found object/play on words

"health advisory" april 17th 2008 @cap

"they brake" april 17th @cap

the first example, "health advisory," is a play on words. this kind of graffiti uses signs or stickers found in bathrooms to get an opinion to the public. the second example, "they brake," makes a joke of a found object. in this case the found object is a condom dispenser.

when i see graffiti like this, i think the person writing it is mocking whatever he is she is writing on. that make sense? in "health advisory" i feel the author is saying that the health advisory is bull. in "they brake" i think the author is a) bragging that he has been intimate with a woman  b) telling everyone that he doesn't like to use condoms c) using these condoms puts the "brakes" on the chance of having sex or d) trying to prevent people from using these condoms because they break.

i think that "health advisory" is the funnier of the two, someone took the time to respond to the "wash them..." comment and let everyone know that the author was the "biggest vag of them all." maybe this can be classified as a play on a play on words. 

personal shout outs

"sammy 4 ever" april 17th 2008 @cap

so these personal shout outs aren't the most frequent in the bathroom scene. when someone writes "sammy heart 4 ever heart" on the toilet paper dispenser, you have to wonder if he (men's room) is for real. maybe the intension of this graffiti is to get people talking about this "sammy" person. is this declaration of love requited? or is this unrequited love? is this any way to declare true love? 

political commentary

"apeease bush" april 17th 2008 @cap

"the economic system is dying" april 17 2008@cap

these two examples can be classified as political commentary. everyone that sits in these stalls will be forced to read whatever "crap" the authors have written. this is a good route to go if no one ever wants to listen to what you have to say. one person wants everyone to know how they feel about the president of the united states while someone else wants everyone to know that the capitalist system will cause the planet to die. these two topics are very popular in today's culture. it seems fitting that the topics are represented in the news as well as on the bathroom walls.

the "how does a blind man know when he is done wiping?" joke above "apeease bush" really adds something to the message. both the statement and joke are aimed at getting some kind of reaction.

CNET Bathroom Graffiti Blog

The purpose of the Bathroom Graffiti Blog is to explore Bathroom Graffiti from a cultural perspective. Looking at graffiti as a way of communication.
No matter where you are in the world you will find dirty pictures and messages written on the walls of public bathrooms. Bathrooms in High Schools, subways, restaurant, old folks homes, everywhere you will find some kind of message that is trying to be communicated.
This blog is a way of showing the graffiti and what it may signify. Each picture will include where and when the photo was taken and a small interpretation of what the graffiti communicates.