Brigid Allan

Contemporary Theory Assignment 2

23rd August, 2013

What is the importance of Graffiti and Tagging in an

urban environment that has experienced a natural

disaster and looking to regenerate?

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‘arborescent structures, which resemble a ‘tree’, are only atemporary crystallization of an ongoing rhizomatic process…Indeed,the rhizome moves; it is fast but it can also slow down, evenbecoming static, acquiring ‘roots’ and resembling tree-likestructures. Yet, it is its desire to move that makes the rhizomeconstantly unsettled, unpredictable and heterogeneous. So therhizome is not the opposite of the tree; it exists alongside it andsometimes because of it.’ (Daskalaki and Mould, 2013, p.7)

On 22nd February 2011, Christchurch and its’ people experienced a

devastating earthquake, causing damage both psychologically and

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economically, the structural shift from previously worn paths

culturally engrained in Christchurch’s identity, was to one of

disorientation and devastation.

Now as the city tries to regenerate amidst the rubble, creative

industries appear to be leading the way. Here I ask, what is the

importance of graffiti and tagging in an urban environment that has

experienced a natural disaster and is looking to grow? For the

scope of this research essay the focus will be on Deleuze and

Guattari’s ontological theories of the rhizome. Via more tangible

means my intention is to better understand the interactive

relationship between rhizomic and arborescent systems, aiming to use

the current production and movement of graffiti and art, post-

earthquake, in Christchurch’s central business district (CBD) as a

working example.

Where past academic writing on graffiti has been based on the

illicit nature of this form of expression, potential criminal

undercurrents or as Halsey (2006) states the ‘ matters of desire,

pleasure and vision in the act of illicit writing’ (p.276), I intend

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to place my focus foremost on the connections, movement and flow of

graffiti as rhizome.

In order to observe graffiti as a living example of the rhizome the

scene will need to be set. Firstly, I will briefly define Deleuze

and Guatarri’s(1987) ‘approximate characteristics’ (p.7) of

rhizomic and arboresent systems. Secondly, superimposing these

ontological theories onto pre-earthquake and post-earthquake

graffiti/art in Christchurch (maintaining an open approach, as these

working examples may shift).While using current examples of art with

in Christchurch’s CBD, the key intention is to highlight any

possible shifts, a cross-pollination between graffiti art and

established contemporary artists, observing these through a change

in the defining characteristics of graffiti as rhizome. Furthermore,

looking for Daskalaki and Mould’s(2013) ‘temporary crystallization’

(p.7) between rhizomatic processes and arborescent structures, I aim

to distinguish whether graffiti, in current Christchurch, still

possesses the characteristics of the rhizome or rather, is it

tagging, as graffiti obtains global presence from the margin?

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Finally, observing the impact this has on the art world of

Christchurch, questioning if there is a change in the way it is both

viewed and interacted with (commodification of subculture,

arborizing of graffiti).

Rhizome

In 1963 Carl G. Jung highlighted the rhizome as an ontological

concept. Biologically, the rhizome is an underground stem with

horizontal growth; it is neither root, nor radicle, the rhizome’s

structure is one of bulbs and tubers (Deleuze, Guattari, 1987, p.

6).

‘Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its

rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. The

part that appears above the ground lasts only a single

summer...What we see is blossom, which passes. The rhizome

remains.’

(as cited in Daskalaki and Mould, 2012.p.7)

Further developed by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s in A

Thousand Plateau’s, 1987, the workings and form of the rhizome play an

integral role in the building of strata and assemblages of

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experience and life, made up of ‘complexes of lines’ (p. 505) they

propose three ‘states’; arboresecent, rhizomic and lines of flight.

The arborescent line is homogeneous, defined as a root-tree system;

it is a characterised as a singular line that proceeds in one

direction, ‘the line is subordinated to the point’ (Deleuze and

Guattari, 1987. p.505), this centralised system takes root in

identity, order and hierarchy. The ‘arborescent system pre-exists

the individual who is integrated into it at an allotted space’

(Deleuze and Guatarri, p.16, 1987), this system promotes increase of

value (significance) and singularity (subjectification). The

arborescent system, Halsey and Young (2006) state is marked by

‘striated spaces-whose archetype is a city’ (p.295), with cities we

encounter order, boundaries and established codes of behaviour

predetermined by governing bodies.

