A Semantic Approach to Urban Graffiti from Semiotics Viewpoint

Subject Areas : Urban Design

Siamak  Panahi ¹ (Associate Professor, Islamic Azad University, Abhar, Branch, Iran.)
Nazanin  Bahrami Samani ² (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art and Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Branch, Iran.)
Anosha  Kia ³ (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art and Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Branch, Iran.)

Received: 2015-09-27 Accepted : 2016-12-21 Published : 2016-02-01

Keywords: Graffiti, Street art, Semiology, Symbol, Vandalism,

Abstract :

City is the most complicated and tangible creature of man. There is a critical mutual communicationbetween human and city; and the effect of one’ living environment is beyond question. Graffiti is a new urbanphenomenon, which has drawn attention in light of its connection with protestation culture and street art. Thanks tosymbolism of graffiti, the artists have added mysterious aspects to their work and distinguished themselves from formalculture. Social protestation is the most notable feature of the graffiti found in Iranian cities. However, to the best of ourknowledge, there has been no notable research work in Iran on the relationship of human, society, and existence fromof graffiti symbolism viewpoint in particular. The present study is an attempt to survey and evaluate common symbolsused on urban graffiti through documentary research. Technique and content analysis in stratified semiology based onIranian-Islamic culture were taken into account.

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