Ed's Tag

your just as bad as the other ppl who have grafitted all over the place!

I was going to Byberry for 20 years before I did this. It's in the highest trafficked building, a modern one, and there's already *thousands* of tags all over the place. If this was Skillman or Pennhurst, I wouldn't even have considered any defacement of property. I've never tagged anywhere on the street or in public either. I've also never started any fires or conducted destructive vandalism in any way at the Berry.

It's hard for many to realize, but tagging is sort of a trait of byberry explorers since it closed. I too, personally hate the fires *ahem*, and all the senseless destruction. Productivity seems a better way to spend time in a place you plan on coming back to over and over. But tagging has always been synonamous with byberry. Its part of what makes byberry byberry, like it or not. I agree with Ed about how worng it is to tag at other places, ( i feel like a shmuck for my few tags at Pennhurst). But it will always be part of byberry, so can we keep the bitching to ourselves please? If its not your thing, don't come to "the berry".

In NYC it's considered art. Look how Jean Michel Basquiat got started!

It's th only "real" graffitti I've ever done.
I usually disdain this sort of behavior.

i have to agree its something you can go back and see and say i did that i was here so many years ago. but the people that spray vulger and unnecessary things is stupid. i have to admit i would leave my mark there as well.

But Ed, why tag inside a building that's gonna get demolished within the next couple of years?

I've got this picture, don't I?

I was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia. I remember driving down the Boulevard in the evening, with my parents, when the lights came on in "Byberry". The grounds were always meticulously kept.
Leave it to an abandoned property in Philadelphia to be defaced. The photos are truly "art", the graffiti, not so much.

The photos are great. Thank you!
The graffiti is pathetic.

Radical Ed....... Cool Tag!

It was born from the absolute boredom of waiting for a few wiggerish buddies to get done with their NYC style tags. I tried to make it a mix of Anthrax and Iron Maiden style letters because their's were so...well...*ethnic*. I wanted to make a statement for Heavy Metal since most graffitti has a rap influence to it.

radical ed, i would like to put my "mark" at byberry because i think im pretty good at drawling and tagging but i have not been there yet and i would like to know where I could do it at that will be seen be people but not get messed up.

How about not leaving a "mark"?
Go to art school.
There is a novel idea.

art school is a big waste of my time and i dont know if u have noticed but alot of the percentage of byberry is tagged up and i dont think mine is going to matter that much.

Timmerz, this one is on the floor under the Champ's Couch roof. There are dozens of hallways in the three "E" shaped *N* buildings on the first and second floors. The majority of them, believe it or not, aren't tagged beyond belief. I'm positive you'll find a wall large enough for your tag. The walls in these dorms don't go all the way to the ceiling, stopping at approximately six feet. If you see condensation on the wall move to another one so the paint will actually adhere. I don't usually condone this sort of behavior but Byberry is slated for demolition this fall, so I don't see doing it and grabbing some pics of it for posterity.

sup, Ed, GD, and all. nice tag indeed. see some of my new tags around? theyre quite metal and vampyric. I'm no artist, but I am a prolific byberrian who's attendence is unrivaled, and I say... fuck em. thanx for the six feet under cds.

hey Radical Ed, Enjoyed all these pics once again!

whats up with the upside down cross??? thats messed up!!!

I've got mixed feeling about the "tags" all over. On one hand the place is in ruins anyways. They will end up demolishing these buildings and putting up expensive housing.

It also emphasizes the neglect and the human tendency to close ones eyes to a shaded past. How could these vast buildings be left to rot? Its a shame and the debris and trash left behind proves to me that pushing these people out of hospitals was a rushed job.

Grant you, the dream of making a nuturing secure place for the mentally ill was a good one but it falls short. Anywhere you have a large amount of human beings in an institutional setting you will find cruelty and abuse.

Long story short.. the defacing of these buildings seems predictable. Its rebellious. The abandoned buildings represent institutions and getting lost in the red tape as well as falling short of good intentions. Welcome to the modern world.

Ed's got it exactly right, imho. Tagging borders on criminal when it's done to something that holds some future promise. But Byberry is a monument/tribute to insanity -- the graffiti and degradation only serve to further enforce that. This is where artwork and entropy belong.

In the case Ed described, I think its acceptable - and at least he didn't put something grotesque or profane. There can sometimes be exceptions to every rule.

Tag is fucking sick! Yea went there for my first time last night. I want to go again but I need to find a fuckin byberry expert. So they can take us to everyplace there and fucking beat the shit outta herion addicts.

