Graffiti an der Line in Basel 1985–1990

448 pages
Edited by Thierry Furger
21.5 x 30.5 cm
Language: German
Hardback
Publisher: Thierry Furger
Second Updated Edition
2021

In 1985, young people gave themselves fantasy names like "Scorpio", "Steve" or "Zois" and sprayed their first letters on the walls of the Line, which had just been built at the time. That was the starting signal for the graffiti movement in Basel at the Line. What exactly drove the young people, who called themselves "Homeboys" and "Flygirls," back then is hard to say in retrospect.

You can still see the easiness of many of the pieces from those early days. People sprayed without thinking about where it would all lead. And there was room to try things out. The Line was a perfect place for graffiti: kilometers of walls, in the middle of the city, and yet a non-place made of concrete, track ballast and rails. Apart from sprayers and railroad workers, no one stays there. During the day, when the trains come in and out of Basel SBB, the walls present themselves as the perfect medium for entertaining the passengers.

The book documents as objectively as possible the first 5 years of the Line. The book contains over 500 photos that have been assigned by location and by layer. Also the book gives a small view into the 90's at the Line. In addition, some texts published about the Line during this period are included.