Tox faces the Box spurs the argument: Is Graffiti Art or is it Vandalism?

With the recent arrest of graffiti artist Tox aka Daniel Halpin who has been convicted for thousands of pounds worth of criminal damage and the debate between other “graffiti” artist “Eine” deciding whether or not Tox’s work was art, it begs the question is graffiti vandalism or is street art?

Tox a.k.a Daniel Halpin, 26 years od age, has been responsible for thousands of po unds worth of damage in the past ten years since he got started. He’s accessed places those who work for the London Underground have admitted they have no idea of how to access and is notoriously prolific tagger who now faces going to prison after his work was considered to be vandalism and not art. Ben Flynn aka “Eine” whose work has been showed to Barrack Obama at the White House was called to Blackfriar’s Crown Court as an expert witness to give evidence, refuses to accept that Tox’s graffiti has any value, describing his work as “incredibly basic” and lacking in “skill, flair or unique style.” However others who enjoy graffiti and taking part disagree and has been hailed as an urban legend. Tox has managed to get his name up into many different places, some impossibly hard and risky places and has got his name all over London, some even ranging as far as Paris. Others would describe his work as meaningless and unlike other’s who do graffiti such as Banksy, Tox as little to say apart from his tag “Tox” folled by “09” the two last digits of the year, with “Eine” saying that “his statement is Tox, Tox, Tox, Tox, over and over again.”
Other graffiti artists and even those who just enjoy the form of graffiti itself hail Tox as an “urban icon” for his graffiti, Tox being one of the most prolific taggers in London. One graffiti artists said, “He has embarrassed the police, outwitting all their CCTV and security schemes. He is a genius and an inspiration to all artists.” Others would argue that rather than spend time on more artistic based dubs, he uses a simple style to be anti-art, yet he is swell known for having got his tag out there in many different places whilst getting people to think and talk about him. In 2009 he sold canvases bearing is tag on them for around ｣75 which yet again provoked a debate over whether he could be prosecute from profiting from crime. With his sentence soon to be coming up at a later date of July 1^st, you can’t help but think if his work had been deemed has having far more artistic value, such as works by the likes of Banksy, Eine and Roa, then perhaps he may have have even been facing such a long sentence, if a sentence at all. All the three graffiti artists mentioned haven’t been prosecuted or have face minimal prosecution, but if private property has been defaced why do the likes of Banksy get away with it due to their works apparent artistic merit? The question itself gets right into the heart of the debate what is art, and can graffiti ever be art? Let us know what you think

I believe I should start using this far more often than I do,

so I've set myself the task of writing at least one or two posts a week, I'm sorry for the non writing and hope y'all enjoy what's going to be coming up because I have a feeling from next week and the next protest there will be a hell of a lot to write about.

Charlotte Stebbing-Boulet xo

R.I.P Brian Haw

Brian Haw, the veteran peace campaigner died on the 18^th June in Germany at the age of 62 after a long battle against lung cancer and ten years of peaceful campaign constantly around the clock with his camp becoming a tourist attraction in itself and a pilgrimage for other protesters. His family announced that he died peacefully in his sleep.

Brian Haw was well known from June 2001 where he set up his protests and camp outside the Houses of Parliament initially to protests against the US and Britain’s bombings and economic sanctions on Iraq and then rose up in profile and changed partially once the 9/11 attacks had finished and especially after the announcement of the war in Iraq to incorporate that into his individual protest. In 2007 he was voted to be the Most Politically Inspiring Figure of the Year in the Channel 4 Political Awards.Despite laws to the government put up to curtail our right to protest outside of the Houses of Parliament, Brian Haw never once gave up and became a familiar site outside the Houses of Parliament, with his many placards depicting scenes of horror and slogans spreading the message of anti-war and peace with artists such as Banksy contributing artwork and banners to the site. Over the years, different legislations were passed to stop his protests which he all but overcame however finally in March of this year, 2011, Boris Johnson Mayor of London won an order to evict Mr Haw and other campaigners out of Parliament Square Gardens which then forced him onto the streets.

Brian Haw was an inspiration to many, and even after his death shall continue to be just that. With his prolific campaigning getting right to the heart of the matter and gaining the public’s attention with his thought provoking messages and constant camping and vigil receiving attention from campaigner’s and politician’s worldwide, such as winning the support and backing of Labour politician MP Tony Benn. Haw showed us what never has there been a man so dedicated and passionate to a cause in recent years, and was an irritating reminder to the establishment on a daily basis of the many innocent lives they were cutting short. Not only did he document and protest against Bush and Blair he also documented the birth defects which occurred after the Gulf War as a result of depleted uranium. He lived at his camp for ten years, with supporters bringing him food when he needed it and built a home for himself as a camp of tents and of horrific war pictures and anti-war slogans to spread his message of peace and against the patriotism of war that England seems to instil to justify the effects of going to war on what was based upon a lie. As Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn wrote: “He stood and camped in Parliament Square for ten years, challenged law and above all reminded MPs daily of the consequences of their decisions, easily made in the warm glow of moral superiority and jingoism, have consequences for our civil liberties and the lives of thousands of innocent people and generations that follow.” Fellow protesters carry on continuing to attempt to spread the messages and retain the camp