Austin
The slogan “keep Austin weird” was coined by Red Wassenich in 2000, who was annoyed that “Austin had been moving away from its funkier roots” (Packer 2012), with the rise of MNCs and TNCs (the “high-tech boom” (Hylton 2013)) in the 80s and 90s. The slogan promotes “residents to support local businesses and everything indie, to say no to big corporations or whomever Austinites suspect of attempting to package their scruffy “slacker-factor” authenticity” (Packer 2012). The slogan “keep Austin weird” fits the city well, as Austin is relatively liberal compared to the rest of Texas, attracting the creative class; “a class that values creativity, individuality, difference and merit” (Florida 2002) (36.4% of the total population (Florida 2002)), keeping Austin fresh and hip.
Graffiti
Graffiti is “an arrangement of institutionally illicit marks in which there has been an attempt to establish some sort of coherent composition… upon a wall or other surface that is usually visually accessible to the public” (Phillips 1996).
Today in most American cities graffiti can be found in a variety of places; from public transport, to walls and fences. Austin, as a city, is unusual as graffiti is found in both illegal and legal spaces, adding to the controversy of whether or not graffiti is an art form or a form of vandalism.
Today in most American cities graffiti can be found in a variety of places; from public transport, to walls and fences. Austin, as a city, is unusual as graffiti is found in both illegal and legal spaces, adding to the controversy of whether or not graffiti is an art form or a form of vandalism.