under the bridge

bridge over Lachine Canal

The amount of graffiti spreading along the Lachine Canal in Montreal is like a long mural, or artwork. Some graffiti remains for years. Sometimes the graffiti is removed, then more graffiti painted. Lohbado enjoyed it as a kind of communication. People he never met came out, probably at night and did the artwork when nobody was looking. He once saw three youths being arrested from a large abandoned industrial site. Some people like graffiti and some people don't. The quality varies. It's always there. Lohbado couldn't remember a time when there was no graffiti or when people weren't trying to stop something that goes back to ancient times. Maybe it's a process, the people who don't like it versus the people who do like it. Maybe the tension adds an edge, making it more interesting. Maybe if it was easy, it would become dull. It does involve a lot of repetition, endless predictable squiggles. Sometimes the overall effect could be interesting. Other times it was like background music, occurring with a mindless momentum. Someone sees a blank wall, aims the spray can, creates a signature or logos over and over again. Maybe an idea spontaneously breaks up the uniformity. A new motif appears, or a message, political, sociological commentary or humour.