The mediality of rock and metal : Exploring formal analyses of rock art through graffiti

This paper explores a formal method of analysing cumulative visual expressions that do not rely on representation or iconographic mimesis. A study of a tagged roller shutter in central Stockholm revealed a number of non-discursive aspects of the visual culture of the graffiti scene. The ways in which the taggers adapted when the shutter became full stress aspects of visibility and indicate a hierarchy of the available space. That overlapping of tags was avoided suggests that older tags were respected even though the available area was limited. A parallel case study was performed on a Bronze Age rock art panel. The rock art, which is quite different from graffiti in most respects, nevertheless shows similar concerns with hierarchical space, horizontal distribution, and respect for previous images, and an ontological status of being something more than mere images.