TV Programme Transcripts

Module 12 Unit 8 Programme B

DOCUMENTARY

VOICEOVER
Walking around some parts of London can feel like being in an outside art gallery.
Walls and buildings are adorned with elaborate and colourful images, many with
cultural meaning and symbolism. Street art, as it is most commonly known today,
has come a long way since people saw it as criminal vandalism.
Dave Stuart works for Street Art Tours and takes people on guided tours around
London's most vibrant and colourful streets. He explains more about the street art
movement.

DAVE STUART
I think its art out in the public environment, created by people who are not controlled
by an institution or by an authority. So it's kind of independent art, it's not municipal,
it's art that is there for us all to enjoy, it's art that we don't need to be terribly
specialised or knowledgeable to enjoy. You know, we don't need to know all about
art theory and art history and clever things like that, we just decide if it's something
we like or we don't like.

VOICEOVER
As in traditional art, there are various genres of street art.

DAVE STUART
Street art can be subdivided in terms of technique as well: spray painting is common,
stencilism, made famous by Banksy; art on paper, paste-ups as we call it, art that's
done somewhere else and then glued to walls, bit like fly-posters; sculptural pieces
of art, you have to hunt for them, but when you find them, they're beautiful, they're
exciting.

VOICEOVER
So, is there a difference between street art and graffiti?

DAVE STUART
That's something that a hundred people could debate and they could have a hundred
different answers. OK, for me, it's a question of audience, street art is for us, street
artists want us to see their work and to think about their work, to enjoy it and maybe
be impressed by it. Graffiti writers, they don't care about us, we are not their
audience, they don't care if we can't read what they are writing, it's for other graffiti
writers to be impressed by their style, by their daring, by the locations they've done
the graffiti.

VOICEOVER
One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the acceptance of street art by
property owners and even local councils.

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DAVE STUART
People started to give permission to artists to paint on walls, the artists could then
work in the daylight, they didn't have to be fast, they could take their time, they could
use multiple colours, they could really produce art that showed off their abilities.
When people started to see this more accomplished art, they began to realise, do
you know what?, this is not just vandalism.

VOICEOVER
Britain's best known street artist, Banksy, is internationally renowned, and his work is
considered extremely valuable.

DAVE STUART
He makes jokes, we get the joke in a piece of Banksy art immediately.

VOICEOVER
But Banksy isn't the only street artist to get paid for his work. Graffiti artist Cept has
commissions from global fashion brands, yet in the past, he spent time in prison for
vandalism.

CEPT
I first got into graffiti in 1986, so this is before the term 'street art' came about, and
then I saw the book 'Subway Art' and this sort of was the first proper documentation
of the New York subway scene, so painting on trains, it was the beginning of the
explosion of hip hop culture of coming over to England. Just from there really was
completely inspired by first of all the paintings and then when I learnt that it was
illegal, you're just sort of blown away, how on earth did they manage to do this?

VOICEOVER
With big art galleries choosing to display graffiti, famous pieces going for half a
million pounds at auction, it can be argued that street art is becoming mainstream.

CEPT
It's part of sort of mainstream culture now, so ehm... yeah, I think it definitely has lost
something. Graffiti, true graffiti will never really be accepted, because the pure
element of it is to be illegal, when it's not done illegally it loses everything.

SAME LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT LIVES

Jamaica
Jamaica excels in music and given the size of the island, the impact it has had
musically on the rest of the world is incredible.

New Zealand
New Zealand excels in many creative arts, but I think it's the film industry that's really
put it on the map, with guys like Peter Jackson producing 'Lord of the Rings'.

Ireland
Ireland excels in both music and literature. Obviously, with some of the authors that

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have come out of Ireland being Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Roddy Doyle. Ah,
and the likes of folk music that came out of Ireland.

Australia
Australia excels in the visual arts: painting, film, television. There's something very
unique about the Australian vision and I can spot it immediately.

Canada
Canadians excel in many arts. We have many famous musicians and actors, who
have made it big internationally. I think Toronto is ranked in one of the top cities for
theatre in the world. And it's interesting because also one thing that we have that no
one else has is the aboriginal art, which is very interesting, it's very graphic and
colourful. It's one thing we're proud of now.

USA
America excels at all of the creative arts. Film, television, poetry, art itself, painting…
everything.

England
Performance is really popular in England. We have a lot of great actors and singers
and musicians. And London especially is somewhere where people come to, to learn
how to be a performer.

THAT'S THE USA

Alex
Hey there! Today we're in Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania, home of the
Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich! You see this? This is Philly's famed contribution to
American cuisine. A long, crusty roll filled with thinly-sliced sautéed ribeye steak,
melted cheese, and onions if you like. Mmm, so good!
Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn, a real-estate entrepreneur. Penn
wanted to establish a city of democracy and religious freedom. He named it
Philadelphia, which translates from Greek to mean 'brotherly love'.
Philadelphia is considered to be the birthplace of the United States. I'm at
Independence Hall to find out why.
I'm with Rob, a park ranger here at Independence Hall. So, can you tell me briefly
about the history of Independence Hall and what specifically happened in this room?

Rob
Well, the building begins construction in 1732. Colonists get together in this room.
The Declaration of Independence is signed here. Then 11 years later the
Constitution of the United States is debated and signed. This is the birthplace of the
United States.

Alex
Wow! So, the Liberty Bell is housed next door. What's the story behind it?

Rob
Well, the Liberty Bell sat on top of this building. It was a working bell but the story of

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the Liberty Bell begins actually in the 1830s with the anti-slavery people. They used
the words, 'Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants', in order
to fight slavery in the American South.

Alex
Why do you think so many people come to view the bell every year?

Rob
Liberty and freedom does not mean the same thing to everybody, and everybody
comes here from around the world to take a look and think about what those things
mean to them and to the world that they live in.
Alex
In 1846, after 93 years, the bell developed a crack and could no longer be used.
This is JFK Park, known to locals as Love Park because of its iconic LOVE
sculpture.
Philadelphia has a real arty feel to it. Travelling around you notice some eye-
catching murals and street art. The city's Mural Arts Program currently employs over
300 artists a year.
I'm with Michelle, an artist who works with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
Michelle, can you tell us about the program?

Michelle: Yes. Its main focus is creating public artwork within the city of Philadelphia,
that reflects community stories and reflects the themes that are important for the
people in the city.

Alex
Can you tell us a little about this piece here, Aquí y Allá?

Michelle
The mural represents the impact of immigration on youth. What you have
represented is the image of the teen that's arrived to the city of Philadelphia. What
you see around the circle of the young girl are actually panels created by teens that
have crossed the border, and the images reflect images of loss, living in fear or
trying to navigate through their lives here in the city as undocumented teens. What
you have on the other side of the mural is the representation of the young boy and
the young boy represents the child that's been left behind. What you see around him
are the panels that were created by the youth in Mexico, about their perspectives on
immigration.

Alex
Well, it was great meeting you.

Michelle
Thank you. Great talking to you too. This is The Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of
the largest museums in the country. But people don't just come here for the art.
These 72 steps are famous! This is where Rocky, the boxer, played by Sylvester
Stallone, did his training in the Hollywood film. There's even a statue in his honour!
Well, see you next time in New Haven!