Defacing Darwin

On Friday night, someone vandalized one of West Ashley’s most beloved works of art —  “Darwin’s Secret,”  a mural, located on the outside back wall of  Avondale Wine & Cheese in Alycia Alley. Now covered in bright red graffiti, the outcry from the local artist community, the businesses in Avondale Point, and the neighboring Byrnes Downs residents has reached a fever-pitch since the crime occurred in the early morning of Saturday, Sept. 20.
Originally created about four years ago by local visual artist Sean Williams’, the mural of an aging Charles Darwin stood out, not for it’s bright colors or flashy imagery, but for it’s amazing detail, muted colors, and its haunting subtly.
Williams’ “Darwin’s Secret” was named to a list of “100 Most Beloved Street Arts” by a national street art blog. If you’ve every walked down Alycia Alley then you’ve probably noticed the large-scale mural of the famed scientist, pressing his index finger to his wild white bearded face as if it say “shhhhh … I have a secret.” But by 9 a.m. Saturday morning there was no secret as to who painted over the mural in bright red spray paint.
Along with his signature identifying tag, local graffiti artist Jordan Beyl (aka Dome Splitter) has fessed up to the incident, admitting on Facebook that he had been drinking and it was dark in the alley. He claims he didn’t realize he was painting over someone else’s work. The large portion of the vandalism is in an area of the mural where strange and intricate creatures lurk in the shadows to the right of Darwin’s face. “I made it a point to find a blank spot on the wall, but like I said it was dark and I failed, obviously,” wrote Beyl in response to the lambasting he took on Facebook following the incident.
“I was initially disgusted and angry,” says Williams when he found out his work had been defaced. “This was a stupid and immature act of vandalism. This mural means a lot to me. It is the first mural I painted and has received a lot of publicity, helping my career as an artist. I’m really glad that Jordan [Beyl] was called out. It is not ok to deface other’s hard work.”
Williams, who spent weeks working on the mural said Beyl has reached out to him personally and wants to help “make it right.” But that wasn’t his first response. When called out on Facebook for the graffiti, Beyl used the social media platform to first deny it was even him that had done it and then blasted the local artist who collaborated on the unique community art project known as chART — Charleston’s Outdoor Art Initiative and Gallery. However, Beyl quickly seemed contrite, acknowledging he was responsible for the graffiti and apologized for the vandalism, even offering to help remove it or fix it.
Continuing to deny that it was him would have likely proven to be futile. Not only did Beyl sign his moniker “Dome Splitter” in bright red on the mural, but there was also surveillance video from next door at Jericho Advisors, which also serves as an art gallery. In the video you can see a young man that appears to be Beyl walking towards the wall along with another unidentified male and then the two walk away from it a short time later.
chART founder and the curator of the Alycia Alley mural project Geoffrey Richardson says the incident has prompted him and other owners to install further surveillance cameras behind their businesses. “We just want other taggers to know that the businesses connected to the ‘Art Alleyway’ have committed to installing more cameras as a result of this,” says Richardson, who also owns neighboring Lava Salon. “Please go find somewhere else to mess with and leave our beautiful community project alone.”
Jericho Advisors owner Josh Silverman feels continuing to increase surveillance and lighting in the back of Alycia Alley is necessary to avoid future incidents like this. “I feel that with ‘street art’ like murals, there is always the risk of vandalism, and it’s up to property owners and tenants to make sure their spaces are protected,” said Silveman.
According to Richardson, it’s now up to the business owner and the artist if they want to pursue any legal action. Beyl has been charged with similar crimes in the past and was urging that legal action not be taken in this case. However, as of Sunday afternoon, Avondale Wine & Cheese co-owner Lewis Dodson was still fuming about the vandalism. “I’m pretty angry at the flagrant disrespect of personal property and art,” said Dodson, who reported it to the police as soon as he got to work on Saturday. “The graffiti was so poorly done and in such a large format that it seemed a direct attack.”
