In Vilnius, the previously created legal walls did not work - the amount of graffiti that disgusts the city did not decrease, and there were constant complaints from residents and businesses. This year, after the city started a record-breaking cleanup and took other preventive measures, it was decided to abandon the previously legal borders. The solution to the problem of illegal graffiti has been inconsistent for a long time, and now the aim is to clearly distinguish between vandalism and street art. Artwork on the walls will continue to be encouraged and created, something the city has invested in for many years.
"For the past few years, there has been no consistent graffiti policy in Vilnius. There was only a chaotic jumble of different initiatives: at the same time, the use of legal walls, on which practically any drawing could appear, was encouraged, and illegal drawings in urban spaces were practically ignored. Today, we have a clear and measured vision of what graffiti policy should be in Vilnius. In the last 2 months we removed the amount of graffiti in the city, which was previously removed during the whole year", says the mayor of the city of Vilnius Valdas Benkunskas.
He adds that: “legal graffiti walls are a failed experiment – unfortunately, it's mostly become a training ground for sketching illegal graffiti. The amount of graffiti that disgusts the city has not decreased. Instead of being limited to the legal space, graffiti artists, driven by adrenaline, create where it is forbidden, where more people see their 'works'.''
Legal walls seem to blur the lines between art and vandalism, and the fact that many people equate graffiti with professional wall painting only confirms this. A significant number of young people initially use legal walls, but later move to the streets to paint walls illegally.
Due to legal graffiti walls, residents and business representatives regularly filed complaints with the Vilnius City Municipality. Some of the legal graffiti walls were in underpasses, so there was an unpleasant smell of aerosol paint that residents worried could be harmful to their health. In addition, business representatives, when investing in public infrastructure, do not want legal borders to be close to underground passages, entrances to shopping centers and similar places.
Various international studies show that real estate values decrease in graffiti-covered areas. Residents also state that they do not feel safe when traveling through such spaces. According to the Broken Windows theory developed by criminologist George L. Kelling and political scientist James Q. Wilson, visible signs of disorder and misbehavior in the environment encourage continued behavior that can lead to serious crime.
Scandinavian countries already have zero tolerance for graffiti. Such a policy is based on four aspects: graffiti removal, legal regulation, prohibition and education.
"The basic proposition underlying these guidelines is that all graffiti, legal or illegal, is a gateway to more serious crime and must be combated by all means necessary," says Malin Fransberg, Ph. graffiti subculture.
The city is open to projects that create artistic value
In the capital, anyone who wants to realize their creative ideas can do so legally. Every year in Vilnius, artists are given opportunities to implement their projects. The city walls are decorated with artistic frescoes depicting historical events and personalities of Lithuania, one of them is dedicated to NATO for the alliance. Such art not only enlivens our city, but is also very welcome.
Those who wish to implement creative projects on the walls of Vilnius can apply to the city municipality for a permit to paint on buildings or infrastructure objects. Information on how to do this is provided to residents of Vilnius city services on the website: https://paslaugos.vilnius.lt/service/207.
To receive funding, artists can participate in the annual art sponsorship program "Kuriu Vilnių". The program has been running for several years, during which more and more city spaces are decorated with various works of art every year. As many as 154 building walls were proposed by the residents of the capital for art on the walls. The city municipality allocates 350 thousand for this program. EUR budget, and the value of one project can reach up to 70 thousand. euros. You can submit your creative ideas until October 4.
Proposals for creative street art projects can also be submitted for the annual "Participate!" Vilnius" program. Last year, about 0,5 million was allocated for the implementation of the ideas proposed by the people of Vilnius. Eur, this year this amount has doubled.
