Street art and urban exploration

[Kira Kira]

I made a friend recently who is a street artist and we've had some long conversations about street art in abandoned buildings. I am in the "leave it as you found it" kind of camp here, but that said I have seen some pretty unremarkable places transformed by art (a newly-derelict office building in Tokyo is one that springs to mind).

How do people feel about street art in urban exploration? How does it change the atmosphere/feeling of exploring a place? When, if ever, is it appropriate to graffiti? Does it depend on the place itself? Does the quality of the art make a difference to how you feel?

 

[TranKmasT]

Im not apposed to seeing graffiti of a higher calibre , as opposed to the usual technicolour tagging you see in places when demolition is inement.
But generally I'd prefer not to see it as it detracts from what I'm meant to be looking at.

 

[Oxygen Thief]

I quite like graffiti, pretty much wherever it is. It shows there's an undercurrent of lawlessness that hasn't been totally suppressed.

What I don't like is tags and paint on historic stuff.

 

[Rainey]

It depends. You get some nice colourful graffiti that can actually add to the look of a dilapidated place... But then you also get those people who just spraypaint swearwords on the wall. More of the latter where I am.

 

[RustyG]

I love a bit of decent graff by proper spray can artists as long as they don't ruin anything historical or with architectural beauty. A bit of paint really livens up dull industrial buildings! Not so keen on the yout' with their gammy tagging but it does give me somet to take the piss out of while I'm wandering round.......