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FeaturesYou are in: Suffolk > Community > Features > The questionable art of graffiti The questionable art of graffitiBy Wendy Rose With the worldwide success of street artist Banksy, the worth of graffiti is often discussed in the news. But on a local level, is graffiti valued in Suffolk or is it considered an eyesore? Having arrived in Ipswich from the Midlands, and as a fan of street art, I thought I would take a look at the local graffiti. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Suffolk presenter Rob Dunger pointed me in the direction of the railway station and a couple of lovely murals by the riverside near Ranelagh Road, just opposite Centrum residential area. One is brightly coloured and the other is more in keeping with the natural habitat. The brightly coloured mural was created by Creative Space International, who are based in Norwich, and were commissioned by Ipswich Borough Council's Environment Department.  River Orwell, Ipswich It was thought that the river wall had become an eyesore with unpleasant looking scribbles. So together they organised a community arts project that took place in August and September 2007 with local youth clubs. Creative Space International's website states that their artwork "brightens up dreary looking shops" and places in general. By brightening the area up the council hopes to improve the local housing market. Beautiful or beastly?I asked a few passerbys what they thought of the murals. The first person I spoke to was a wildlife fanatic. With his binoculars around his neck, he said "Not a lot can be done about it really, Ipswich is a bad place to live for all the graffiti". The second person thought that it looked great. "I love it, it's good I think, makes it more interesting on the path."  I asked another what he thought the residents would think and he said that they didn't have much choice! On speaking to a friend who looked around one of the apartments overlooking the murals, with a view to renting it, he told me he didn't like the idea of sitting on the balcony looking at the graffiti. Unaware that it had been commissioned, workmen maintaining CCTV that overlooks the graffiti, thought that if the cameras had caught the ‘artists’ at work then the council would have done something about it. Offensive or racialBesides these two huge murals in Ipswich there seems to be quite a lot of random graffiti pieces. Some of them are simple and plain, some of them are verging on offensive - not just with words but in nature too. This sort of graffiti has been recently removed from St Lawrence's churchyard. This work is carried out by a council graffiti team called Streetcare. Vandalism is a crime and according to the police-backed newsletter Cutting Ipswich Crime, graffitiÌý "increases the fear of crime", but how about if it's brightly coloured and worthy of being considered art? Murals in Kesgrave subwaysIn Kesgrave, school children have been painting murals over existing graffiti in a couple of subways.Ìý Kirk Jackson, Student Support Officer at Kesgrave High School, organised the project in 2007 after being approached by local people and the police.  Green monster by Kesgrave High School Mr Jackson said the children benefited by practising their artistic and team work skills:Ìý "They also enjoyed it immensely and it was a good way for them to express themselves". It's thought the murals have been well received by the locals because it has made walking through the subways a pleasant experience rather than one of fear. The murals have been finished with a special coating which means that any unpleasant graffiti now displayed can be cleaned off. The worth of graffitiBanksy has painted murals worldwide and has annoyed some London councils. Tower Hamlets has threatened to remove any graffiti by Banksy that appears without prior permission. Hackney has removed his work from Gillet Square.  Banksy's Balloon Girl In Islington, a workman has been seen removing additional graffiti from a Banksy mural "Tate Gallery" at least five times.Ìý People come from miles around to see a Banksy creation and some locals are passionate and proud of the work Banksy has given them. Housing marketWhen the owners of 21 Milvart Street in Bristol tried to sell their house, they learnt that the prospective owners would remove the piece of work that Banksy had painted down one side.Ìý They decided to sell the artwork instead and listed it with a Devon gallery as "a mural with house attached'.Ìý Ironically, the piece was later destroyed by graffiti in the form of red paint and had to be withdrawn from sale. I realise that Banksy is in the minority when it comes to fantastic street art. But I believe that the law deters future artists and they are robbed of this kind of exposure. Should censorship be part of a democratic society?  Sunflowers on house in Stevenage Artist Gordana Bjelic-Rados painted a sunflower mural on her house in Stevenage. At first she received some unfriendly reviews, but it's become accepted and even a landmark. The pilots landing at Luton are known to fly low so that passengers can view it. I love the idea of it being a modern day landmark akin to the White Horse of Uffington or Cerne Abbas giant. Art or vandalismIt seems to me that the question of graffiti being art or vandalism is based on what we value as a society and how we respond to each others diverse needs. By erasing a form of self-expression we are leaving ourselves open to a world of bland urbaness. Melbourne, Australia found itself in this predicament when they staged the Commonwealth Games in 2006. All the graffiti in the city's subways, which some say gave them a sense of identity, were covered with grey paint and then covered in billboards advertising commercial organisations such as McDonalds. The 2012 Olympic games are being held partly in Hackney - the council that removed Banksy's work. last updated: 13/06/2008 at 10:05 Have Your SayIs it art or vandalism? Is removing it a form of censorship?
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