RADAR 8 - Stealth Media Publication Date: November 1, 2003 Style Writing "Bankable...but not fully exploitable." These days, some people question the existence of any true "underground" movement or art form. And rightly so: this age of access and hyperspeed communication has caused most subculture trains to expose their freight. You'd have to be asleep not to recognize that April's revolution is on sale in time for Christmas. But with regards to the not-so-sub-culture of graffiti art, or Style Writing, the risks and rewards continue to define it as a mustang—bankable certainly, but not fully exploitable. Graffiti is as old as history itself. The practice of applying satire, political slogans, and personal opinion to walls and public structures seems as ancient as the stone and steel from which our lives are forged. But the contemporary history of Style Writing is a different matter, and its persistence in Baltimore serves as a prime microcosmic example of how this movement, which began as a very secret world with inherited rules, codes, and styles, has developed. Born in the mid-sixties climate of the Civil Rights movement in metropolitan Philadelphia, Style Writing is now a global culture practiced without regard to age, race, sex, global positioning, political or social stance. But it is the residue of the original intention—empowerment—that continues to attract writers. The youth of the movement itself reflects the adolescent energy and fervor that marked the arrival of most participants. It took roughly fifteen years for Style Writing to reach Baltimore from Philly; it came in the hands of a solo messenger from New York named Revolt. In the time it took him to earn a B.F.A. from MICA, he attracted a small following of disaffected artists on the then-burgeoning punk scene, and left behind the foundation for the growth of a major force in the development of the local culture. But in the last decade, Style Writing has surfaced and become a market-driven youth-oriented culture, which requires an adult workforce to produce and sell the required commodities: spray paint, markers, clothing, sketchbooks, videos, and more magazines than a paper route can pay for—all directly marketed to Style Writers or would-be participants. And not all of them are kids: the average writer today is 24 years old and in school or employed. With inner-city fashion and lifestyle being the dominant force in popular culture, the new acceptance and marketability of Graffiti Art has made many a Style Writer a hot commodity. Adam Stab

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