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The fish are biting in the Nepean River PAGE 15
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APRIL 13 2012 ISSUE 1048
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT CIRCULATION: 59,400
THE HEARTBEAT OF PENRITH
Great graffiti debate Art or vandalism? A question that may never be answered EMILY CRANE
L
ocal MPs claim it is a blight on community pride, while artists believe it is a chance to beautify the surroundings. Regardless of your opinion, it is safe to say the term ‘graffi ti’ is a touchy subject. The State Government recently stepped up its campaign on the “war on graffi ti vandals” by introducing the graffi ti hotline, whereby people can report signs of graffi ti so it can be removed. But local artists, including owner of Advanced Airbrush Wayne Harrison, say it is a common misconception that graffi ti is vandalism. “Even painting under a bridge can be done in a nice way to beautify an otherwise bare wall,” Mr Harrison said. “Sometimes the artwork may not be appropriate to that particular area, so people just see it as vandalism, but it is just artwork that hasn’t been thought out enough.” Mr Harrison said the former Mulgoa Labor MP, Diane Beamer, commissioned his business a few years ago to paint roller doors along Queen Street in St Marys in a bid to deter vandals. “We did a heap of shop fronts and it has been quite successful in that there has been no vandalism on those shops in the past few years,” he said. “Diane Beamer got it started and she believed it could work, but now it hasn’t been followed through with.” Londonderry MP, Bart Bassett, said those who deface property might like to consider themselves artists, but they are just vandals with little respect for property. “By getting rid of the unsightly rubbish quickly, we hope to discourage vandals by denying them the notoriety they crave,” Mr Bassett said. While Mr Harrison agreed that those who tag trains and private property were in fact vandals, he said more needs to be done to support young people.
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LOCAL ARTIST AND OWNER OF ADVANCED AIRBRUSH, WAYNE HARRISON. PHOTO: MELINDA JENKINS
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