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They Were Here

Portland Magazine

June 9, 2021

Photos and captions by Janna Machalek ’08 

WHEN UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND purchased the land along the Willamette River to develop the Franz River Campus, a few crumbling industrial buildings came along with the acquisition. Where the University saw safety concerns, a crew of graffiti artists saw a canvas.

For nearly a year, Janna Machalek ’08 interviewed the crew for her senior sociology thesis. Her work was so thorough that sociology professor Martin Monto invited her to co-author an academic paper for the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography.

The buildings are gone now. Pirate Town, as the area had come to be known by some, is no more. But Machalek’s contribution persists. The crew invited her to come along and she listened to them. And in doing so, she captured a window into the work and concerns of a small crew of prolific graffiti artists who returned to write on the walls of these buildings again and again and again. They had a range of styles and techniques. They all, in one way or another, told us that they were here.

Graffiti on wall

Where others see swathes of paint left by graffiti abatement efforts (aka the “buff”), artist SASQUATCH sees shapes that inspire dream-like faces and figures.

Man working on graffiti

DEKOY, a member of the TSA crew, wraps up a piece on an outing to the main chamber of the “Share Davies” building with Machalek and crew-mate ANGST.

Man on ladder working on graffiti

OMEN, half of the two-man crew PAULRUS IS DEAD, takes advantage of a found ladder. This playful use of space is characteristic of the duo and contributes to the notoriety of their mysterious tag, the meaning of which continues to be the subject of much speculation online.

Graffiti on wall

An example of the smaller personal messages that often accompany larger graffiti pieces.

Janna Machalek ’08 of rural Alaska has many fond memories of life in Portland while completing this project and her degrees. Her hope is that her graffiti research will inform others, and that her story will inspire students to research topics that thrill them.