In this documentary, photographer and documentary filmmaker Henry Chalfant reflects on his work documenting New York’s graffiti movement during the 1970s and 1980s, and the lasting cultural impact of his photographs. His work would go on to influence generations of graffiti writers far beyond New York. The exhibition ART IS NOT A CRIME at STRAAT Museum explores this legacy, presenting Chalfant’s photographs at their original scale and tracing their influence on the Dutch graffiti scene.

The documentary is shown just before visitors enter the exhibition to offer the visitor a personal introduction to Henry, his work and the culture he spent years documenting.

I developed the documentary, from initial research and storyline to the creative direction and visual approach. I also conducted the interview with Henry and was involved in shaping the film throughout the editing process, working closely with the team to bring everything together. The whole documentary was produced in 4 days. From filming, composing music to editing and color grading.

Working on this project was a real honour. To talk with Henry, listen to his stories and talk about his work. His photographs have helped document a culture that has changed so much over the years, and it was interesting to hear his thoughts on what it means to him, looking back on that years later. As Henry mentioned during our talks: “I think there’s a lot of value to documenting culture and to have the enjoyment of seeing old pictures and remembering the way things were at the time. And sometimes you may not know that it’s valuable until, together with the passage of time, you see how something was done and it’s not done anymore. It’s done differently. And I think that that’s valuable.”

Thank you, Henry, for sharing your stories and insights!

Creative Direction, research & Interview : Leanne Vink
Cinematography: Nikolai van Nunen
Handycam Footage & Edit: Kaï D Humpleby
Co-Edit & Colour Grading: Leanne Vink
Music & Sound Design: Kaï D Humpleby
Additional Music: CARESOHM
Client: STRAAT Museum
Social Media & Content Manager at STRAAT: Christianne Pietersen