Written On The City

I've always been a fan of street art in the sense that it introduces an element of the unexpected into a seemingly formulaic arrangement of the streets, addresses, and buildings that form a city. The presence of stickers on the back of a no parking sign or a cleverly placed tag on a street corner, in essence, evokes for me the life of the city and helps in some ways express how the core element of the city - the people living there - interact with their environment and leave their mark. The streets really do then begin to say things, given life by the people who interact with them on a daily basis, and forming the character that others perceive when visiting a city.


That's why Written on the City, a website devoted to the phrases and words of the city environment, was such a great find for me. Clicking through the entries for the various cities around the globe brought me closer to understanding the sentiments and random musings which individuals have expressed through the street medium.

The about page, describes this sentiment perfectly ---

someone is trying to tell you something.

they don't know you, and it doesn't matter. they say it anyway, writing on the city itself, because the message is important.

and so we're listening.

what's your city saying?

If you have a chance click through some of the entries or explore entire cities, it really is a fun way to spend some time. Otherwise, here are some of my favorite entries, both thought provoking and otherwise random *

Ashbourne, UK

San Francisco, California, USA

New York City, New York

Arnhem, The Netherlands

San Francisco, California, USA

* Clicking on a photo should take you to the original page. Once there you can find further information about location, photo, and photographer - as well as the option to comment on the work!

Tags: Written on the City, Street Art, Urban Art, Graffiti