Acentered, the rhizome occupies smooth space, with ‘multiple entry

ways’ (Deleuze and Guattari, (1987), p.12) the rhizome has neither a

beginning nor ending, in a continual state of ‘becoming’, Deleuze

and Guattari (1987) state, it remains in the ‘middle of which it

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grows’ (p.21). Resisting any organisational structure the rhizome

occupies all dimensions, heterogeneous and anomalous it is neither

divisible by one or the multiple (ibid). Deleuze and Guattari (1987)

states the rhizome is, ‘A map and not a tracing’, ‘open and

connectable on all dimensions’(p.12).

Christchurch CBD as Arborescent

In February 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake impacted the New Zealand

city of Christchurch and in its wake 181 official fatalities

(Vervaeck, Daniell, 2011). Followed by thousands of strong tremors,

aftershocks and earthquakes, the people of Christchurch and their

city were in disarray. Summarized by CERA (2013), ‘Out of the more

than 1100 buildings damaged by the earthquakes within the four

avenues of the Christchurch CBD, there are now only 67 remaining, or

just six per cent, that require full or partial demolition’

(para.6). Closed until further notice, the CBD took with it the Arts

Centre, The Christchurch City Gallery, The Centre of Contemporary

Art (COCA), The Cathedral Square, the Court Theatre and a number of

leading Contemporary Art Galleries.

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Fig.1

Cathedral of blessed Sacrament, Christchurch (Christchurch Basilica)

Prior to the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, the CBD contained many

‘points’ of significance (Fig.1). The Cathedral square (Fig.2), Wood

(2013) states is a ‘symbolically highly charged place, a focal

point’ (para. 2), the well-worn paths between these points and the

points themselves, were key contributors to the identity of

Christchurch. Orientating yourself around the CBD and its’

attractions,

Fig.2

Christchurch Cathedral, Christchurch

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you are either behind or in front of each point of significance,

Halsey and Young (2006) describe this singular line as, ‘being on

the path, being on the molar line of the tourist walk, reduced the

value of the experience to a single point’ (p.5).

Experiencing the Rhizome (post-earthquake)

Deleuze and Guattari (1987) explain that, ‘the first aspect of the

haptic, smooth space of close vision is that its orientations,

landmarks, and linkages are in continuous variation; it operates

step by step’ (p. 493). As iconic structures are demolished, the

previously known CBD becomes difficult to re-trace. The rupture in

architecture and proliferation of vacant space disorients you; the

pedestrian’s relationship with the CBD is now exploratory. Cupples

(2011) states, ‘we are forced to interact with our familiar

environment in unfamiliar ways’ (p.337), the previously striated

space defined by icons no longer exists, anomalous, exploratory and

open, all characteristics of the smooth space of the rhizome.

Sounding like an industrial work site the entire CBD takes on a

feeling of temporality. Graffiti; tagging (a), throw-ups (b), paste-

ups (c), stencils, pieces (d), murals (e), stay-ups (f) and gap

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filler projects (g), all can be seen throughout the CBD and by no

means confined to the streets and alley ways.

a b

c

d

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e

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f

g

‘To be sure, many - indeed the majority – may not like the

various aspects of the possible world literally drawn and

inhabited by illicit writers. But such a dislike does not negate

the fact that this other has the potential to point to

alternative ways of engaging urban surfaces, moving through

particular spaces, drawing particular issues to our attention.’

(Halsey, Wollan and Woodcock, 2006, p.299)

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Irrespective of whether you like or dislike the proliferation of

marks on the city, you are challenged on some level to acknowledge

the surface that has been painted, transforming the city into an

interactive space. Observing the marks, you engage with the surface

recognising them as something other than the wall, here these small

haeccities offer a continual transformation of these surfaces. ‘It

is a space of affects, more than one of properties’ (as cited in

Halsey, 2007. p.5). Engaging the in between spaces, graffiti

encourages these otherwise vacant spaces to be seen and experienced.

Halsey (2007) states smooth space ‘is a space characterised by

experimentation and limitless movement or journeys’ (p.5). Spray

paint litters the walls, this constant communication is not just

graffiti or tagging, these marks come from road workers, builders

and engineers marking unsafe

buildings, directions and even

instructions (Fig.3).

Fig.3

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With this proliferation of empty spaces and walls it becomes

difficult to decipher the difference between art and earthquake,

graffiti and commissioned art, roadwork signs and tagging,

demolition sites begin to look creative and artistic. These

heterogeneous connections promote deterritorialization, where

Deleuze and Guattari state, it’s function ‘is the operation of the

line of flight’ (p.508).

