Graffiti

Graffiti markings in public space offers the allure of a mystery. To the viewer, they are painted by anonymous writers for reasons unknown, and their messages are often obscure. They appear and disappear without warning. They do not usually promote commerce, lay down the law or give instructions, and in this way they differ markedly from the functional signs we do know how to read. In the case of subway-style graffiti in particular, the message can be deeply encoded in elaborate "wildstyle" lettering that disguises and deconstructs the forms of the letters themselves. But cryptic messages can be conveyed even by more easily read tags or pieces, such as a series of letters and numbers, a word fragment or a misspelt word that could be a noun, verb and adjective all at once. Graffiti is a contemporary form of hieroglyphs, mysterious messages left on the material fabric of our culture. Becoming urban archaeologists, we attempt to unravel their meanings as we go about our business.

Quote from "Uncommissioned art, an A-Z of Australian graffiti" by Christine Dew

I must say..
Damn.