Graffiti (redirected from graffitists)

graffiti

Form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Technically the term applies to designs scratched through a layer of paint or plaster, but its meaning has been extended to other markings. Graffiti is widely considered a form of antisocial behaviour performed in order to gain attention or simply for thrills. But it also can be understood as an expressive art form. Derived from the Italian word graffio (“scratch”), graffiti (“incised inscriptions,” plural but often used as singular) has a long history. It has been found in ancient Roman ruins, in the remains of the Mayan city of Tikal in Central America, on rocks in Spain dating to the 16th century, and in medieval English churches. During the 20th century, graffiti in the U.S. and Europe was closely associated with gangs. Graffiti was particularly prominent in major urban centres throughout the world; common targets were subways, billboards, and walls. In the 1990s there emerged a new form of graffiti, known as “tagging,” which entailed the repeated use of a single symbol or series of symbols to mark territory.

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Graffiti - Handwriting recognition software for the Newton and Zoomer which recognises symbols that aren't necessarily letters. This gives greater speed and accuracy. It was written by Berkeley Softworks.

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Graffiti 

dedicatory, magical, and everyday inscriptions on buildings, walls, metallic articles, vessels, and the like.

Graffiti are found in great quantity during the excavation of ancient and medieval cities and settlements in many countries of the world. They are found on almost all ancient Russian buildings; those in the cathedrals of St. Sophia in Kiev and Novgorod are especially interesting. Graffiti supplement the information gained from paleography and add to the research of the little-studied colloquial aspect of the language of an ancient people.

REFERENCES

Tolstoi, I. I. Grecheskie graffiti drevnikh gorodov Severnogo Prichernomor’ia. Moscow-Leningrad, 1953.
Vysotskii, S. A. Drevnerusskie nadpisi Sofii Kievskoi XI-XIV vv., vol. 1. Kiev, 1966.