Newtown Graffiti and Heritage Walk

(10 reviews)

Johannesburg audio tour: Newtown Graffiti and Heritage Walk

This is a 1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 20 mins to complete.

Johannesburg

South Africa

Archived

This tour isn’t available for download. We’ve preserved the script and audio as a record of its moment in time, but we don’t recommend doing the tour. It was published in May 2017.

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About the Tour

The Newtown area is one of Johannesburg's most interesting examples of urban renewal and cultural diversity. The city is changing daily and becoming increasingly more colourful in the eyes and hearts of the people.

Join me on a walk around this historical hub and allow me to share some personal and in depth insight into the vibrant world of graffiti art.

Tour Producer

Bias

0 tours

Bias is an independent Graffiti artist who has lived and painted in Johannesburg his whole life. He does graffiti tours with the company Past Experiences in the inner city. He works in a variety of mediums and does commercial as well as private murals. Bias has travelled Africa extensively and has many connections countrywide, he is well known, knowledgeable and respected in the graffiti community. You can see some of his work on instagram: @intotheabis

Preview Location

Location 1

Introduction, and a brief History of Graffiti

Hello and welcome. I am an independent Graffiti artist, Archaeologist and tour guide, and I go by the alias, ‘Bias’. Joburg is my hometown, and I’ve been putting my work on the walls here for the last decade. I would like to share part of my world with you today on this walk a... Hello and welcome. I am an independent Graffiti artist, Archaeologist and tour guide, and I go by the alias, ‘Bias’. Joburg is my hometown, and I’ve been putting my work on the walls here for the last decade. I would like to share part of my world with you today on this walk around Newtown. Before we start, it’s important to mention that graffiti is very transient, and ever-changing. I’ve made every effort to keep an eye on the area and keep the tour up-to-date. But there’s always a chance that the work I’m talking about has been changed or removed. The story itself is still relevant, so it won’t be too much of a problem, but if you do notice changes, please let me know by commenting on the route, either in tha app or on voicemap.me.

The walk starts from the parking lot of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on Miriam Makeba Street. If you are facing the entrance turn to your right and you should notice a large park. Walk down to the park’s edge, towards the row of wooden heads.

Graffiti as we know it started in the late 60’s, and was mainly used by activists bent on making political statements. One of the first people to be identified by the public as what we graffiti artists term a ‘writer’ was Taki 183 from Washington Heights. Taki was simply a nickname and 183 was the street number where he lived. He was a foot messenger and left his name wherever he went.

From the mid 70’s to late 80’s Graffiti artists started to develop uniquely individual and more elaborate wordplay. Artists from the five boroughs of New York started displaying their work on the most unique walls of the city: the New York Subway cars. Many of these early artworks formed the very foundations of graffiti culture today. In South Africa, graffiti only really began after the end of apartheid, so we’re about twenty years behind. But more and more people are starting to explore the potential of eye catching and colourful artworks to bring life to their cities. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Sci-Bono Discovery Centre
Johannesburg MuseuMAfricA
Johannesburg Workers Museum

Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
48 Rahima Moosa St, Newtown, Johannesburg, 2113, South Africa
Total distance

2km
Final location
Rahima Moosa St, Newtown, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Distance back to start location

111.08m

Directions to Starting Point

The route starts at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on Miriam Makeba Street, . The center lies in between Jeppe and President Street.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Sci-Bono Discovery Center, Bassline, Ko spotong restaurant, Kaldis coffee shop, Museum Africa, Two by Two gallery, Newtown Junction Mall, The Market Theatre, The Workers Museum

Best time of day

During daylight hours, preferably between mid-morning and early evening (10am-5.30pm)

Precautions

Please Keep an eye on your belongings and avoid this tour at night. Be vigilant and watch where you walk- there are many open drain covers. Be careful of any construction near the Mall Junction.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

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Questions and Reviews

4.9 / 5

10 Ratings

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