as they were when they were abandoned, yesterday I went to an old high school and it was destroyed, shitty tags all over the place, I don't mind the actual art but drawing dicks all over a building is just f*****g stupid, the whole place was trashed and empty and it really ruins the urbex experience for everyone. I couldn't walk a meter without seeing a VB bottle.

Take only photos, leave only footprints.

f1ex · 01 Jun 2015, 12:10 pm

How good is VB though.

DFEX · 01 Jun 2015, 12:19 pm

InvisibleElvis wrote:Vandals

Not only are we given a bad name for simply exploring but they destroy a beautiful abandonment for everyone else, abandonments should be "fixed in time" untouched and left as they were when they were abandoned, yesterday I went to an old high school and it was destroyed, shitty tags all over the place, I don't mind the actual art but drawing dicks all over a building is just f*****g stupid, the whole place was trashed and empty and it really ruins the urbex experience for everyone. I couldn't walk a meter without seeing a VB bottle.

Take only photos, leave only footprints.

Try and being a street artists! You think little bastards ruined it for you, how do you think people that actually do aerosol art feel? I grew up following rules/laws of the graffiti world, rules that little try hards dont understand or follow. I lived and breathed graffiti until they changed the laws and sentencing because of these little jerks and there horrible tags. Abandoned places are our playground just as they are yours. Everyone can get along if rules are in place. We use to keep our locations secret (shared between crew only - LGK represent

) just as urbex enthusiasts do. We also were worried about sites being locked down and smart enough to prevent that. A lot of the good stuff you would see out in the field is done by people that actually get paid to do it, and these places are their galleries for others to stumble across. The warehouse at Green Square for example (now demolished) had a "Linz" character that was printed on the ironlak (paint brand) signature range after I had already seen it in the warehouse. When we all first start, as with anything, practice is needed. One of the main place suitable for this is away from public view, hence all the graffiti it urbex locations. You never know, you may laugh at a crap tag now but in years to come be funding that same person by buying something from their clothing line. Look at Cope2 for example - he wasn't just born knowing can control, but now he makes a killing from his graffiti and clothing lines

Just my 2c..

Midget · 01 Jun 2015, 4:08 pm

The only graffiti I don't mind is good art, and not some guy tagging everywhere to let people know they've been there. (There's "guestbooks" and then there's "Aspire".) I Googled Cope2 by the way, looks like any old tagging to me.

f1ex wrote:How good is VB though.

I never liked beer, though I drink it because I like the idea of it.

Note: Thread moved to Urban Exploration Discussion from AUS Urban Exploration.

blakjak · 01 Jun 2015, 4:47 pm

It's natural for most abandons to get discovered by the locals before the urbex community. This includes bored kids, copper strippers, junkies, lame graffers, and people just generally stealing everything not bolted down and breaking everything in sight.
No topside abandos stay pristine for long. The trick is to get in there before too much damage has been done, it's not easy, but you have to keep your sensors piqued.
When we first explored Dunlop/Slazenger there were tennis and squash balls everywhere, tennis racquets and cricket bats (mostly damaged), machinery to make these, kilns, and tons of shoes (pairs). Now it's empty apart from the odd shoe. The shop side had the lab above with tons of scientific equipment like test-tubes and beakers, precision measuring and weighing machines, tons and tons of stuff. Gone now, all there is now is mould and trash.

As for high-schools, can you blame the kids for trashing them? I'd give 'em a medal.

Vicinity · 01 Jun 2015, 4:51 pm

blakjak · 01 Jun 2015, 4:53 pm

CafeCSK wrote:Kings didn't start out dropping burners...

Are you calling certain graffers a "King"? Please explain. (this will be good)

Unclehaggz · 01 Jun 2015, 6:43 pm

Interesting topic, and various views on display! I enjoy art and airbrushing, and can recognise good freehand art in the form of Aerosol's. Trouble is the mindless youth who think it's cool to emblazen their tag all over the place, I can see they wish to mark somewhere they've visited but why write it 30 times on one wall!

In my early airbrushing days, I would go to the dump and get old fridges/freezers/washing machines and use their panels to paint on, not practice on someones wall ! Ok I needed a compressor but the logistics would be a nightmare.

In my old hometown the Council would advertise places that were going to be pulled down and allow the Graffers to paint!! a lot more sense in that, than driving it underground and defacing/destroying any building that looks game. But who would expect a local government to allow/think of that here in Aus.

