A documentary look at photography inside graffiti culture
With One Eye Open – The Series is a short documentary series that dives deep into the often unseen relationship between graffiti and photography. Written, shot, and directed by Jonathan Pieterse, with a concept by Jasper van Es and a soundtrack composed by Niels Matitawaer, the series explores how photographers navigate risk, ephemerality, and intention within graffiti culture across different cities and generations. Rather than focusing solely on finished pieces, the series turns its lens toward the act of documentation itself—why images are made, what they replace, and how photography has become both witness and destination in graffiti culture.
Episode 1: The Trainwriter
Sydney, Australia
The opening episode follows a trainwriter from the MIA crew as he paints the Sydney metro—marking the first time a metro train in Australia has been painted. The ambition is clear: create a piece that moves through the city, visible to the public as it rolls by. That intention is cut short. The graffiti is removed almost immediately after the photos are taken. What remains is the documentation. This episode questions a growing shift in graffiti culture: creating work primarily for the photograph. When visibility in traffic is no longer possible, the camera becomes the final audience. The Trainwriter reflects on the tension between traditional graffiti values and a reality where images outlive paint.
Episode 2: Cat Cent Cat
Paris, France
In Paris, analog photographer @catcentcat captures the city through instinct and movement. Shooting on film, his approach is spontaneous and open-ended—allowing Paris itself to dictate the outcome. Each roll becomes a collection of surprises: blurred moments, layered scenes, unexpected encounters. The city’s rhythm shapes the images, turning every photograph into a memory rather than a controlled composition. This episode highlights the beauty of uncertainty and the emotional weight of analog photography in an environment as dense and alive as Paris.
Episode 3: Edward Nightingale
Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg presents a very different atmosphere. Here, graffiti photography exists under constant pressure from a highly active and organized vandal squad. Photographer Edward Nightingale operates with precision and restraint, documenting a carefully planned mission with graffiti writer Rage. Every move is deliberate—from scouting locations to timing and execution. This episode emphasizes preparation, trust, and discipline. In a high-risk environment, photography becomes a calculated act, balancing artistic vision with personal safety.
Episode 4: Alex Fakso
London, UK
The final episode dives into the extensive archive of Alex Fakso, a graffiti photographer active since the early 1990s. Scrolling through decades of work reveals not just an evolution in style, but a changing relationship between graffiti, politics, and public space. Fakso’s images often escape the frame—visually and conceptually—delivering political messages and confronting power structures. His photography echoes the rebellious core of graffiti, proving that documentation can be just as radical as the act itself.
More Than Documentation
With One Eye Open – The Series is not just about graffiti photography—it’s about intention, risk, and memory. Across Sydney, Paris, Hamburg, and London, the series shows how photographers adapt to their environments and how the camera has become an integral part of graffiti culture. Whether capturing something made to disappear, embracing chance on film, operating under surveillance, or archiving decades of resistance, the series offers a nuanced and honest look at seeing graffiti with one eye on the wall and one on the lens.
For more informations on this project, please visit: https://withoneeyeopen.online/