Writing the Memory of the City

Writing the Memory of the City

34,90  20,00 

Writing the Memory of the City
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“I roamed the streets by night, making my usual rounds with a bag full of paints. But the style-writing of the 80s didn’t work for me quite so well any more. […] My writing, at least the kind I used to do, just didn’t fit any more. It was like a jacket that had become too small for me.“ BUS126

In 2007 Markus Mai and Thomas Wiczak invited 18 other artists with a background in graffitiwriting to join their concept book ”Writing the Memory of the City”. Every participant presents own, individual ways of letting their past of writing graffiti (for often more than 20 or even 25 years) influence their works nowadays.

The full list of featured artists reads like a who-is-who of avant-garde stylewriting even today, years after it’s release. Featured artists: Daniel Tagno (✝), BROM, TRY ONE, NICK, Christian Schellenberger, Thomas Wiczak, SPAIR, Matthias Wermke, Donwood Bricks, Wilhlem Klotzek, AKIM ONE, P. Vector Codierer, BUS126, Konrad Mühe and Thomas Bratzke. With essays by MARE139, SKKI, Peter Osten, Stefan Micheel and Meira Ahmemulic.

As unique as the artists movement away from traditional writing is, as diverse are their ways of presenting new forms of expression, always connected to their roots. The reader does not only get the chance to follow them through photographic documentation of their works (AKIM, Konrad Mühe, etc.), but also is invited to join their often emotional and reflective thoughts and ideas on their creations (Wilhelm Klotzek, TRY ONE, etc.).

In addition to texts and photographs “Writing the Memory of the City” also consists of paperworks. The sketches of writers like NICK, BROM and Christian Schellenberger are shown as equal artworks. Often texts, photographs and sketches are even connected as for example in BUS126s chapter. He explains how the often floral structures and organic outlines he uses, became part of his artworks after a process of letter-building in wild nature.

The importance the book had and still has, not only in the Berlin graffiti scene, lead us to the idea of interviewing it’s authors. Read the interview here.

***The German version is sold out.***

232 pages, 19,8 x 24,5 cm, Softcover
Language: English
Release date: 2007
Publisher: Dokument Press

In stock

Additional information

Weight 722 g
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