Graffiti Archeology – Revealing the Past

From top left: Jim Stubchaer (1949); Bill Volkmer (1955);
Martin Schall (2000); Graffiti V?rit? (2002); Ladytribe (2003); Amy McKenzie
(March 2004, May 2004); Aaron Bocanegra (July 2004); Cassidy Curtis (August
2004).

A Tunnel’s Tale A historical photo of the Belmont Tunnel
in Los Angeles, 1949, top left. The award-winning Web site Graffiti
Archaeology traces the tunnel’s evolution from 1955, top center. From
top right:
the shifting look from 2000 through August 2004, bottom right.

The creator of the site, Cassidy Curtis, a San Francisco
animator in his 30’s, isn’t just being cute when he calls it "graffiti
archaeology." It really is archaeology. You start at the surface
and then peel away layers to look into the past. When you choose one
of the locales and pick which wall you want to see, you are shown a recent
photograph first. Then you can move backward in time or hop around, using
a timeline at the bottom of the page. You can also zoom in to see details
and navigate around the surface of the walls.

from the New
York Times

Graffiti
Archeology web site

Note and use the zoom and pan controls on the lower left. Access may be difficult due to heavy traffic.