Saturday, October 22, 2011

Pavement Graffiti May be a Joy for Brompton Riders and Other Cyclists

Look what I found right in front of my door when I left  for a bicycle tour the other day:




Is she not saying:  "I love you all!"? 


A Brompton rider and any other cyclist have quite naturally their eyes directed to the pavement.  They have this leaning in common with pedestrians.  No wonder that bikers and pedestrians share  a very special kind of  artistic awareness:  They perceive pavement graffiti earlier and  more intensively  than anyone else.  Granted, the opinions on graffiti in public places are divided - and I agree with those of you who get angry when they see these senseless sprayings that are nothing more than vandalism.  
But quite different are these pavement graffiti by kids.


Here is one more, also by a kid of the Max-Born-Strasse in Bonn:



He seems to be saying:  "Look, I am a boy, and I  have already grown big!"
And a long time before he has really grown big, the rain will have washed his graffiti off, which is another reason why this kind of pavement drawing is so harmless and enjoyable.


But did you know that you can also use water in order to create a pavement graffiti that vanishes soon?  It is done on purpose with water, and with deep philosophical meaning.  Here is an example of  this kind of graffiti by a dedicated Chinese calligrapher: 


This text reads in Chinese Pinyin transcription:
  "nong mo piao xiang"
English translation:  Thick ink releases and spreads a pleasant smell
A teacher from the Helmholtz Gymnasium in Bonn saw it on her trip with students to China in April this year. So this picture was taken.


A variant of this kind of water graffiti practised in China was shown at this year`s design competition in Beijing: A tricycle is used as a calligraphy writing machine.  Click the following site and enjoy this unusual way of publishing poetry:  nicholas-hanna-water-calligraphy-device-at-beijing-design-week