Though these stencils are considered products of vandalism, the artists behind them are sending messages that they find important for the UCLA community to understand.
For this second-year art student, stencils on campus “improve the experience of walking around” ““ providing students an opportunity to think critically while walking to and from classes.
He said he began stenciling during his first year at UCLA. With no previous graffiti experience, he and a roommate collaborated on stencils and began to spray paint them in hidden nearby areas throughout the Hill.
Soon after, he started to create his own stencils. He said he estimates that he has done 15 stencils on campus.
As an art student, he said that his art classes and interest in contemporary art and photography have inspired many of his stencils.
“It has to have a certain level of intelligent appropriation … something that’s conscious of art or history in a clever way that people have to figure out.”
His most well-known stencil on campus illustrates a lit bong with the accompanying all-caps text below, “This is not a pipe,” in bright red spray-paint.
He describes his stencil as a “modern update” and “satire” of French surrealist René Magritte’s 1928-1929 oil painting, “The Treachery of Images,” which depicts a tobacco pipe and the phrase, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe,” which translates in English as “This is not a pipe.”
“This is not necessarily a pipe, but rather a representation of a pipe. It’s a self-critical way to approach painting. It’s about image making rather than an illusionist representation,” he said.
He said he believes that stenciling is not merely an extension of the art world, but rather both are interconnected.
“I think contemporary art and stenciling are related. It has to do with
living in the 21st century, where there’s so much information around us
all the time.”
And unlike graffiti tags, he said, stencils create visually appealing icons memorable to the passersby
But to a fourth-year Design | Media Arts student, who asked that her
name not be published because of her concerns for legal ramifications,
stencils attract much less attention than many believe.
“It’s kind of like a media art experiment to see if people even
notice it,” she said, explaining that students must observe their
surroundings closely as most stencils are in hidden areas on campus.
Although she has never spray painted a stencil on public grounds, she
took part in creating a stencil during her first year at UCLA that her
friends reproduced throughout campus.
The purpose of the stencil, she said, was a humorous surprise for those who take the time to look closely.
“I think UCLA needs a little more flavor,” she said.
She said stencil and street art in general play an important role in defining the unique atmosphere of the UCLA campus and the city of Los Angeles.
However, she considers offensive, anger-driven graffiti as vandalism.
“I encourage street art or media art always if you’re being thoughtful and if you’re doing work for the right reasons. But I definitely think there’s a line.”
However, California Penal Code Section 594 deems vandalism as any writing that “defaces,” “damages” and “destroys” property.
California law states that vandalism is punishable by imprisonment or fine, but students are eligible for a student conduct hearing within UCLA ““ in which the infraction would go on a school record or result in suspension, according to university police Director of Police Community Services Nancy Greenstein.
Although many stencils remain, UCLA Facilities Management has removed a number of graffiti works on campus in the past six months ““ 71 of which were reported by members of the UCLA community via the Trouble Call Web site and phone line, said Gail Cowling, executive officer of UCLA General Services.
Removal has cost an estimated $12,494 in addition to the daily maintenance budget, she added.
But regardless of California law and the high cost of removal, the fourth-year Design | Media Arts student believes that these stencils are important to preserve and appreciate.
“The message was to be a little out there and to not take ourselves so seriously. And especially at UCLA everybody takes themselves really seriously. And you don’t have to,” she explains of her own stencil but also of others. “I’m not saying go vandalize the school. That’s definitely not at all the point. The point is just to have fun and let go a little bit and be silly.”