The Unknown Writer

The Unknown Writer

By Andrew McAllister   Andrew_Mc

Category: Fine Art Photography

Tags: public writing, anonymous writing, graffiti, tracking, Akron, documentary, photography

The Unknown Writer.

From 2002-2005 I found and photographed the public writings of an individual I nicknamed the Unknown Writer. This individual's spray-painted thoughts were found in and around Akron Ohio in more than fifty separate locations. I started tracking him or her after finding three writings one afternoon. I discovered several more by chance and soon began a systematic search for writings. On weekends over the next few years I discovered and photographed these musings which I felt provided a view into one person's feelings and frustrations. I found them interesting on a number of different levels: the individual's odd and angry thoughts; the poetic way they were sometimes expressed; and the locations chosen for them. The writings are atypical in that unlike most graffiti they are not the product of juveniles or gangs, they are not tags nor are they overtly political. Some of the Unknown Writer's thoughts are insightful while others are strange and frequently misogynistic. Viewers of the series have had a wide range of ideas about who this person could have been: a man or a woman; white or black; rational or mentally ill; vegan or omnivore. The project ended when I could no longer find any new writing. Although I believe the series is complete, I still keep an eye out for new writings, just in case.

Standard Landscape 10x8 inches (25x20 cm)  44 pages

Published: June 27, 2008