Real-Life Experiments With Grafitti

September

3

3 comments

This will be of particular interest to people concerned about grafitti or vandalism.

An academic called Kees Keiser worked with some colleagues in the Netherlands to see how the effect of grafitti – or other obvious breaking of minor laws- affected the behaviour of the public. They carried out some real-life experiments.

For example:

“He began in an alleyway in a local shopping district, where bicycles are commonly parked and where a conspicuous red sign warned against graffiti. He attached a flyer from a fictional sportswear shop to the handlebars of parked bicycles and watched what people did as they returned to their rides. Under normal circumstances (picture on the left), most people took the flyer with them and just 33% littered by throwing it on the ground. But that all changed when Keiser covered the wall with graffiti (picture on the right). With this innocuous difference, the proportion of litterers doubled and 69% discarded their flyers on the street.”

You can read much more about this, and see some photos, here.

You can see another mention of Kees Keiser’s work on this small town American blog here.

And (totally separate to this research ) here’s a Texan anti-litter commercial:

hat-tip: Mark Pack

About the author, admin

  • At least by allowing our youngsters to express their “art” in an area of Sweyne Park that is not defacing private property we are all for it. The work, we feel, is amazing, colourful and amusing. It changes regularly and is always one we go to see what new artwork is displayed – and we are in our 70’s

  • Rita, you are wrong when you state “At least by allowing our youngsters to express their “art” in an area of Sweyne Park that is not defacing private property we are all for it” Our local youths have also put their amazing, colourful and amusing “art” on the play equipment, tables, bins and posts on the Bridal Path.

    So even with the provision of a art wall they still cannot respect the area.

    As to what constitutes Art – we can debate that one until the cows come home.

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