Graffiti: material or immaterial cultural heritage?

Patrimônio cultural material ou imaterial?

Abstract

 It discusses graffiti as a cultural heritage and proposes that it can be preserved for future generations. It is recognized the paradoxical aspect that works of the type graffiti inspire in relation to the proposal of its institutionalization and safeguard, considering the principle of the ephemeris that it carries within itself. The question is: is graffiti characterized as material or immaterial cultural heritage? As a general objective, it was proposed to understand concepts that characterize graffiti as cultural heritage, capable of being documented and preserved, and, for its scope, it was defined by analyzing proposals for convergence between graffiti and the material and immaterial cultural assets of contribute to the documentary treatment of graffiti. The research, with a qualitative approach and of a theoretical-conceptual nature, presents exploratory objectives and makes use of bibliographic and documentary procedures. It turns out that graffiti fits both the category of immaterial and material cultural heritage: immaterial, because it is included in the scope of the visual arts as knowledge and form of artistic expression, and, material, for generating a tangible product made by the human hand through of a technique. Graffiti is liable to have documentary treatment both on account of its material and immaterial aspects, which makes it an information resource for cultural assets.