The doco captures Pork tagging during the night and in broad daylight. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
The doco captures Pork tagging during the night and in broad daylight. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
A graffiti vandal who has offended across the country has vowed to continue tagging, as a new short film reveals the depths of his obsession with leaving his mark.
The short documentary from director Cameron Hunt, titled Full Time Pork, was uploaded to YouTube last night and has already attractedthousands of views.
It begins with a warning to others not to emulate the illegal behaviour and contains the disclaimer that the material seen in the film was “sent in anonymously” and “used only for the purpose of documentation”.
The film appears to be shot mostly in Wellington and shows a man committing acts of vandalism, shoplifting, hiding from his pursuers and telling the viewer that he has no plans to stop his illegal acts.
The unnamed individual, whose identity is obscured throughout the film, is seen repeatedly painting the word Pork on buildings, trains and motorways - including above Wellington’s Terrace Tunnel.
“You’d think I’d be better,” he says of his own artistic abilities, “considering how much I’ve done.
“It definitely doesn’t come naturally to me, bro. I mean, I guess I don’t chase the artform, bro. I like the adrenaline.”
Wellington City Council described the film as “nauseating” and spokesman Richard Maclean estimated that the cost to clean up after Pork could stretch into “seven figures”, noting that the overwhelming amount of the vandalism was done on private property or property belonging to other entities such as Waka Kotahi.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson told the Herald the agency wasconcerned with any vandalism on the state highway network.
“Risky behaviour by taggers illegally accessing highways and bridges not only puts them in danger, it can also pose risks to drivers when tags cover traffic signs and important information about closures or layout changes,” the spokesperson said.
Although many structures have anti-graffiti coatings that allow easy removal, the agency monitors its corridors for graffiti and specialist equipment can be required, which then leads to temporary traffic control and lane closures, causing delays and inconvenience for motorists.
Pork admitted that art was not his main motivation. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
Some of the tags are huge. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
The film shows the tagger taking huge risks. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
Pork’s impact is not limited to Wellington. In Auckland, the council have reported 30 incidents to police and says that there has been a lot more damage.
“We are aware that there are further incidents recorded on Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport, Kiwi Rail and Watercare assets,” Auckland Council business delivery manager Grant Muir told the Herald.
“We deal with between 70,000 to 110,000 graffiti incidents per year and the cost for this is significant. Over the past five years, the cost to Aucklanders for eradicating graffiti has been between $4.2 million and $4.4 million per year,” he said.
“Graffiti can have a negative impact on those living in the area, create a perception that nobody cares, attract more graffiti and encourage other types of crime in the community.”
Muir called on a strong community response to send the message that graffiti vandalism will not be tolerated and urged Aucklanders to remove it or report it for removal via the council.
In the documentary, Pork claims he is not doing anything wrong and is “not hurting anyone” with his actions.
“It’s better than looking at some sh***y advertisement on some big billboard,” he claims.
He says he knows he will receive “mixed feedback” for his graffiti but has “built thick skin over the years”.
One particularly brazen scene shows him stealing paint from a Bunnings Warehouse, stuffing cans into his trousers and socks.
The brazen shoplifting was captured on video. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
In a moment of reflection Pork says that he is in his “prime” as a graffiti artist and expresses a desire to keep outdoing himself, adding later that he is “motivated as f***” and “just getting started”.
He also speaks about his legal struggles, saying his charges are “building up” and that his lawyer has warned him that continuing his tagging will land him in jail.
Wellington's Terrace Tunnel was targeted. Photo / Full Time Pork/Cameron Hunt
As the doco concludes, Pork vows to continue his graffiti and says it is now “second nature, first nature, f*** it’s all I know - and I love it”.
Police told the Herald that they could not see any reports to them over the last month about Pork’s graffiti but warned others against copying what they saw.
“Tagging, graffiti, or defacing property is an act of intentional damage and is a criminal offence,” a police spokesperson said, asking members of the public to call 111 if they see a tagger in the act and report damage after the fact by calling 105.
