Choosing the Street Tour Over the Gallery Opening: An Interview with Benjamin Morgan, director of Quality of Life.

I recently had the chance to interview Benjamin Morgan, director of the independent film, Quality of Life. Before anyone starts asking what an interview with an indie film director is doing here, it should be mentioned that this film is about art, specifically street art and graffiti. I asked him about the movie, about what it means to the world of street art.



Art Blog: For the benefit of those who haven't heard of the film, checked out
the site, or seen the trailer, can you tell us a bit about the film?


Benjamin Morgan: Quality of Life is a narrative feature film that tells the story of two graffiti writers struggling to maintain their lifelong friendship after they get busted for painting. It’s a gritty, low budget, independent film that we are currently self-distributing in select theaters.


AB: What was your goal with making this... what were you trying to get across?


BM: Honestly, I was not trying to make a point at all. Obviously I intended to make something compelling. But I really just wanted to capture a slice of life, to portray struggles that me and my friends go through every day. Although the film is set in the graffiti subculture, the struggles that Heir and Vain go through are universal. For example, as we fight to get this film out there and lay the foundation for our careers, I’m struggling to find outlets for my creativity as well. So many people have creative drive and passion. But it’s hard to consider yourself an artist when you schlep pasta for a living, you know? Ultimately, I just wanted to portray this struggle for creative expression as accurately as possible and not exploit graffiti in the process.


AB: It seems like a lot of the other characters don't appreciate what Heir and Vain do, that everyone wants them to place other things before their graffiti activities (jobs, family, etc.)  Is that a common theme in the lives of real graffiti artists?


BM: Totally. This is something every graff writer has to face eventually: straighten up, be responsible, and join the rat race. Or have fun painting, living the life, and partying with your friends. It’s not an easy choice, especially when there are not a lot of good jobs out there. This is a running theme with all creative people. The arts are really not supported here—no art classes in public schools, dwindling grant funds, and very little public space for individual expression. And yet the US spends BILLIONS of dollars every year to eradicate graffiti. It’s such a backwards, dysfunctional, reactionary system.

I can see why people (esp parents, loved ones, and authority figures) frown upon the lifestyle. It’s a hassle for everyone. And the payoff is rarely tangible. This is the struggle we wanted to portray in the film.


AB: What could have happened, in the movie, that would have stopped the sequence of negative events in the character's lives?


BM: It’s all really random. I have friends who have ended up in the gnarliest situations—killing people, killing themselves, going to prison. And I have seen others who were really no different (myself included) who managed to avoid the most severe drama. There’s really a lot of fate involved. With Heir and Vain, it was just a series of everyday events that culminated in tragedy. We have had so many writers come up to us after screenings and say, “I feel like you made a movie about my life.” It’s easy to look back in hindsight at my friends’ lives, or look at the screen and armchair quarterback. But the truth is, we all make decisions in life. And uncontrollable events occur every day. There’s really nothing you can do but follow your heart. In many ways, both characters in the film were trying to do this. And it obviously leads them in different directions.


AB: I feel like a lot of people in America view graffiti as undesirable, and associate it with a lot of bad things that it's not necessarily connected to.  How does the film address that?


BM: It doesn’t really. Quality of Life is not a documentary. It’s a dramatization of real life people and events. So it does not deal with the “why”s and “how”s of graffiti. People obviously have very strong opinions about graffiti. We are a property obsessed culture, so it’s not surprising. Graffiti reeks of unrest. It makes people uncomfortable, like things are out of control. But the thing is, things ARE out of control. The disparity between wealth has never been greater. Average Americans are struggling to make ends meet. And most people I know are starving for a sense of identity and purpose. Graffiti, and street art in general, is the voice of the people. It is a way for “commoners” to speak up and say “I exist”. When The Gap and McDonald’s do that (far more frequently than any graffiti writer, I might add), few complain. In fact, as a culture, we have become immune to corporate graffiti.

People’s fears about graffiti are just. It IS in fact a sign of unrest. And, when you write on someone else’s property, it is vandalism. However, painting over it does nothing to address the root causes of this unrest. The War on Graffiti is an extremely shallow, short-sighted, and literally surface-level, intervention.

AB: It's pretty obvious that you have a respect for graffiti artists and their work.  One of the most attractive aspects of street art to me has always been it's inherent presence as art in a traditionally non-art space... people see it in places where they don't expect to, and it kind of sneaks up on them.  What advantages do you think graffiti has over other, more traditional mediums, as an art form?


BM: Graffiti, much like independent film and music, is unbridled. The only critics that matter are peers. Unlike the gallery scene, there are no curators or buyers to please. The end result is an incredibly pure and raw art form. I will always choose the street tour over a gallery opening.




AB: Where do you see the street art and graffiti movement going in the next few years?


BM: Despite 30 years of politically motivated Draconian crackdowns (see recent raids in London, SF, NYC, Sydney, and the msypace investigation in Boston), graffiti and street art in general are more popular than ever, in both mainstream and underground culture. The get-tough-on-crime approach has made graffiti incredibly attractive; it has become the last form of urban rebellion. So, although I definitely see the art form progressing, the real evolution is in the placement. Cats are getting braver and more sophisticated about getting up (see Banksy). My hope is that there is some sense of political direction. But, in all likelihood, that’s just my rose-colored glasses talking. One thing’s for sure, graffiti isn’t going anywhere.


AB: What does this movie have in it for people who aren't familiar with the street art scene?  What do you want them to take away from it?


BM: It’s a universal story. Although the story is set in the graffiti subculture, it’s about friendship, more than anything. Anyone can relate to themes of struggle and impermanence. In fact, some of the most glowing reviews have from older viewers. The film definitely appeals to a broad audience.

As far as message, I’m really not trying to cram anything down anyone’s throat. Ultimately, if Quality of Life gets people talking and thinking, I have done my job.


AB: Finally, what's happening with the film now?  What's the best way for people to see/get their hands on it?


BM: We’re, playing select theaters, basically touring our way across the country. We’re self-distributing, so how far we get depends of how we do along the way. The dvd drops this summer. We’ll have them available (along with Putting the Pieces Together, the behind-the-scenes book Soft Skull is publishing) on our website: www.qualityoflife-themovie.com



Thanks for the support. See you at the movies!