A Wall of Many Opinions

This month Bruce Tomb's graffiti documentation is one of four solo exhibits at Southern Exposure. His site, www.deappropriationproject.net, which launched the eleventh of this month chronicles the visual life span of the wall fronting the jail cells of the former Mission Police Station at 1240 Valencia Street.

I find his photographic records fantastic. Don't be surprised if it leads you to anthropological insights of the neighborhood and city. Below I have posted a few of the thousands he has dated, organized, and tagged on the site.






"The wall as a resource for a range of disciplines has become more evident over time. As a dynamic artifact, time has been a key aspect to understanding its value. The range of imagery and subjects seems to be unlimited, triggering considerable dialog with neighbors and colleagues. As new cultural issues arise, the archive expands to incorporate them, becoming a living record of our culture and concerns."





"Reciprocally, the documentation and organizational technologies used have changed the archive over time, allowing it to evolve in a way different from traditional photography."






"The project began with color print film and slides taken with a 35mm Kodak Retina IIIc. Later images were taken with a Canon PowerShot S110 Digital Elf and a Canon Eos 20D. The Eos has captured the most acute detail, showing the subtle or inflammatory comments handwritten by passersby with pencil and ballpoint pen. Yet while image quality varies wildly between cameras, all photographs are included in the archive."

*All quotes from HERE.