I'm the sick tagger/fucking expert Relic. There aren't any heroin addicts there. The only person I know who does that, that goes to Byberry, would more than likely kill you with his bare hands if you fucked with him. The homeless don't live there because of the high traffic from teens and firestarters.

I don't think that this tag is bad .. I dislike graffiti and this to me is not graffiti I see it as art and a way of expressing one's self.. using the word gay is a term my clients use and if people don't like the way thing's look then they should just move on.

Well, it is just about November and no demolition. Any news in that department? I lived two streets over from Byberry (Milford Street) and I remember going up to the store when patients would shuffle over there from smokes.

demolition i believe is scheduled for january. does anyone know what developer purchased the land to build on? thanks - any info is greatly appreciated.

http://www.phila.gov/ohnp/byberry.htm

That's a link to the development site. Enjoy!

I think in most cases it's depressing to see graffiti but as it's already been discussed in this case it's kind of acceptable. There was a building around my dad's place growing up that was the same. The graffiti believe it or not was in good taste though; people actually drew nice pictures, it wasn't vulgar in any way.

I admire you Ed for trying to make a heavy metal statement.

i like it : )

As tags go, this one is one of the better ones. At least he took the time to make it look nice, unlike the 2 billion other chicken -cough- scratch* tags that litter the place. If you are going to tag and I would say taggin the berry is ok at this point, might as well do it with style.

There are rare occasions in which graffitti is art, when most often it is vulgar.
It's not something that I would condone on a building that is still in use, or one that is a historical landmark that isn't going anywhere, because of preservation work.
But, when it's got a date with the wrecking ball, and it is a tradition then..... It can be fitting.

Speaking of tradition and tags. Mr. Motts, I can't wait to see what treasures you gleaned from MCD in my hometown of Motown.
I used to explore in there often before I moved west, but never had the forethought to take a camera.

Hey Ed, I really enjoy your style. I worked in N-8 1980-1990. Thanks.

What a toy. Hella wack. :)

I like the upside down cross right after radical. Is this guy into antichristian stuff?

Tee hee! 8`-)

Nice tag.

The upside-down cross was done for shock value. I'm an Atheist, but I have no anti-Christian sentiments. It's just a throwback to my high school days as a young-budding Metalhead. Nostalgia rules.

whats the big deal
philadelphia is one of the worlds most graffiti art rich cities
there are no metal or wigger style writing
its all self expression

People have a few theories about the demolition. Could be delayed because of the abestos.
Nice tag. If I went there, I'd sure as hell make my mark.
Here's something to think about:
All of your marks are left there, and it will get demolished. When the wrecking ball slams it, they will be destroyed. All of that history, GONE. At least it went down in a blaze of glory, right?
I SO wish I could go there.

out of all them tags can't say that Isaw that one

Whats the big deal? The place is trashed, anyway.

Thank goodness the individuals who put the graffiti all over Byberry are apparently unable to drive or don't have wheels. Other sites that Mr. Motts has taken pictures of are not "tagged" by the individuals who can only access buildings they can walk to on the Boulevard!

Now that's just ridiculous. How do you think people get to Byberry anyway?
They drive there.
There's more kids at Byberry because it's in a city of over 5 million people. That might have something to do with it.
The law of averages strikes again.

Ed, FUCKING SICK TAG! Motts, great shot! You too are a good pair, Ed as a guide, Motts as the photographer, i can see it now, hundreds of photos taken by Radical Ed and Mettalic Motts!

i definitly agree with what gd said much earlier about tagging being apart of byberry, it is, & it always will be. live it, love it, or get the fuck out =) love you guys!

i love this site by the way

Radical i would rather see your art than the dismal walls behind it. As if it really matters what goes on in there.. its our house now and soon it will be gone anyways.

Rad.Ed.
Kickass tag.
GabbZ. <333.

I tried to fined that tag every where I could not find it just tell me what building its in then I'll find it .....

This tag is located somewhere in N-9.

My whole family is from Philly, and I was born there. We now reside in Canton, a small town in NE PA. finally go the chance to go *past* Byberry this winter while visiting some relatives. I'd very much like to see the exterior of the buildings close up, which finally brings me to my question: Will security stop you if you're on the grounds looking around? Or do they only stop you when you're *inside* the buildings?

