The Writing on the Stalls

For me, graffiti is art. Not all graffiti is good--a random expletive scrawled on a brick wall isn't particularly thought-provoking, for example. But when you consider how graffiti interacts with other street art, and with the urban vibe of the city, you'll start to see a collage of self-expression on a brick canvas.

But I'm still trying to decide if the same thing applies to writing on bathroom walls.

Admittedly, bathroom graffiti is not the same category of visual art as Banksy's pieces, or Ann Arbor's Graffiti Alley. But slam poetry is considered an artistic form of expression. And Postsecret, an anonymous online collection of confessions and advice, is a self-proclaimed community art project. So why shouldn't we allow the same title for the collage of words on a bathroom wall?

And before you call me crazy, let me tack on a qualifier. I'm not referring to all bathroom graffiti--especially not the random expletives and pictures of penises you see everywhere. But when bathroom graffiti means something, that's when it becomes powerful--when it's honest, meaningful, real.

I took my camera to Mason Hall, to show you what I mean. It felt strange, seeking something photo-worthy in a bathroom. I don't think you can get any farther from "high art." To avoid freaking anyone out, I waited until the bathroom was empty, and then stepped into a stall and started snapping pictures. Then someone came in, and I waited--waited a few more seconds--

And suddenly, from the stall next to me, there was a bright flash and the click of an expensive shutter.

Someone else had brought her camera, for the same reason I had: there was something here. Something meaningful in the confessions and advice and random thoughts that probably wouldn't last a month. In fact, the graffiti is somehow more meaningful because it will soon be covered, erased. It is temporary, marginal, fleeting. But because of that, it's also honest and completely unselfconscious. Online forums, and especially websites like Postsecret, have become so popular because they allow people the same outlet as urban graffiti and bathroom writing, only on a much larger scale.

Photos to come.