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Fig.4 I seem to have temporarily Fig. 5 Unknown artist,graffiti/piece

misplaced my sense of humour (2012), Wayne Youle

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Fig.6 Unknown, Graffiti/tag Fig.7 Unknown artist,

graffiti/ tagging

When looking closely and experiencing the streets,

it is not the overarching umbrella of graffiti that sits between the

gaps interconnecting, experimenting and becoming. It is the

unfettered, illicit, heterogeneous, unbound act of tagging that

propagates the smooth space of the rhizome. Walking through the

streets of inner city Christchurch, similarities are seen between

the production of tagging and Munday’s (2012) description of the

rhizome; likened to grass with its’ ‘peculiar resistance to

destruction’ the rhizome growth pattern is described as a

‘gapfiller’, taking flight at the outside edges, ‘It may be

obliterated in one place but simply grows up again elsewhere’ (p.

51).

Demanding observation, graffiti pieces require time, skill and a

good surface to execute the image on, where tagging in comparison is

more ephemeral, openly connecting with whatever is available.

Drawing attention on the spatial context of Christchurch, post-

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earthquake, graffiti sends its’ messages of regeneration loud and

clear from this historically colonial setting.

A Captive Audience

Blundell (2013) highlights that in Christchurch, ‘Today, works by

established artists such as Richard Killeen, Mark Braunias, Wayne

Youle (Fig.4, e) and Ash Keating (fig.9) share street space with a

proliferation of graffiti art, paste-ups and stencils.’(p.24).

Here arborescent structures take a line of flight back to the

rhizome, the focus has shifted.

Fig.9 Concrete Propositions, Ash Keating 2011

Fig.10 Contacts, Dick Frizell, 2012, Fig.11 Here are the people and there is the Steeple,

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(Christchurch Art Gallery)Kay Rosen, 2012 (Christchurch Art Gallery)

Capitalising on previous models of creative innovations for urban

regeneration (Syben, 2011, p33), Christchurch Art Gallery begins to

inhabit vacant lots around the city (Fig.4) (Fig.9) (Fig.10)

(Fig.11).

Cashel Street Mall

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As you walk through the new Cashel Street Mall there is an exciting

upbeat feel of creativity, graffiti murals (Fig.12) (Fig.13) (Fig.

14) painted on the sides for freight containers and nestled in

amongst the shops, all aiding its’ haphazard, edgy appearance that

invites exploration.

Fig. 12 Graffiti/mural, Unknown artist, 2012, Cashel street mall

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Fig.13 Wongi, 2012 , Cashel street mall Graffiti/piece

Fig.14 Rachael Delwhirst, 2012, Resene art in the streets SCAPE, Christchurch

Cashel street mall mural

‘Translating the map into an image’ ( Deleuze and Guattari, 1987,

p. 13)

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The advocating and publication of graffiti with in Christchurch’s

CBD during this time of transformation, alongside Graffiti’s

historical presence of edgy creativity and Urban growth during

adversity, is an ideal ‘model’ for Turner’s(2000) ‘producing the

self for export’ (p.218). Here graffiti, despite its apparent

existence on the periphery of the ‘marketplace’ as a rhizome, has an

established ‘virtual’ presence in the global marketplace (Turner,

2000 p. 219). Broadly speaking, graffiti as a representation, has

become a model behaviour for this type of urban regeneration

project, this experimental creativity Syben (2011) shows, has

‘social and economic benefits’ (p.35). Furthermore, Daskalaki and

Mould (2013) state that homogeneous city/urban structures of control

marginalise the likes of graffiti by identifying them as

subcultures, in turn capitalising on identities for profitable gain

(p.14.).

