Modern Alphabets: Pixação

When I visited Sao Paolo last spring I was fascinated by the graffiti. The images covered the walls, the writing was everywhere. It didn't take long for me to recognize that there was this indiscernible writing which continued to reappear through my travels. Initially I compared it to a mixture of the Latin alphabet used for stone carving, with some sort of Trek-aged lexicon. After much wondering I would finally ask my hosts what the letters meant. I found out that the answer was that the letters were an exclusive form of writing called Pixação.

Pixação is a key part of a culture based around street art. Brazil is a country known for its massive economic rifts, with towering skyscrapers and elaborate parties being juxtaposed next to the largest slums in the world. So it is no surprise that a style meant to overcome class and economic-barriers would be prevalent in this country.

In America the closest our street artists come to a style like Pixação is tagging, but this comparison doesn't really do the form justice. In Pixação an individual will normally write their name, gang, and the year. (There can be additional pieces depending on the format). But there are other qualifications to the style of Pixação however. On example is that there are several alphabet structures depending on the height of the piece on the building it is being tagged to. An additional goal of Pixação is to place these messages as high as possible. This drives artists to scale buildings just to be able to complete one tag.

So where did Pixação come from?

The alphabet and movement came from the favelas (poorest neighborhoods) of Sao Paulo. In the beginning Pixação was a form of writing used to write derogatory campaign slogans, or deface other political candidates. (Roughly around the late 1940s). By the 1970s the movement was in danger, until there was a resurgence of popularity. The return of Pixação, rising in the 1980s contained messages of heavy metal band names, creating a format for public self-expression of taste. Eventually this would morph into a more simple form of name writing.

This form of writing has a beauty, enigma, and sense of inspiration surrounding it that is rarely found today.

The pictures below are a combination of images I have taken from Brazil and additional information on the alphabets of Pixação.

Pixação Alphabet

http://www.manystuff.org/?p=4462


Bibliography

1. ^ http://www.magda-gallery.com/en/nunca
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Manco, Tristan, Lost Art, and Caleb Neelon; “Graffiti Brasil”, Thames & Hudson, London, 2005 (ISBN 0 5002 85784 8)
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lDyq6pw0E