Temple Photojournalism
PEOPLE OF THE STREETS/
GRAFFITI ARTIST / SWIV
Text and Photos by Phylandra McFaddin
Swiv wakes up in the morning to either cause chaos in the city or to just to buy Nutty Bars for breakfast. Whatever the feeling, he is up running around the streets of Center City, Philadelphia.
While looking for Nutty Bars to buy, he walks through the small alleyways in order to do a couple of tags. Tagging is the signature of the artist. It is the simplest form of graffiti and is usually done quickly and in one color.
When the dark skies approach, Swiv, expands from tagging Center City to doing throw ups in other locations, such as South Philadelphia. A throw up is a more complex signature with multiple colors. Because he has done graffiti for a while, Swiv is able to execute a throw up quickly in order to not attract attention from passer byers.
While walking down the narrow streets of Philadelphia, looks at bikes that are locked up. Swiv, 23, was released from prison about a year ago for stealing bikes that happened to be gifts for dead police officers’ families. Fortunately, now that Swiv is out, he finally believes in the Golden Rule.
“I wouldn’t want anyone stealing my bike,” he explained.
Swiv comes from a family of wealth and his mom allowed him to stay in her old row home, right off the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which happened to be over half a million dollars. Due to issues Swiv dealt with mentally and emotionally, he used graffiti as an escape. While going through constant family problems, he even managed to write all over the walls of his half a million home.
Not only are the walls of his home covered with graffiti, the floors are covered with clothes, trash, and, of course, Nutty Bar boxes. “Yeah I sometimes get the urge to clean up,” Swiv said while throwing his clothes everywhere in order to find money he misplaced.
At the young age of 12, instead of writing school notes he would write out tags all over his notebooks. His older brother, also was interested in graffiti, would help him out.
Now that Swiv is grown, he writes his name throughout the streets, whether he is accompanied with a friend or not.
Escape To The Streets
