Just Passin Through..‪.‬

Train writing. Call it art, call it graffiti - these messages on a bottle crisscross North America by the thousands, a mobile menagerie of insults, strange beings, personal signatures, poems, political piths, and social commentary. They are America’s public folk art on wheels, a self-renewing gallery set loose to roam the rails. They are counter-culture statements, spoken by spray can in secret, a quiet defiance. Many of the rail yard crews carry a few of their favorites pieces captured on their cell phones.

Rail managers often hang them in their offices or homes. I started photographing train graffiti several years ago after watching Style Wars, a film documenting the New York subway writers and hip hop scene of the 1980s. As they roll past I get two seconds- perhaps three - to shoot them. Seldom will I see them again. Each is destined to be buffed by the sandblaster or paint gun. For me, they are a breath of fresh air brightening a culture where - for most - art is an after thought, and public art has no standing.

Just Passin’ Through... is dedicated to writers everywhere who put art on wheels. There are several comprehensive books on train graffiti. This book is meant to capture of few of the best and entertaining pieces that have passed through Columbia, South Carolina in the past three years. All of these images and many more are available in print and download at www.KultureJam.org Copyright Frank Heflin