‘We must remind ourselves that the two spaces in fact exist only in

mixture: smooth space is constantly being translated, transversed

into a striated space; striated space is constantly being reversed,

returned into a smooth space.’(Deleuze and Guattari, 1987, p.474)

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Graffiti/ Tagging Graffiti/Pieces

Murals/Gapfillers/OuterSpaces

Surface:

open, heterogeneous,

tagging makes nodistinctions

between surfaces

Surface:

generally needslarge/med

size surface

Surface:

specific siterequired

‘subordinated to thepoint’

Approach:

anomalous, illegal

generally improvised

Approach:

some preplanned

Illegal and legal,

small numbercommissioned

Approach:

preplanned andfunded,

or commissioned

legal

Space:

periphery gap filler

smooth

Space:

both periphery andcentral

Smooth and striated

Space:

significant centralposition

striated

no skill required generally self-taught

educated in art orprofessional

Table 1 Characteristics Table

Despite established artists using graffiti as a model for their art,

the structure of Christchurch as abor has not changed too much,

within the spatial context of the CBD’s building zone, it may appear

exploratory, however disguised, these organised art projects still

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remain relatively molar, in their approach and appearance, affirming

this Munday (2012) states, ‘that a rhizome’s movements cannot be

pinned down and controlled by discursive power structures’ (p.52).

As the large commissioned murals appear to be bridging closer to

graffiti as rhizome there are several key aspects which help them

maintain their arborescent structure (table 1). Likewise, graffiti

pieces give the appearance of the rhizome, however when you look

closer (table.1), you can see it too possesses likeness to

arborescence and this is possibly where they meet.

‘Massumi writes that affect is akin to the ‘the ways in which the

body can connect with itself and with the world.’(as cited in Halsey

and Young, 2006, p.277). The key is in the experience, here, the

arborescent movement of graffiti, murals and gapfillers, would not

be the same without the more ephemeral effect of tagging as rhizome.

Pushing through on all dimensions, tagging remains in the middle,

making connections between all manners of art it leads you on a

journey, engaging in the surfaces you become immersed ‘in the

middle’ of all these potentials, experiencing the rhizome. However,

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it does not stop there, so too is it a matter of perspective, multi-

dimensional, this system as a whole may also take on ontological

structure of arborescence thus, suggesting rhizome and arbor feed

into each other simultaneously. Firstly, Christchurch’s loss of

striated space could be viewed by the rhizome as an opening,

therefore becoming flooded by the rhizome. Secondly, this engagement

of space (negative or positive) could be viewed as an opening to the

aborescent city, in order to regain its structure it needs activity,

(as roots do not come from nothing) rather than fighting, it uses

the ‘becoming’ of the rhizome to aid it. The other option would be

detrimental on a number of levels, socially, politically, creatively

and psychologically. Rather, the rhizome through its lines of flight

engages as much as it is able, activating the vacant spaces. And

here Deleuze and Guattari (1987) write, ‘There are knots of

arborescence in rhizomes and rhizomatic offshoots in roots’ (p.12)

And so to conclude, superimposing rhizomic and arborescent systems

on to the growth and movement of graffiti/tagging successfully

highlights the importance of experimental graffiti/tagging in the

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spatial context of post-earthquake, Christchurch. Firstly, with a

loss of arborescent structure with in the city, the rhizomatic

characteristics of the more formal graffiti pieces aids established

artists to use graffiti as a model for growth. Secondly, tagging’s

ability to engage and activate vacant space, encourages connections

as rhizome, promoting growth and regeneration. Furthermore, the

shift from striated to smooth space disorientates, resulting in

feelings of the unfamiliar in previously known areas. The role of

art here is one of affect, exploration. Finally the impact of this

creative urban regeneration (legal or illegal) on the art world in

Christchurch appears to be one of growth and experimentation,

pushing past old boundaries.

References

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http://cera.govt.nz/news/2013/christchurch-cbd-construction-ramps-up-23-may-2013

Cupples, J., (2012). Boundary crossing and new striations: when disaster hits a neoliberalising campus. Transactions of the Institute of

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Doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01198.x

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Dovey, K., Wollan, S., & Woodcock, I., (2009). Graffiti and Urban Character, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia: Retrieved from http://soac.fbe.unsw.edu.au/2009/PDF/Dovey%20Kim_Wollan%20Simon_Woodcock%20Ian.pdf

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Doi: 10.1111/j.1467.9757.2012.00842.x

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http://www.geog.canterbury.ac.nz/postgrad/420papers/2012/W_Syben_Geography_420_Research_Dissertation[1].pdf

Turner, S. (2000).Colonialism Continued: producing the self for export, p218-228, Race, Colour and Identity in Australia and New Zealand, Ed. John Docker, Gerhard Fischer, UNSW Press, 2000

Vervaeck, A., & Daniell, J. (2011, May 09). Christchurch Earthquake:List of deceased Persons.

Retrieved from http://earthquake-report.com/2011/03/08/christchurch-earthquake-list-of-the-deceaced-persons/

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