Yes goat, why wouldn't I?

In the end none of us own the buildings we are " breaking into " so who really gives a flying fuck what goes on inside.

Real graffiti artists have an unwritten code of conduct. Basically, it boils down to limiting their canvas to anything that serves no cosmetic purpose and is not active or actively maintained (with the exception of bridges and trains, for some reason).

At least that's my understanding.

sirpsychosexy:

I just think it's kind of ridiculous to call pieces of that caliber “unreadable scribbles” and the term “a nice wall” is very debatable. I agree with you in the sense some graffiti shouldn't be in certain places (ie: old churches, major historical spots, and etc.) But a majority of these artists, and yes I said artists, tend to have a little discretion when putting up their work, just like the ones you mentioned.

In hindsight I realize you are entitled to your own opinion and distaste for the stuff. So please tell me to fuck off

I've come to accept the fact that taggers are always gonna do their thing. It still irks me to see beautiful places get trashed with stupid spraypainted dicks and whatnot. Certainly the ones who create amazing spraypainted masterpieces irk me less.

Goat, I understand that you like it and feel offended by what I said so sorry for that! The point is, I see no beauty in it AND it ruins the places I adore 90% of the time. I'm a sucker for natural decay and every drop of spray paint automatically ruins that. But I do agree that in some places it isn't as bad as others. The place I posted is one of the very few exceptions in my book where it does add to the location. But just as Mike said, none of us own these buildings so the only thing I can do is being grumpy about it on the internet.

Here in Holland more and more walls appear where one can legally paint. Thank god for that. These guys need a place to practise their hobby too, just not on my muses pretty please.

Just cut from a different cloth I see! That's alright, different strokes for different folks.

Although imagining all the abandonments I've seen completely untouched by unwanted paint, admittedly, does feel better on the eyes.

A tagger gets caught, and it is indeed funny. NSFW!

http://www.livelea...w?i=6e1_1418179360

Posted by Mike Dijital In the end none of us own the buildings we are " breaking into " so who really gives a flying fuck what goes on inside.

True. I don't ever break into abandoned buildings, but I do sometimes lure people inside to murder them. Don't hear any complaining about that.

Posted by Steed True. I don't ever break into abandoned buildings, but I do sometimes lure people inside to murder them. Don't hear any complaining about that.

Well, something something dead men tell no tails...

Posted by Steed True. I don't ever break into abandoned buildings, but I do sometimes lure people inside to murder them. Don't hear any complaining about that.

lol, I should have clarified

In my state ( Massachusetts ) there can be no door on the hinges, all the windows wide open and a gaping hole in the side of the building, the minute you cross the threshold from being outside to inside, the law here states its " breaking and entering "

Outside is trespassing, inside is felony B and E.. doesnt matter how you got in

One thing you definitely don't have to worry about is graffiti artists 90% of the time not being dangerous. I know quite a few, and most artists love it when you walk in on them. As long as you aren't a cop of course haha. Like in the OP, most artists won't want their faces video taped or photographed, since anonymity is key in the graffiti world, so as long as you aren't mean to them or try to get their faces, they'll usually be pleasant people; hesitant and wary at first, but mostly pleasant. As for "taggers," tagging is an art form all on its own. There's a whole culture revolving around hand styles. Many will probably think of penises or swastikas, but that's just naive children who think they are cool for writing on a wall. Albeit distasteful in a lot of situations, tagging isn't entirely without its artistic qualities. Most true graffiti artists have a code of what they will and will not paint, and most of the time, they leave out business and other places that demand respect. There's always the exception dickhead toy who ruins it all for graffiti artists worldwide though.

Posted by Mike Dijital lol, I should have clarified In my state ( Massachusetts ) there can be no door on the hinges, all the windows wide open and a gaping hole in the side of the building, the minute you cross the threshold from being outside to inside, the law here states its " breaking and entering " Outside is trespassing, inside is felony B and E.. doesnt matter how you got in

Dat's sofa king we Todd it!

Posted by djbluejay As for "taggers," tagging is an art form all on its own. There's a whole culture revolving around hand styles.

I'm with ya…

http://vimeo.com/44891425

I'll leave this here for y'all.

http://www.livelea...w?i=e71_1422121329

http://www.livelea...w?i=b91_1395695516

That's not funny, it's police brutality.

Posted by Mike Dijital In the end none of us own the buildings we are " breaking into " so who really gives a flying fuck what goes on inside.

Exactly. People whine and complain, but in the end, you can't do much about it other than not share locations. Artists and taggers are going to find the place eventually on their own when they see photos on Instagram/Flickr/Facebook/etc anyway. So you might as well share spots with other explorers and try to make it difficult to find information publicly.

Posted by Ganesha That's not funny, it's police brutality.

Agreed.

Posted by Mike Dijital lol, I should have clarified In my state ( Massachusetts ) there can be no door on the hinges, all the windows wide open and a gaping hole in the side of the building, the minute you cross the threshold from being outside to inside, the law here states its " breaking and entering " Outside is trespassing, inside is felony B and E.. doesnt matter how you got in

That's interesting because my friend recently got caught on a rooftop in VA and his trespassing charge was dismissed because he had a gopro video of them walking into the unlocked building and climbing up onto the unlocked roof. The following day he went back to take photos (from the outside of the building) and there weren't any "no trespassing" signs. He got his charge easily dismissed without even contacting a lawyer.

(I'm not sure if that's actually the law in VA, but it worked flawlessly for him)

Posted by JasonJacksonPhoto That's interesting because my friend recently got caught on a rooftop in VA and his trespassing charge was dismissed because he had a gopro video of them walking into the unlocked building and climbing up onto the unlocked roof. The following day he went back to take photos (from the outside of the building) and there weren't any "no trespassing" signs. He got his charge easily dismissed without even contacting a lawyer. (I'm not sure if that's actually the law in VA, but it worked flawlessly for him)

The law that Mike is referring to is specific to MA. In all other states, as far as I know, trespassing and B&E are two completely different things. Honestly, I suspect that even in MA, in practice, they probably don't charge people with B&E unless they actually broke something or had B&E tools on them. So I would consider this MA law a legal nuance that's good to be aware of in MA, but, in practice, largely irrelevant to what we do.

EDIT:

And I guess I'll add my two cents on the whole graffiti topic. While I can appreciate the artistic skill of a good graffiti artist, if you're a property owner, you really don't care how artistic the graffiti is, you just care that people are damaging your property. Additionally, as a person who appreciates the history of these places, I also don't really care how good the graffiti is - I'm more more concerned with the damage being done to a historic site.

Graffiti, of any kind, harms the location itself, as well as harming the ability of others to access and enjoy the place.

Just my opinion.

Few days ago i passed by a guy who was drawing something near half-abandoned factory. He was not alone, on the other side of street there was a girl, standing and watching around. When i came closer, guy quickly put spray can in his bag and they both went away. Drawing was unfinished. I wish i could say "hey, i'm not going to call police, keep on drawing, it's OK to add a little color to this gray area" or whatsoever but i avoid talking with strangers in my area, since it's the straightest way how to get into trouble.