![]() It read "Kid Bill 8-3-14" in Western font. One tag dates back to the early 1900s and was found on the rafters of a bridge near the Arroyo Seco Confluence. Referring to how deep graffiti's roots in the river go, Skrederstu points out that while researching for the book, he and other members of the artist collective, UGLAR (United Group of Los Angeles Residents), saw graffiti that predated the channelization of the river. Those are the people who should be involved with planning the future of it, and I definitely think as artists, we would be the best people to reflect the diversity of the city," said Alex "Man One" Poli, a Los Angeles-based artist and co-founder of the influential graffiti and street art gallery, Crewest, which closed its doors in 2012. "This city is diverse and there are many creative thinkers and people who live grew up walking the river or who painted the river. Even so, conversations about the future of the river have excluded graffiti artists who have been trying to carve out their place in larger plans for the river.Ĭoncrete flood-control structures also serve as canvases for young and veteran graffiti artists. Graffiti artists were brought life and vibrancy to the river, something that had been missing since it was paved over. Long before pushes for cleanup efforts and arts initiatives, the river was largely regarded as a repository for urban runoff. ![]() Skrederstu's experience is not unique, with the river playing host to tags that date as far back as the early 1900s, making the river a physical timeline of the human experience along it. Since the Army Corp of Engineers moved to channelize the river in 1938, the river's 51-mile stretch of grey concrete walls and low police presence has offered graffiti writers not only a large canvas for colorful murals, but also the lure of adventure in a place seemingly devoid of laws. Skrederstu started painting graffiti in the river in the '90s when it was still a no-man's land. Sightings of a dead bodies, drug deals or shootouts were commonplace. It confirms that people were here before me," said Evan Skrederstu, a visual artist and co-author of the book "The Ulysses Guide to the Los Angeles River: Volume 1," that focuses on the biology and art of the river. We would go in tunnels under the river and you feel like you're the first person that's ever been down there, but then you start shining a light around and you'll see a tag that says some 'high school band, 1963'. "For us the river is like the last adventure in the city.
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