Outer Space, Inner Time
Political Graffiti and Street Art’s Audience Research
Abstract
According to Velikonja (2020), there are three starting points of Graffiti and Street Art Research (GSAR): the contextualisation, the intentionality of the producer, and the reception, which is related to the audience/viewer/observant, where the audience is one of the starting points less approached in the literature. Consequently, I pretend to explore the potential level of analysis from time and space and its relationship with Graffiti and street art audiences. Time and space will not be considered in linear or geographic terms but in relational terms. Therefore, literature on the social construction of space, the historicity of phenomena from oral history, and audience studies will be considered. In this exploration, I intend to argue that to find the meaning and role of both Graffiti and its audience, it is necessary to consider literature that points to their relationship and how this develops. In this article, I delve into the ways scholars study Graffiti and Street Art audiences, highlighting their methodologies, techniques, and results. Then, I provide a fresh approach to Context in Graffiti and Street Art Research that integrates renewed emotional, temporal, and spatial elements. Lastly, drawing from both scholar’s experiences and my own, I propose embodiment as an innovative tool that has yet to be fully explored in this field. By utilising this means, we may be able to bridge some of the gaps that currently exist.