Wild Hackney – changing graffiti policy in London

Wild Hackney is a new project by some of the same people who helped to save Roa’s rabbit, which Hackney council in London recently almost painted over. I’m not quite sure what to think of Wild Hackney. Here’s some of how the project is described on its website:

The Wild Hackney project was created our of concern for the sanitisation of our neighbourhoods.

Our first campaign is to lobby Hackney Council about a new approach to graffiti that goes beyond paint it black by providing them with a policy written by local residents.

While I certainly like the idea of more lenient graffiti removal policies, I’m worried that Wild Hackney could turn into judges of what constitutes good street art; what should be preserved and what should be buffed. Without knowing the people making those decisions, it’s a tough idea to get behind. And of course, no street art fan wants their city walls covered in perspex frames. Street art is ephemeral, and that’s part of its nature. With any luck though, Wild Hackney could give property owners more rights in regard to commissioning murals and keeping up street art that was placed on their property, whether it was painted legally or not.

Wild Hackney has a meeting on December 2nd to hash out some ideas for the campaign further. It will be at the Fellows Court Community Centre from 6:30pm.

Photo by noii’s