Concern that graffiti art project may colour views

A NEW project has come under fire for offering youngsters the chance to try their hand at graffiti in a Cowgate workshop rented from the city council.

Social enterprise Spectrum Arts says the service will help disadvantaged young people, but concern has been raised that the project could be sending out the wrong message.

The project has run outreach workshops in community centres, youth clubs and schools for the past two years, and now has a permanent base in the Cowgate workshop.

The project aims to help young people aged 12 to 19 with their independence and creativity by learning a hobby that could lead them to college or university.

But Conservative councillor Cameron Rose - who described graffiti as an "epidemic" blighting the city - said he had concerns "graffiti teaching projects" might backfire.

Just yesterday, the Evening News reported on how two teenagers went on a two-mile graffiti spree in a single night, spraying 75 tags in the Bonaly, Colinton and Oxgangs area.

Self-taught artist Mark Higginbottom, 22, who runs the project along with fellow artist and business partner Jamie Barton, 27, defended the project.

He said: "We want to change the way the whole phenomenon is viewed in Scotland - there's a lot more graffiti in Europe and it's not viewed as a problem as such.

"Personally, I like all aspects of graffiti as a whole entity. It's our job to educate people to make their own choices, to tell them that there are laws and they have to make their own choices.

"A lot of people appreciate graffiti art in the larger sense and in the mural sense. I don't condone illegal behaviour but at the same time I have views on the way the council and the police force deal with things

"Things are criminalised in a different way to how they are in Europe."

The project is financially supported with funding from the social entrepreneur fund Firstport. Since opening at the Cowgate, Mr Higginbottom said the majority of public feedback had been positive.

Another aim of the project is to secure more public spaces for graffiti art, but he remains doubtful this will be achieved. We would like the council to provide more spaces without having an agenda. If we were to say we'd like to have a few extra spaces for people to paint in a public art space, they would say the outcome they want is to see a fall in illegal tags, but that wraps it up in red tape."

But Councillor Rose said: "It's a problem particular in some areas and one which frustrates a lot of people, so I would have concerns about the message that is being given."Graffiti in general is vandalism."

A city council spokesman said: "The council continues to work with local communities to identify the best way of tackling graffiti and are happy to consider a wide range of options regarding this issue."