Here’s the center pier of the Albany railroad bridge as seen from the Dave Clark Riverfront Path.
On Sunday night I was surprised to see an elaborate inscription on the Albany railroad bridge. The center pier had acquired a word of some kind, a vertical string of graffiti that poses a number of questions.
Questions such as:
What does it say? “Warmbo” or “wormbo” doesn’t ring a bell, though maybe it does in the graffiti culture. Or should I say graffiti underworld?
How was it done? Somebody had to hang from the bridge to spray those characters on the pier. It might have taken two people or even a whole crew to let the guy with the paint down and then pull him back up. Or maybe it was a lone practitioner skilled in rappelling, and then ascending on the same rope he used to get down.
When was it done? Probably at night. But the precision of this vandalism suggests the vandal was able to see what he was doing. A light on the upstream curve of that round pier in the middle of the night would have been visible from the Lyon Street Bridge. It would have been seen by anyone who happened to look downstream.
How long did it take? This was no case of whipping out a spray can and scrawling a few characters before scuttling off. Day or night, this would have taken some time, plenty of time for somebody to see what was going on.
Ordinary graffiti around Albany usually get cleaned up or painted over in due course. As long as this 102-year-old bridge doesn’t collapse, the Portland & Western isn’t concerned about its appearance.
So if durable paint was used, this smear on the Albany landscape is likely to last for a while. (hh)
Tough question Hasso. I’ve wondered myself walking by. Its done so well, it looks like it would take hours to finish.
One person’s smear is another person’s avant-garde.
I think this art adds vibrancy to the waterfront redevelopment and reflects Albany’s quirkiness.
Former vandal here. Tagging is just when someone writes their name or tag somewhere. Usually it’s not painted in or anything. Think of it as a signature.
A bomb or a throwie (throw up) would be the example in this post. More intricate and bigger than a simple tag but not something breathtaking.
A piece is something more intricate. An actual painting, the actual art if you will. The Mona Lisa’s of a writer. This is typically what people appreciate.
Most street artists start with tagging though, it’s the bread and butter of graffiti. You can be great writing and drawing with pens, markers, and pencils but the spray can and paint is different.
What’s your opinion of the “graffiti” behind Lowes? Since it’s private property, I consider it vandalism. People who only stand out by doing negative things. The quality is pretty crappy to me.
How long did it take you to paint Wormbo?
Given the meticulous design and excellent execution, the artist who created this gem is obviously talented. She or he (or “they”) if they is the artist’s preferred pronoun, should be congratulated and perhaps considered for the City’s next large-scale mural. Hats off to this creative, masterful (masterful is perhaps too gender specific) illustrator. People at this skill level need encouragement, both by Hasso Hering exposure, or even cash grants from City funds.
I can not help but wonder what your reaction would have been had a well done piece of Donald Trump’s face been sprayed on the side of your house.
The person that did this likely used a geared rappelling rope like the ones used for rescue retrieval with a harness. It allows a person to lower and raise themselves with the turn of a handle. As far as time goes it was most likely done under the bright moonlight. The paint quality looks like trash and the quality of the art is even worse.
Looks like a tag…wormboy,the characters have a kind of worm look.
rock climbing gear would work and as the previous writer mentioned moonlight and perhaps a flashlight in your mouth.
Emm, I wonder if Wormboy is responsible. Perhaps he simply ran out of room to paint the “Y” due to the water level.
Just waiting for the tide to go down. Don’t you worry.
How’s the tide going to back flush over Willamette Falls?