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Sadly, much of the graffiti adorning walls along the High Line is getting whitewashed in preparation for the former rail line’s opening as a public park this summer. Apparently, “the highline organization does not consider itself responsible for protecting the historic graffiti” and “the mayor’s office made private decisions with the property owners without consulting the public,” reports Curbed. Public Ad Campaign’s Jordan Seiler points out the irony of the culture-killing aspect of the buff:

“[T]heir mistake was thinking these tags detracted from the visual landscape when in fact they added a rich texture and history to the wall that only becomes apparent through the grafitti’s patina, the age of the spray paint, and the history of writing culture. What a shame.”