November 29, 2003

Profile -- Space 11:34

If you walk around lower Manhattan (especially Nolita, Soho, and the Lower East Side) you can't help but come across Space 11:34's stencil painted stickers. We've been intrigued by them for years. We were thrilled when Space 11:34 intorduced himself to us in an email last week.



Space 11:34 - The Vitals


Age: 23
Hometown: Drifter USA
Where do you now live?: in a constant state of peace and rage, with a little unstable stability
How long have you been creating street art?: i got suspended in school for writing on walls in 4th grade, then i questioned my motives for years. started back up in the late 90's, and been going strong since...
What did you do last night?: if u really want to know i smoked some shizz, inhaled some homemade ink, girlfriend wouldn't give me any action so i found some on the internet once again....
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: something free...Im broke!!!
Who is your favorite fictional character?: the girl nova from the original planet of the apes movie. she's a total minx who doesn't ever talk. the A-Team is also a crew im down with.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: broken sunlasses
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: study the hobo lifestyle, and slowely make my way in.... i find the underworld of the freight yards facinating...
Who do you love?: the girls from wild on E! show. its good late night basic cable fun for the whole gang!


Space 11:34 - The A's to Our Q's:


Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?

Space 11:34: don't really know. started doing it cause it was something to do, now it completly took over my life.

Wooster: Why Space 1134?

Space 11:34: before graff i focused my art on outer space looking scenes. 1134 or ETF represents the hell we all created and now live in. if u step back and see what the human race has created and dwells in its pretty fucked up. we are all robots being controlled by society, even if u dont want to admit it we are all slaves. thats why i respect hobos. and thats why i graff. cause authority hates it and CANNOT CONTROL IT! search and destroy!

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?

Space 11:34: all the people that do it cause they feel like they have to. any one can paint in their studio, but the people who get up a lot on the streets, u know their the real atists. those peple who paint cause they think hip hop is cool really piss me off. they are in it for the wrong reasons..

Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?

Space 11:34: lower manhatten is a scene. but i really enjoy spotting the hobo graffiti on freights. its a totally different scene.

Wooster: What inspires you now?

Space 11:34: the curious folks, who dont know about graff. i like to make their eyes open up.

Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peek?

Space 11:34: deathly ink recipes, and fucked up damaging homemade markers. and the regular stuff ment for the public eye.

Posted by marc at 8:35 AM in | Recommend this! (1) |


THE ESSENTIALS #19 - London Favorites by CUE of So Fuzzy Crew


LONDON the Favorites by CUE of So Fuzzy Crew






My favorite art gallery...

The TATE Modern, especially the weather project in the turbine hall.. it looks great on mushrooms....a bit much on LSD tho'












My favorite location to see street art...

Shoreditch , london.... every day I walk back through it and every day there's something that makes me go 'phew wow'. its a bloody street rennaissance I tell 'ya.





My favorite place to buy paint and supplies...

wickedpaint.com they are reliable, they are hella cheap and they always get me the paint I need.... theres also atlantis art supply store in Whitechapel but they are more expensive and they are always out of black paint (AAAARGH!!!)

My favorite local magazine...

shoreditch twat is always good for a guffaw

My favourite Calzone...

its got to be Chicos on Old Street, you can get a meal for 2 for ?20.00 . Its great for a cheap date.

my favourite place to find sex for ?10:

Commercial St, Spitalfields... NO I DIDNT DO IT!!!.... I was offered some 'business' one night last winter when I was out painting and I said "no thanks I've only got ?10" .... she replied "Oh I'll give you a shag for a tenner, you look clean, I could do with a warm-up" this is a true story... I did not take her up on her kind offer.

My favourite street skating route in London:

From Shoreditch to Liverpool Street, down through the city of London, over London Bridge and along the embankment to the South Bank, which has been skateboarding heaven for me for the past 20 years.

My favourite place to buy records in London...

Select-a-Disc on Berwick street.... Im not going to tell you which section of the shop is my favourite tho'.

My favourite place to eat a curry...

Nazrul 2 on Hanbury St off Brick Lane... they do a wicked Mushroom Biryani which comes with rice and is excellent value... plus their wallpaper has elephants on it.... awesome...

My favourite walk in London....

walking all the way along the Regents Canal in Daylight (I have been mugged by 2 guys on the canal and got my face cut by a knife but that was at night, so dont let that put you off) my favourite place to buy magic Mushrooms in London
you can legally buy them in Camden in the market thats just up the road from the tube station.... LEGALLY !!!! try the philosophers stones , they are psychedelic truffles and they RULE.