Over the course of the next 24 hours following the graffiti, local artists and admirers of the mural blasted Beyl via social media. “I’ve read all the Facebook posts and I’m glad that the art community is outraged by this and even Jordan’s graffiti peers, but for me this is a personal property issue,” says Dodson. “We love the mural that graces the back wall of our business. We wanted it there and to have someone deface it is the same to us as vandalizing the front of the building, our logo or front windows.”
While Dodson is taking the vandalism as a direct attack on his business, Williams is trying not to take it personal. “I doubt this is personal. I don’t know Jordan [Beyl] or what he was thinking. Maybe he really disliked my piece,” said Williams. “I don’t understand what would motivate someone to do this. It is extremely disrespectful and sad to see in an art community. This mural involved a lot of work and time. We should be helping each other, rather than bringing others down.”
Other local artists quickly came to Williams’ defense. “I am all about grace, forgiveness. I know we all do dumb crap but this is beyond me. These artists, myself included, are trying to pave a way into the community and make public art a good and celebrated thing. When you go and deface another artist’s piece, what are you trying to gain?” asked local artist Kellie Bates, who just won West Of’s “Reader’s Choice” Award for her painted newspaper box as part of the chART Box project (see page 9). “People would have celebrated your art and style if you would have done it the right way, and you wouldn’t even be in the position you’re in. Instead you threw up some garbage bomb on a beautiful work of art!”
Asked whether he felt the art community’s shaming of “Dome Splitter” was sufficient punishment, Dodson still didn’t seem so sure. “I am a business man, not an artist, and this guy committed a crime against my business,” he said. “I will continue to talk to the police and maybe we can come to an arrangement, but I’m not sure what can be done to fix what’s been done.”
Saddened by the vandalism, Byrnes Downs resident and local author Donna Jacobs, whose house literally backs up to Alycia Alley, called Williams’ Darwin mural a “masterpiece.”
Williams, who has been flattered by outcry from the community, says he would like to fix the mural and is willing to work with Beyl to do so. “I really appreciate all the support from the community …  It won’t be an easy fix. I can’t just match up the paint. It has faded over the years, and the mural is full of subtleties. I plan to keep the main imagery, but will probably be repainting the majority of the wall, and possibly the whole wall.” Several in the community have pledged money toward having Williams repair or repaint the mural. As of press time, Richardson says several hundred dollars have already been pledged.
It’s this kind of community support that Silverman, who regularly curates fine art exhibits in his gallery, sees as essential to having a vibrant art scene. “I feel that these issues don’t get solved by owners and tenants alone. By inviting the public in, either by offering a place for free expression in a non-destructive and non-judgmental way, or through ongoing dialogue that allows for different voices and opinions to be heard, you get feelings out in the open and can address them before they escalate,” he says. “If you look at the dialogue on Facebook, the tagger had some disparaging remarks about muralists, maybe stemming from some sort of feeling of insecurity or not feeling included. By making them part of the art that is in the community, and building a sense of ownership around the project, people can foster civic pride across all participants, and deter vandalism at the same time.”
To that point, Byrnes Downs Neighborhood Association president Heather Powers reached out to Beyl personally via Facebook late Sunday night. “Jordan you appear to be capable of some beautiful work. You made a terrible mistake (several admittedly) and hopefully you will follow up and do the respectful thing to make this right. We (community of artists, neighbors, and business owners) are working hard to make Charleston and West Ashley a place to celebrate all different kinds of people and their creative voices. Join us don’t try to destroy us, please,” wrote Powers.
“I’m willing to make things right, however they feel that should be,” wrote Beyl. “Anyone who knows me knows this isn’t the kind of graffiti I’m about … I don’t enjoy stepping on other artist’s toes.”
Since the publication of this article a community-based fundraising effort has begun in helping Sean Williams restore his mural. If you’d like to contirbute, visit www.gofundme.com/seanwilliams.