Vocabulary of Graffiti Research

© 1997 Axel Thiel all rights reserved.

PRODUCTION OF DEPENDENCIES: meaning ways to induce an addicted behaviour for this "programming" done on collective level of society.This makes you always asking for more so you are "hooked".

ASOCIALISATION: how people are being "made" to behave a-social and what kind of feedback this might have to societies starting such processes.

ANNIHILATION: What is going to happen if you are pushing people into"sub-cultures" (unemployed, on welfare etc.) and feedback-processes onto society doing so.

ANONYMOUSMAKING: How world is being transformed into a place having no face"and how this is going to affect people and why.

ASSYMETRICAL-DEPENDENCY-STRUCTURE: explaining how relationship between declassed persons and institutions are being constructed and what after-effects come from here.

WEALTH-FREEZE: state of being where rich stay rich and parting is no topic any more.

DETERIORATION OF RELATIONS: meaning how come that relation are being deconstructed, how and why come?

ANNIHILATION OF RELATIONS: how relations are being attacked and killed and why and how and what this might also bring about.

BUREAUCRACY: what if they get fatter and fatter....?

INPUT-OUTPUT: about money given to people in poverty section of society and you are being expected to stay sane here and raise families: mission impossible.

IDEOLOGICAL GLASSES: how we are being made to see certain things and some not: on programming of minds called education.

DESTRUCTIVE-AUTOCATALYSIS: how destructive processes are some positive feedback system.

DOUBLE-CENTER-THEORY: is about analyzing two things at same time, so if you talk about poverty your should not forget to look at wealth, too. Normally it does not work that way.

DE-LIVING-STRATEGY: how to make things "sterile" and lifeless, how "modern" man is being turned into some kind of "zombie" and on aftereffects of these matters (intensification of destructive drives)

TELECONTROL: system of ruling in modern times

CASH-FLOW-ANALYSIS: where is money going into and how come that certain places get nothing?

GRAFFITI-TERMINOLOGY: ways of "writers" speaking about their profession.

GRAFFITI-POLYFURCATION: is about possibilities given to any person at any time using graffiti different ways.

BORDER-FIELD-VULNERATION: what is happening if you step onto peoples' toes if you disrespect their "social skin".

ACTIONHELIX-NONCOMPATIBILITY: how come that certain effects do not fit to another because -- in between -- some sliding-processes have taken place.

HATE-RELATION-DYNAMICS: how hate is influencing matters and people-relations.

HATE-INDICATOR-SCALES: how to measure hate and by what.

GENERATION OF HATE: on production of certain states of emotional being.

HATE-TURNING-POINT: where effect control is being lost and what then....

SOCIAL SKIN: how this invisible realm is some reality.

HERDING PEOPLE: art of mass-manipulation and its rules.

COMPLEXITY-SWOON: when problems outgrow man's ability to cope with them.

LOSS OF CONTROL: all aspects of it.

CONCENTRATION OF SECURITY: make some secure places and forget about rest.

CONCENTRATION OF POWER: how much power should be in one hand.

MONOTONISATION: how to turn life in a boring matter.

NON-SYMBIONTASIS: how any person might live as if it would not belong to some "social matrix", also see: social idiot.

NOOPHOBIA: being afraid of things to come, coping problems.

ZERO-SUM GAME: when state (or any person and institution) is abolishing sharing-principles, about monopolization.

RETARDED USE: some things need a lot of time to grow, on useful aftereffects and what if you are in some haste...

PROPAGANDA-ANALYSIS: needs not to be explained.

REPRESSIVE TOLERANCE: acting "as if" but having control, some zero-sum game.

VIOLATION OF RULES: what might happen if all did what they would prefer.

RISK-FEAR: what is turning people into immobile beings, contra-creativity.

ANTHROPOPHYTEIA: ed.F.S.KRAUSS, printed: Leizig (Germany) "only for specialists allowed.."more than 10 big vols.1904ff, abundance of documents showing"low aspects"in societies.Fundamental basic work.Follow-up in today: MALEDICTA.

OUTER WALLS (theory): these walls being monopoly of owners structure our ways of mobility and thus are of fundamental influence we normally do not notice because it all is so "normal".In their totality outside-walls are some continuous huge wall, vertical matter, directing our movement and resemble some channel.You only may evade them when entering a house, then you are being faces by inside-walls you (as living in flat) may decorate as you choose. Some general, public use only is possible at some very specific buildings that are being protected and where billboards are not permitted. So these outside walls are some FORCED ARCHITECTURAL MATRIX people have to move about antlike.

TREE-CARVING: ancient use to cut your name (arrow / heart etc.) into bark of trees that used to be symbols of eternity and live, female related. In Germanic mythology tree YGGDRASIL famous connecting heaven and earth.

PICTURE inventory: some attempt to sort all kinds of visual elements related to graffiti to find underlying matrix (basic signs and symbols, archetypes) to be done yet....

BILLBOARD: well known place to put messages onto.Some cities allowed graffiti use here (experiments) lots of influences from billboard-art into graffiti and vice versa "Argument" all may use them was shown to be not correct by SPIESS (Germany) that tried to hire some b.in order to put on political messages: denied. In China for some time -- wall of democracy allowed. Some moving example would be "whole train" e.g.

GROUND-PAINTING: done by children and some persons wandering about asking for some help. Related to sand-painting also being used for religious matters. Very old and traditional way of playing, depending on structure and surface of ground (sand, plaster etc.) Also being used by persons in societies where paper and pencils not being to be had (aspect of income).

CLOACINA: Roman goddess protecting toilets hoping none would do graffiti: did not work.