My favourite place to dance your ass off in London...

Bethnal Green working mans club (keep it a secret).... its like being in a holiday camp from the 50's... I love it so much... the perfect end to a perfect evening ...some cold beer, five hours of northern soul music and loads of east end girls. awesome.

My favourite place outside London...

STONEHENGE

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Give 'Em Props!.... Condo by Vinnie Ray



"George Condo's technique around 1997 was to draw characters on paper, rip them up and re-mix them, pasted on canvas. He would then paint over the collage, creating multi-faceted compositions. The result was very analogous to street art. His characters were mutations of classic cartoons and fantasy players. His canvas were hallucinations, as if your memory was a smashed mirror swept into a pile in the middle of the room. He describes them as landscapes of the mind.".. Vinnie Ray

Posted by marc at 8:09 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 28, 2003

Faesthetic Issue #3



Featuring work from over 80 artists:

Nago Richardis, Kevin Yuen-Kit Lo, FAILE, Michael A. De Feo, Fons Schidedon, J Penry, Touristyle, KozynDan, Linda Zacks, Travis Millard, BAST, Cody Hudson, Seth Scriver, Retrovisor, Oculart, PaoPaws, Aaron Paula, Ben & Renee Loiz, Alex Monitjo, Anthony Yankovic, Jen Props, Brian K Malley, JD Davis, Kathleen Thum, Joe Kral, Nocien Uskaemu, SuperMundane, Soner On, WWFT, Joe Shimel, Dave Bruck, Matt Shankman, Morgan "Splif" Thomas, Karen Ingram, Rick ValIcenti, Ron Tompson, Jessica Tepora, Jersey Joe, Claudio Parentela, Alejandro Romero, Tristan Eaton, Bubblegum & Braces, HEWN, Lance Sells, GIANT, DALEK, Tiffany Bozic, JOKER, Knewseen, Think Mule, Matt Morgan, Matt Hollister, Clust TM, Gina Vieceli, Andrew Johnstone, Jason Polan, Jay Guillermo, Jon Burgerman, Evan Mathis, Evil Design, Derrick Hodgson, Jaime/Mono, Amir, C.R.O., Rob Irrgang, Etsu Meusy, Neven Mrgan, NEWA, CHIP, Michelle Gauci & Marco De Boer, Niko Stumpo, Aab, Hyun Cho, PlasticKid, Jordan Crane, Craig Metzger, Fake, GLueKit, Grace Hsiu, Prate Computer Channel, Andy Mueller & James Patterson.

The Essentials
$15.00 USd (plus shipping.) Shipping is $5 in the US.
1000 copies, Each hand numbered
194 pages

Posted by marc at 8:20 PM in Diggin | Recommend this! |


THE ESSENTIALS #18 - Chun1's Tha Bangkok Essentials



Chun1's Tha Bangkok Essentials!!


1. Siam Square - The place for the coolest department stores, a place to chill and lookin' at girls and shit. beware: if you bomb here, even with little stickers, the guards are goin' to bring tha RUCKUS!!!

2. Kao San Road - Thai way!! Filled with locals and tourists.. nite life, club kids, bombing!

3. On Nuch - the street galore! bombing over and over every day! sometimes it brings war, but it's nice to look at some new fresh shit every time u pass by.

4. Tom Yum Kung - Thai Food!!! SPICY!!! If u ever been to Thailand, don't forget to order this dish when u eat at Thai restaurant!! real ill yall!

5. Thai Ladies - Thai ladies kick ass!!! yeah!!!

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Give 'Em Props!.... London's Sticker Heards by Aeon



"My "Give Em Props is for all the sticker heads out in London. When I left Australia there was no such thing as sticker bombing. People were doing it but it wasn't very big. A few people did it here and there but it was mainly promotional stickers you would see around.

I brought my first packet of stickers in Bangkok in 2001 only because I wanted to get up on holliday without getting in trouble. I hadn't really taken notice of "Street Art" as we know it. To me "Street Art" was what I said when an older person asked me what type of art I did and I didn't want to tell them I did graffiti.

It was only when I arrived in London and saw good quality stickers everywhere I went that I started to take notice. Then I traveled to Amsterdam and saw that the same thing was going on.. So I when I got back to London I went to a post office and grabbed a wad of Royal Mail stickers and got started. That was a couple of years ago and now I've found that if I leave the house without a pile of stickers in my pocket it feels like I've forgotten my wallet or something. I also hate knowing that I could be going to a part of town that I wouldn't normally go to and wouldn't be able to get up.

Now I wonder if I will ever stop?