Alot of the time, they don't even stop at all. Security NEVER goes inside the buildings. Police do go in the buildings, but this is not cxommon. They aren't really supposed to go in at all, only the rookies with balls of steel go in and end up chasing you through an entire building. They don't go upstairs (especially with the menacing-looking hole in the stairs you see as you enter birdshit, lol), or past the building they entered through, or into the catacombs.

Andrew has the right of it. It's on the floor right under the "cement couch" in N-9.
Happy hunting MJ.

thanks ! now I can get my own picture of this shit and add it to my collection

did anyone disrespect it yet ?

Someone took the painted-over plug outlet covers off looking for copper. That's about it as of last month.

I found the tag today. Other than the outlet covers missing, it remains untouched.

yo andrew its me MJ remember you took me to the big audotorium the maintnence and this tag of radical eds

Yep..

this stuff is scary

It's so interesting to see the differing perspectives on this subject. I'm down with graff out in the real world, but it just seems so disrespectful to the patients that were here in such shitty conditions to be painting the place up. I feel as though this doesn't just pertain to graff either; it's the parties and drinking too... I understand if it's part of the culture of Byberry, but it just seems so fucked up to be doing these things in a place where there were some tweaked out people suffering for so many years.

WTF folks? The place is abandoned ,according to Radical Ed, has been for a decade or more. This is not the Sistine Chapel people. It is an abandoned building descending into a ruin. Why not tag if it suits your fancy? It is not Tenochtitlan or the Step Pyramid in Seqqarah. It is not a holy place. Good grief people if they are tagging in there maybe they'll leave some apartment buildings with people in it alone. Perspective people, perspective. I worked at Danvers State Hospital. It is/was tagged too. BFD. The place was a dump when it closed. The state ignored it for over 20 years prior to it's closure. It provided, like PSH, illicit jollies for apparently hundreds of people over the years. They left their marks No big deal. Here endeth my rant.

ditto on the tags goddog

thats one fucked up thing to say relic what do you know about heroin addicts and addiction thats the most ignorant remark ive seen on opacity

get off this kids fuckin case... he did one fuckin tag. and by the looks of that tag , he doesnt do it offen. graff is every were! not just in this hospital... but in every major city. and to answer max's question fot r ed.. its not about how long it will last... i bet its more about how much time hes spent thre and how long hes wanted to leave a piece of himself there. kinda like when people put flowers in a casket.

Yo nice tag the cross is a little wierd but its bangin! screw these people i noe ppl who tag in there too. they aint got nuttin 2 say sooo...

i think that peace pic is some oak ass shit

Was that last comment in english?

I don't think so Mrs Christina -lol
But allow me to translate. I believe what they meant to say was:
" it is in my opnion that this photographic masterpiece is most outstanding"

Never understood the point of tagging any place. And find it to be quite stupid. But thats just me.

Tagging is, was, and always will be a part of the Byberry subculture. If you aren't part of it, you could never understand. An outsiders opinion might be more suited when it is about other locations, but not Byberry. If you haven't spent countless Saturday nights at the barbecues and other festivities, then just let it be...

"Fool's names and fool's faces always show in public places."

funny...pictures posted from a federally contained asbestos abatement area. the level of scrutiny people think they are under on this page and pictures are allowed to be posted of thus said people breaking federal laws.

Do you what's even funnier? There pictures were taken LOOOOOOOOOONG before Byberry was ever a federally contained asbestos abatement site.

Oh I'm sorry, I mistook those air filters as being items used to perform abatement.
D'oh!

Amused Idiot,

This is the second flaming post you have submitted under two separate aliases. We would be happy to submit a complaint to your server if this persists.

I don't see any people in the photos and I don't see any mention of the source of said photos. They could've been found on the internet or shared by a third party via scanner, email, or cd/data transfer through a share program.

bahhh... bahh...
why is it that any opinion held by another party is always considered flaming? why is it that rational debates cannot be held without the threat of banning or deletion of posts? it's understood that this is a privatly owned page and forum but why would one not encourage diversity and questioning of ideals and thoughts held dearly?

*sigh*

If you don't like it you can always go somewhere else...we're not fussed, honestly.

Opinions are one thing. Intentionaly singling someone out or making deragitory comments to someone or a group of someones IS flaming, and should be deleted.
Rational debates go on here at this site all the time without incident. But when someone crosses the line into intentional flaming of an individual than they are reprimanded. Happens all over the place not just here. You wouldn't be able to get away with it at a job, why should it be acceptable here?

Who are the Geppert Brothers?

I'm pretty sure they're the brothers of Mary, the one going by the three alias's above.