It seems ironic that the Powerhouse in Brisbane is used to showcase art and proudly uses tags/artwork/graffiti to make the appear "Arty - Kool - Hip" or whatever you'd like to call it. Sadly it portrays an image of it's ok for here (attracts money), however there are some pieces painted for the Pillar project (West End), absolute works of art! only allowed because Council want to make a shitty area look artistic! (my opinion)

As for Vandalism, well thats just mindless/idiotic teens with nothing better to do!

Just my 2c

UH

Vicinity · 01 Jun 2015, 9:41 pm

Unclehaggz · 01 Jun 2015, 10:09 pm

Would Sofles be classed as King? In my eyes he is awesome, I also admire GUS's work in Brisbane too. Sure there are more but they're the first that spring to mind.

Great insight CafeCSK !

Unlike mainstream artists there work goes unrecognised

UH

Vicinity · 01 Jun 2015, 11:44 pm

DFEX · 02 Jun 2015, 6:22 am

CafeCSK wrote:
blakjak wrote:
CafeCSK wrote:Kings didn't start out dropping burners...
Are you calling certain graffers a "King"? Please explain. (this will be good)
Sure I am, a writer who's constantly on top of their city (or several cities) with consistently good s*** is a king. Pretty much interchangeable with legend. Stay high was king, blade was king, dondi was king, seen was king.

Down in Melbourne you could argue who is and who isn't a king. Lush was (is?) considered king by come, same with sinch, nost could be considered a king of Melbourne right now.

Why would the concept of having kings within graff be controversial?

Cafe can i ask a few questions, how old are you and what is the source of your info or how did you learn the "lingo" (burners, kings etc)?

DFEX · 02 Jun 2015, 6:25 am

Unclehaggz wrote:

Unlike mainstream artists there work goes unrecognised

UH

Slowly but surely it is being excepted as art. Which is good because it takes a lot of money (good paint is expensive) and time to learn/perfect just like any other art form

blakjak · 02 Jun 2015, 7:51 am

CafeCSK wrote:Sure I am, a writer who's constantly on top of their city...

I know plenty of people in the graff scene and none of them have ever used the term 'king" to describe anybody. Funny stuff.
I'm guessing you're under 18yo and from Melbourne?

CafeCSK wrote:Why would the concept of having kings within graff be controversial?

No offense, but it's childish. If any of my mates called me king for doing something like a nice drawing or graff they'd get funny looks at least. You'd have to do way more than throw up a nice piece to be considered a king in our circle.

Either way, you have fun, call them whatever you want, we just talking here.

blakjak · 02 Jun 2015, 8:05 am

CafeCSK wrote:For sure sofles would be argued to be a king, some people say yes, some people say no so it really depends who you ask. Sofles is crazy talented, that much is certain!

BleH, most people with a brain grow out of graffiti when their balls drop. Some make money from it, others become very good signwriters etc, but most of them are just bored kids who like to show off, "ohh look at my graff ain't it so much better than the other stuff next to it??".
Don't get me wrong, we all probably did a bit of graff here an there (I sure did), but most of us gave that juvenile stuff up when we got a drivers license and gf.

Anyway, the OP was within his rights as this is what the UEGA Code of Conduct says about graff...

Graffiti/Tags/Vandalism:
UEGA has no tolerance for these things, regardless of the present state of a site. Members found to be involved in such activities may be banned permenantly from the forum. Signing of 'guestbooks' is also not encouraged.
We ask that members do not bring paint or markers when exploring, or attending meets.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2102

InvisibleElvis · 02 Jun 2015, 9:29 am

blakjak wrote:It's natural for most abandons to get discovered by the locals before the urbex community. This includes bored kids, copper strippers, junkies, lame graffers, and people just generally stealing everything not bolted down and breaking everything in sight.
No topside abandos stay pristine for long. The trick is to get in there before too much damage has been done, it's not easy, but you have to keep your sensors piqued.
When we first explored Dunlop/Slazenger there were tennis and squash balls everywhere, tennis racquets and cricket bats (mostly damaged), machinery to make these, kilns, and tons of shoes (pairs). Now it's empty apart from the odd shoe. The shop side had the lab above with tons of scientific equipment like test-tubes and beakers, precision measuring and weighing machines, tons and tons of stuff. Gone now, all there is now is mould and trash.

