Graffiti art with consent banned in Nottingham
councilkicker | 10.02.2010 01:55 | Culture | Repression
The local council has banned youth clubs from hosting legal graffiti art walls in the latest attack on the basic right of freedom of expression. A petition has been launched against this draconian assault, and further action may follow.
According to this article from the local corporate paper:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Council-insane-banning-graffiti-sites/article-1814066-detail/article.html
the local council has banned youth clubs from operating 'large scale' legal graffiti art sites. Those affected will reportedly be The Arches, Russell Youth Club and St Ann's Adventure Playground. It is not specified in the article what law or procedure has been used to do this. The alleged ground is that legal graffiti encourages illegal graffiti or gives an appearance of neglect (so-called 'broken windows' or 'zero tolerance' theory).
The Arches is reportedly privately owned, so the restriction is not simply an instruction to council-owned sites. It is unclear from the reporting if it applies to other outdoor sites, how extensive 'large-scale' has to be to fall foul of it, whether indoor displays at art galleries are now illegal, or how the distinction is drawn between graffiti art and other forms of art.
A petition against the move has been set up at Montana art store, and can also be signed virtually at
Store@montanashopnottingham.com or dilk@montanashopnottingham.com
Updates would be useful on the nature and scope of the move and whether the move is open to legal challenge.
It can also be speculated that people angry with the move, unconnected to the other two options, may attempt to redecorate council-related targets. It will be interesting to see if anything of this kind emerges in the next few months.
If the measure applies mainly to youth clubs, it would be interesting to see local autonomous spaces set up their own public graffiti walls in defiance of the assault.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Council-insane-banning-graffiti-sites/article-1814066-detail/article.html the local council has banned youth clubs from operating 'large scale' legal graffiti art sites. Those affected will reportedly be The Arches, Russell Youth Club and St Ann's Adventure Playground. It is not specified in the article what law or procedure has been used to do this. The alleged ground is that legal graffiti encourages illegal graffiti or gives an appearance of neglect (so-called 'broken windows' or 'zero tolerance' theory).
The Arches is reportedly privately owned, so the restriction is not simply an instruction to council-owned sites. It is unclear from the reporting if it applies to other outdoor sites, how extensive 'large-scale' has to be to fall foul of it, whether indoor displays at art galleries are now illegal, or how the distinction is drawn between graffiti art and other forms of art.
A petition against the move has been set up at Montana art store, and can also be signed virtually at
Store@montanashopnottingham.com or dilk@montanashopnottingham.com Updates would be useful on the nature and scope of the move and whether the move is open to legal challenge.
It can also be speculated that people angry with the move, unconnected to the other two options, may attempt to redecorate council-related targets. It will be interesting to see if anything of this kind emerges in the next few months.
If the measure applies mainly to youth clubs, it would be interesting to see local autonomous spaces set up their own public graffiti walls in defiance of the assault.
councilkicker
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