Well, why the heck would they write in here if they are the people doing the demolition? Do they think people who read this will believe there is a large groundswell of outside support for their techniques and jump on the bandwagon? That's just a little embarrassing, to me. Oh well, I guess the business world is a weird one. That's why I prefer to work with people in MR/MH/ID. At least they are generally honest about who they are and what they want.

That's quite a piece of work. I do admire what you guys have done here, sure sounds like an adventure.

wow radman... this page seems to have grown since my last visit!!!

I AM SOOO PISSED I NEW GOT THE CHANCE TO EXPLORE THIS PLACE, AND NOW IT'S GONE.........!!!!!!!!!!!! SO MAD

fukk the haters that shyts art!!! keep it goin nd dnt get caught!!! fukk yew hatazzz!!! i like it!!!

i have left my mark in every building that i have visited....i see nothing wrong with it...good job ed..

It is just plain stupid to do stuff like that so if you get caught you can get fined like that for 300 bucks think about that when you do it.

Can't say that I usually agree with graffiti, but here it works. It's as if this place is so sterile and institutional like, that the graffiti actually gives it a human touch which it is in great need of!!

Radical Ed it is not nice to spray your mark all over Byberry but if it is like a Sharpie Marker that isn't that bad but it is still not right.

Rad Ed, haha nice work, too bad its since been demolished.. we always knew that's what eventually would happen anyway... too those of us who wander those halls late at night drinking, smoking, joking, pretending to be the little rebels we all are inside. it was ours... a place were we felt like home, and in that it kept us from doing the above activities in neighborhoods. For some of us it was a contest, a navigational system.. hey i've been here... and i know you were there.. lets try going here... haha well it frivoulous now, our
escape is gone... but our memories live on..

RiP Byberry

<-JoKer->

i LiKE iT ... DONT LET LOSER LiKE DEM '' PUT U DOWN FOR THE ART DAT THERE HATin on =)

where were the ploice then

good art job

Now that these buildings are gone, what will these vandals do?
Only in cities is this vandalism considered "art".
These vandals should get a box of crayons and some paper...

Just so you all know, if I catch anyone defacing an asylum I'm exploring...you get the beat down. Test me. Your "statements" are pathetic compared to the statement these buildings make. What's your statement Ed? "My name is Radical Ed"? So what. You & any of the "byberrians" get the mash up if I see you.

Uh,"warrior" comments like that are what get people like you into trouble.. Talking $#!% to people you know nothing more about then what you may read online. you may want to watch what you say and to who you say it.. but if you insist on letting your mouth run try using a name people will know how to find instead of talking behind the protection of a keyboard..

lol get the fuck outa here tht shit corney as all hell....

Hey Radical Ed,
Like you I spent many many hours crawling through the corridors and tunnels of Byberry, I mostly explored the old side, across the Blvd. We played back there as kids in the very early 70's. It's cool to see you have kept the place alive with your photo's bro. I recently did a bulletin on myspace on Byberry and that's how I learned of you, in doing the research for images I found yours. Would love to get together sometime and hear more stories about the place. Byberry never gets old for me.

Good work bro, and fuck anyone who doesn't get it or think they know something they don't...

Reach me here if you get this note...
You may have to copy n paste it, not sure...
Best to reach me at myspace...
http://www.myspace.com/spiritwulfmedicine

Or second best at facebook...
http://www.facebook.co...le&id=1632127347

Last is e-mail...
spiritwulf1@yahoo.com

Peace bro, again, good work.

It was born from the absolute boredom of waiting for a few wiggerish buddies to get done with their NYC style tags. I tried to make it a mix of Anthrax and Iron Maiden style letters because their's were so...well...*ethnic*. I wanted to make a statement for Heavy Metal since most graffitti has a rap influence to it.

Brilliant. you Sir are a man amongst men! i love it.

if it was gonna get demolished who gives a fudge

Radical Ed, you must be proud (said sarcastically). Going there for twenty years! Neat!

Radical Ed- I absolutely enjoy all of your photos. I don't live any near Byberry and looking at these photos is the next best thing to personally being there. As a UE you should know to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures. You should leave the tagging to all the other ignorant people. You should know better. Looking through your pictures was great until I saw that you are contributing to the vandalism to these abandon places. You are making the next persons experience worse by tagging every thing. I don't want to hear excuses.

it looks like you guys were having an awesome time!!

love the photography! i was reading throught the comments, and think i may have found an old friend of mine who went to art school in philly.... i called him "timmers" if anyone knows tim, please get ahold of me.