NEED OF DECODING: where language does not work really any more (political correctness etc.) see: counter insurgency, propaganda, brainwashing euphemisms, "black pedagogics" etc.) state of being able to do "plain speaking", psychological aspect of human need to express and translate (hidden) aspects of matters into "plain speaking". See also Orwell's "newspeak" and concept of "double-bind". Graffiti dare to do plain speaking, one cause for repression.Also influences from unconscious matters that always tend to be re-integrated into surface of consciousness.

BASIC SIGNS: since beginning of mankind symbols etc.to be found depicting continuation of certain communicative processes. As there might be: hand, foot, vulva, man, female, tree, cross, flower, lightning, heart, arrow etc, Also to be found living on in graffiti, part of basic communicative (also;unconscious) processes.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GRAFFITI: done by REISNER / WECHSLER, basic work.

EXPRESSIVE-PRESSURE: state of mind when looking "inward" to become aware of what is going on these in some moment of reduced consciousness (niveau mental). When you interrupt here any person scribbling it is like some slight shock and they return from a state of being like some "dream", comparable to day-dreaming.If you see anyone doing graffiti during some conference you might watch this state of being -- Depending on pressure "inside" need to let things come out, basic communicative aspect. In some "secure place" like toilet one might "let off steam" (aspect of safety valve in graffiti) also having some time to rest might generate some state of consciousness where things might turn up that would not do so at other places.

HOBO MARKS: need not be explained, seldom, in Germany almost extinct.

COUNTER-SYMBOL: like famous "A" with halo around symbolizing anarchy or RAF for Germany`s RED ARMY FRACTION (not: Royal air force) or any other sign / symbol not acceptable at moment of being for different reasons (ETA, ANC (aintseen..nothing yet)).

ARCHEOLOGY OF US: looking at what we might find out about ourselves, also graffiti.

PLASTER-GRAFFITI: in case some limb broken inscription on plaster, often to be seen, painting some damaged place (see.social skin).

GRAFFITI: see any lexicon.

GRAFFITI-FILE, the: edited by REES, N. (England) useful for basic material.

GRAFFITI-LEXICON: some internationally available (Germany: Kreuzer, van Treeck).

GRAFITTI-BIBLIOGRAPHIE/GRAFFITI-BIBLIOGRAPHY: started by A.Thiel (Germany), soon to be 4.ed.with ca. 10 000 items (1986 no.3).

BASIC STRUCTURE (magical) of graffiti: con safos making some cross X-wise and writing initials into 4 segments using religious context. Also in Catholic homes (Germany) above entrance door: 19 C-M-B-96 meaning year (1996) and C for Caspar, M for Melchior, B-for Balthazar). In Con safos horizontal C-S standing for CHRISTUS SALVATOR (our saviour) but generally this being unknown. If I would put in vertically A-T this would be some signs it was me (Axel Thiel) that was asking for heavenly protection. Also see Bible: blood being painted onto doors. Graffiti relate to magical thinking. Also showing in all repressive methods: spending huge sums and nothing coming off it.Highly irrational matters.

ARCHITECTURAL METABOLISM: meaning change of environment including acid rain that makes salvaging of signs (including: graffiti) problematical.

BEITRAeGE ZUR GRAFITTI-FORSCHUNG (contributions to graffiti-research): publications of INTERNATIONAL WORK-GROUP ON GRAFFITI-RESEARCH.

HAND (against evil eye): symbol in some countries being used today, still.

SKY-WRITING: done by chance (jets) and / or purpose (advertisement) relating to heavenly signs (see: Bible).

CAVE: PAINTINGS: beginning of visualisation of mankind, we still find signs and symbols of these times in graffiti (unconscious aspects, archetypes).

HOT 110: some warning, in Germany 110 is call for police in whole state.

VIOLATION OF INTEGRITY: at all places and moments of v. we find graffiti, this is at moments of political changes.

CONTACT-SLASH: children taking stick and doing some scratch along a wall when moving thus learning basics of physics and about surface (structure) of walls, basic learning processes. Also to be done on ground.

VIA GRAFFITI: communication: basic democratic means, to be used in times of war and at other times when secret communicative lines need be.

MALEDICTA: the journal of verbal aggression.very important basic material, editor: R.A.Aman (Santa Rosa, CA).

MENETEKEL-FUNCTION: early-warning-system working via graffiti showing state of being (political) in any state any time.

MURAL(s): needs no explanation, related to graffiti (pieces).

0 PICTURE-FUNDUS: line in GRAFFITI BIBLIOGRAPHY documenting all pictures (no text) showing graffiti (millions worldwide) permutative function.

PICARDIA MEXICANA: done by JIMENEZ, A-.important basic works, famous.

PICTOGRAM: certain simple signs for visual perception only.

POCHOIR: French what in English is stencil.

PROPAGANDA: in original spreading of faith (!!) now ideological programming of minds (brainwashing).

STENCILS: taking some form and using paint to get some message onto a surface. Very old use (industry) and now turned into some art.

SPRAY-ART: see graffiti "American style" and so on.

SGRAFFITI: another way of writing graffiti.

AIRBRUSH-PAINTING: art. very much related to graffiti, mutual influences.

SUBCULTURE: sections within societies where different sets of rules, behaviour etc, are to be found.

TEXT-INVENTORY: selection of what types, topics etc.may be found via graffiti, still to be done.

UBIQUITY: all over to be found (graffiti at all places you may imagine).

WALL-MONOPOLY: who might use walls and for what.

WRITER: person doing graffiti with spray according to certain set of doing.

FORCED-ARCHITECTURAL MATRIX: outer walls questions to be re-discussed, use of "free walls".

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