artists and gentrifications

How does a gentrification process start off? It starts off with the artists of course.

Land becomes expensive. Artists get displaced and search for cheaper options. They move in droves since their profession is very much ecosystem driven. It does not take long for the newly colonised area (e.g. Brooklyn in New York, Woodstock in Cape Town) to become cool and attract non-artist youngsters as well. At some point, everybody becomes aware of the new cool and the average appreciation (among the colonisers) of local cultural texture and old buildings etc decreases, and gentrification accelerates and starts to become more visible.

Gentrification often results in the destruction of what is beautiful. But that too is ironically caused by the artists' decisions. When artists look for new lands, they not only prioritise cheapness but also seek authenticity and vibrancy. In other words, they unintentionally cause the death of what they desire to feed on without disruption.

In short, gentrification is the process of the cool killing the genuine.