With the rise of rock climbing's popularity, a new form of graffiti known as "rappel graffiti" has emerged in New York City. Many graffiti artists have turned to climbing gyms and online tutorials to learn this skill. They use climbing gear and ropes to tag high, previously untouchable areas in urban settings. Notably, practitioners like XSM and QZAR venture out at night to conquer urban facades, often facing challenges such as equipment issues like frozen ropes, while employing ingenuity in their creative pursuits.
XSM, who is thirtysomething and slender (his tag denotes his stature: extra small), slipped a balaclava over his head. "The mental thing is probably the biggest barrier," he said. "It's actually very safe when you're on a rope."
On the roof, QZAR discovered a problem: "My rope is frozen," he said. It had been soaked the previous week while he tagged a decrepit "Welcome to the Bronx" sign in a downpour. "Fuck, dude," XSM said. "I don't know if that's good."
Deploying the tools of "rappel graffiti," the vandals have been racing to claim fresh canvases of vertical space once thought untaggable.
Shortly after midnight on a recent frigid evening, two of the form's most accomplished practitioners, XSM and QZAR, met up on a shadowy street near SoHo, both dressed entirely in black.
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