As for high-schools, can you blame the kids for trashing them? I'd give 'em a medal.

I guess you're right, it just saddens me to see an abandonment trashed like that. That sounds bloody awesome though, wish I'd got there sooner.

DFEX · 02 Jun 2015, 12:09 pm

blakjak wrote:I know plenty of people in the graff scene and none of them have ever used the term 'king" to describe anybody. Funny stuff.
I'm guessing you're under 18yo and from Melbourne?

No offense, but it's childish. If any of my mates called me king for doing something like a nice drawing or graff they'd get funny looks at least. You'd have to do way more than throw up a nice piece to be considered a king in our circle.

Hence my questions

Been writing for years, never heard it.. All city maybe (pretty obvious to work out - means your all over the city) but not kings. Burners are the people that do burner pieces (s*** hot pieces), combine them together = All city burner - but never heard king

No+Pro · 02 Jun 2015, 2:01 pm

I deleted this!

Vicinity · 02 Jun 2015, 5:00 pm

longnecksmasher · 02 Jun 2015, 6:28 pm

Kings have been around since the 60's-80's.

No+Pro · 02 Jun 2015, 8:11 pm

longnecksmasher wrote:Kings have been around since the 60's-80's.

depends on whether you believe yahoo answers, which reckons it's more like 2900BC

Rantallion · 02 Jun 2015, 9:03 pm

Tbh I don't understand people who damage sites ie breaking windows, throwing the contents of them everywhere, etc. Can't really see the justification for effing up the property of someone you don't know, or how it's even enticing.
The way buildings decay unassisted is really beautiful, and it's a s*** when the wrong people get access to these places.

As far as graffiti goes, I also don't understand people like Tubby. People who relentlessly tag and deface things, without the intention of improving their art, or creating something visually appealing. Tubby's biggest artistic achievement was probably graduating from shitty hand drawn stickers to shitty printed ones.
Magee's gorgeous Man Bites Dog piece in Dunlop got tagged over a few months back by some tard, and in a place like where that you have walls and walls to do s***, but you soil one of the nicest things in there? You're a little s***.

spigot · 02 Jun 2015, 11:39 pm

Trashers are the worst. I've heard some stories of them getting aggressive and almost violent towards explorers. Destruction really isn't something that gets me off, it's a foreign mindset for me. I don't mind most graff so much, but when there are holes in the walls, burnt out sections and constant ramp-ups of site security, it really gets me down.

Copper scabs are similarly opposed to the 'ethos' of exploration. I have an acquaintance who makes a living scabbing copper from buildings and dumpster diving for a living. While he does find the history a bit interesting and loves a good story, it's not going to stop him tearing off the walls when there's a quick buck to be made.

As blakjak said, locals tend to find them first and the gradual decay is unavoidable. I've done very few abandons that weren't totally trashed already. Keeping your eyes peeled is probably the only way.

blakjak · 03 Jun 2015, 12:38 am

It's usually drunk people, or junkies who have just had a shot.
And TBH the biggest vandals are the property custodians (owners, govt, etc) who allow their buildings to rot. How do you expect people to respect you property when you don't. And if it's just gonna get demolished there isn't much incentive to spend money to secure it.

As for graff, like most people I enjoy talented art, but only when it's on public property like along the train lines and beneath underpasses. The little cretins who bomb people's homes just cause problems.
The state govt should allow it at certain spots, proper murals, like for instance when there's trackwork along a certain section they should allow 'artists' in to decorate the walls. There are some legal walls, but none that are run by the govt.
There's a legal (with permission) graff wall on the back of an old Mobil garage (car-wash now) just up the road from my joint. Not sure how they organise it, but a piece stays up for about a month before it gets painted over. Nobody tags on 'em, and Lord help ya if you deface the memorial to a dead indigenous kid on the opposite wall.

Click >>> here <<< to see how it was in Dec 2007.

Click >>> here <<< to see how it was in Sept 2013 (half job).

Click >>> here <<< to see how it was in Oct 2013.

Click >>> here to view the mural on the side wall that has been there for around 2 years untagged (pity they leave the bins there).

DFEX · 03 Jun 2015, 6:15 am

blakjak wrote: There are some legal walls, but none that are run by the govt.

Not in Sydney anymore, mayb one or two if you can find them. Most councils went around and tore them down, one actually got torn down in front of me while i was halfway thru painting