Different look at graffiti art

By Paul Pickering
IN HIS acclaimed student documentary, Menzies Creek resident Henry Swadesir aims to blur the line between graffiti and vandalism, lending a voice to a ubiquitous urban art-form.
Henry’s Urban Sprawl documentary has been selected for the Top Screen exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).
The exhibition, which opened last Wednesday night, showcases 20 of the state’s best young film makers and multimedia designers.
The Billanook College graduate says he set out to provide a non-biased look at graffiti in Melbourne.
“People have interesting perspectives on graffiti artists,” he said, “they tend to think they’re all in gangs and into drugs.”
In his research, Henry discovered a legitimate subculture of street art.
“I shot it in and around Melbourne, mainly in alleyways and a few galleries that were exhibiting graffiti art at the time,” he said.
“I wanted to give graffiti artists a voice and let people make up their own minds.”
The documentary also addresses the different styles and techniques of graffiti as well as its association with hip-hop culture.
Henry is currently taking a year off from studies before beginning an industrial design course at RMIT.
The exhibition will run until 31 May at the ACMI at Federation Square.