The Daily Clog » graffiti

If You Build It, They Will Tag It

Christine Borden — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:59:42 +0000

Well, who didn’t see this one coming?

Everyone knows that pictures of faces are blank canvas for mustache amendments and unibrow bridges. Duh.

And the banners? We’ve seen the bulletin boards choked with flyers for various extracurriculars and calls-to-arms. Where else would such a banner be hung … in a tree? Scoff.

Image Source: Will Kane, Daily Cal
Protest Banners Displayed on Campaign for Berkeley Portrait Wall [Daily Cal]
Earlier: The Campaign for Berkeley Public Art Installation Unveils More Posters of Students’ Faces

We Spy: Inspirational Graffiti

Jill Cowan — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 06:04:50 +0000

As we rushed into Dwinelle Hall earlier today, we couldn’t help but notice a certain cookie-worthy pearl of wisdom emblazoned boldly in barely-visible chalk on one of the front pillars. Some radical graffiti artist believes that “you are not your grades.”

We actually noticed the same thing written on the ground somewhere in the vicinity of Durant Hall. Maybe some anonymous luminary is campaigning to make Berkeley students less GPA-obsessed. Or maybe–could it be? Someone’s bitter …

In any case, whoever it was should have probably started with the pavement in front of Evans Hall, rather than the seething humanities hippie haven of Dwinelle. Except, we forgot to mention that even the supposed free-spirits running around South Campus are generally grade whores. Sorry to disappoint you Mr. or Ms. “You are not your grades,” but getting Cal kids to care less about their grades would be like Britney Spears’ kids turning out psychologically stable. It ain’t never gonna happen.

This Was Barrington, Circa 1988

Christine Borden — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 03:09:33 +0000

One graffiti piece reads: “This is Barrington. Get used to it!” And then, a line down: “Yoo people rite on wallz?”

Now, Barrington Hall is no longer, after the University Students’ Cooperative Association shut down the crazy co-op in 1990. Unlike Le Chateau, shut down in 2005, it was never converted into another, cleaner co-op. Nope, it’s under someone else (according to the Daily Planet) who leases out rooms, albeit much cleaner, less graffitied rooms.

Clark Morris made the above video, a testament to the co-ops’ affinity for drawing on walls. And if you were to judge a co-op based solely on murals/graffiti, you could easily comprehend how crazy Barrington really was. As the first co-op in the system, Barrington had the time to devolve into, quite literally, more than a happening joint–way more “co-opy” than Cloyne or Casa Zimbabwe could ever dream to be.

Walls of Barrington Hall, 1988 [YouTube]
Here is the final chapter of my posts [I Am Prepared to Give Up at Any Time]

If These Walls Could Talk…

Christine Borden — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:41:47 +0000

They would tell you how beautiful and gorgeous you all are. No seriously. Just venture into the women’s restroom of Dwinelle Hall and you’ll see what we’re talking about.

We don’t know what it is about having to sit down to pee, but something about it makes women feel like they need to let it all out. Stories of rape, love, support and anger color the walls. Even toilet paper dispensers become someone’s personal tablet.

Are the messages scrawled in the restrooms meaningful? Or are they remnants of a high school pastime, the last mark of teenage years?

Some are serious, garnering responses from other visitors and creating a sort of restroom community.

It’s different from high school, though. There aren’t insults or insinuations that so-and-so is a whore. No, most of the scribblings reflect on love. And vibrators.

But which one is our favorite? That’s easy.

Freshman is sucks indeed.

Browse the thumbnails to see what the ladies are talking about.