Graffiti in Hong Kong : transgressive signs, inscriptions, art

Abstract

The primary focus of this dissertation is to examine how graffiti is emplaced in Hong Kong. Artifactual and contextual photographs have been collected of examples of graffiti and will be considered according to their place in the semiotic aggregate, the facets and foci of thirteen styles of graffiti, and as they represent the inscription site. Geosemiotics, defined as ‘signs in place’, will be utilized to analyze the transgressive nature of graffiti. Gestural routines are also studied as they relate to the body of the graffiti writer acting in space, inscribing place. The subsets of graffiti as it relates to urban and street art is weighed as well as the tools and means at its disposal. An understanding of Hong Kong’s situated cultural experience in negotiating meaning and contesting perception through inhabiting public space made cultural space will be sought in this dissertation. The way in which previous cultural understandings of rock-carving and inscription, as well as a study of the terms as used in Hong Kong can help to illuminate the background of graffiti as it has occurred within Hong Kong and China. Finally, a purposeful look at the active sight of the individual in coming to terms with the language systems in urban spaces can give a nuanced perception of how the material placement of graffiti challenges planned space and provides a ‘street-wise’ aesthetic.