Graffiti & Analysis

Skull Stencil on Quad

I found this skull stencil spray painted on a slab of concrete located near the back entrance of the Illini Union. The symbol of the skull suggests danger or a fair warning much as the skull in chemistry is used to identify a substance as toxic or poisonous. However, this graffiti may just be one of the fraternities making its organization known through an open forum such as the Quad. Every day I pass by the Phi Beta Kappa "Skull & Bones" fraternity house on Fourth St., and I see that same skull. Doing a little research I found out that the number '322' bears historic significance. This fraternity started at Yale University in 1832-1833 and was an all male group until 1992. Surprisingly, no where did I see this number incorporated in the graffiti. I would venture to guess that this skull graffiti appears on the Quad because the symbol itself serves as an emblem of a prestigious group (business & political or even a gang). There's a sense of elitism and marking ones territory that comes with spray painting a skull onto a concrete slab where graffiti is strictly prohibited. This space on the concrete slab is meant for people to put up flyers-- not to stencil or doodle. Since the concrete slab is a public space, the skull was surely meant to be an eye-catching work of art.