Thanks London!!!"

Aeon.

Posted by marc at 7:21 AM in | Recommend this! |


Seen on The Street.... Blek Le Rat



Total Respect indeed. (Thanks, Sybille!)

Posted by marc at 7:20 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 27, 2003

Bristol | December 8 | Paste In My Hair



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New York | December 1st | Kidrobot Icebat Party


Posted by marc at 11:20 AM in | Recommend this! |


Gary Baseman's Dunces



The Essentials
Gary's teamed up with Sony Creative Products to launch his "Dunces" series of capsule toys. Trust us, they're fucking amazing! We got ours at at Kid Robot
Blind Chase Packaging - $7.95 each

Posted by marc at 11:04 AM in Diggin | Recommend this! |


Talking Flavor Flav Alarm Clock



The Essentials
Price: $85.00B7
Five Alarm Phrases: "Bass In Your Face", "Get Up Get Down", "Yo G Yo", "Yeaa Boy"
Available at the Ecko website

Posted by marc at 10:31 AM in Diggin | Recommend this! |


Fresh Stuff From... Adam Neate



"It's kind of the simpsons meets psychodelic theme. The character is a young George W Bush, a kind of illustrated past which may of resulted in why he stands infront of a microphone today:).... adaM:)"

Posted by marc at 7:48 AM in | Recommend this! |


Give Em Props!.... Rodney Matthews' 'The Heavy Metal Hero' by Vermin



"Even though I don't paint like Rodney Matthews, I really like his work. I chose this particular image because it has great perspective and scale. It's retro-futuristic, organic-mechanical. From the first moment I saw Rodney's work it changed my life forever. I remember back in 1996 after spending alot of time looking at his 'Last Ship Home' book I changed completely as a person. Rodney Matthews grew up two miles from me (Paulton Nr Bristol) even though I have never met him."... Vermin


Posted by marc at 7:44 AM in | Recommend this! |


THE ESSENTIALS #17 - B-MOC's Guide to Ghent

B-MOC's Guide to Ghent


Hiya, my name is B-MOC and I will be your guide today.

Suppose you all take the train to Ghent station Sint-Pieters. From there you jump on the Tram 1 (public transport) to the korenmarkt. Now you're in the center of Ghent. Go to the St. Michael's Bridge and from here you can enjoy a beautiful view of the famous Ghent towers: St. Nicholas'church, the Belfry and St.Bavo's Cathedral: a beautiful cathedral combining different architectural styles: the Romanesque, the high Gothic, and the late Gothic. In the cathedral you can see "The Mystic Lamb". This world famous altarpiece by Jan van Eyck dates from 1432 and is considered to be the high point in the 15th century Flemish art.



Nearby is the Werregarenstraat. It's a legal place for Graffiti writers to experiment thanks to Ghent legend 1UP who made this possible. Should you have forgotten your tools, go around the corner and buy them in the CREAM, hoogpoort 9 13 a local shop that supports street art and sells cans and markers, even handmade shirts and canvas art by writers. All the streets in Ghent are filled with stickers. If you want to see them check out this site If you need some inspiration walk to the Serpentstraat . There you will find the best underground comics and magazines at low prices in the SCHAAR

Probably you're getting thirsty and hungry. Don't look further. Walk to the Onderstraat and you will see a weird kitsch cafe filled with old toys. It's called the Pink Flamingos. They have fresh homemade soup, Italian dishes,...and lots of alcoholic spirits. Many artists and musicians hang around here.

If you want some nice kick ass music at the MusicMania in the Bagattenstraat 197 you'll find everything you always wanted. They have a huge back up catalogue. It's 4 floors high. You can't miss it.

Across the street you can see the Vooruit It's a cultural place with several concert halls and a cafe. A melting pot for creative people. It's also a really beautiful building to look at.



For those who want more art, we have the Municipal Museum for Contemporary Art (Citadelpark) Here one can find a captivating collection works of Belgian and international artists. The most imported art tendencies since 1945 are represented by Bacon, Beuys, Panamarenko, Broodthaers, Long, Nauman and others.



The collection of the Museum of Fine Arts also at the Citadelpark contains paintings and sculptures as well as drawings and graphics from the Middle Ages till the first half of the 20th century.

There is still a lot to see but I guess this will do for now. I think I'll take my bike and be a tourist for a day

Hope to see you in Ghent and "Happy Hunting"

B-MOC


Posted by marc at 7:31 AM in | Recommend this! (1) |


Re-call Starbucks Cups



Re-calling Starbucks paper cups is the latest project of the Vacuum Cleaner. You can learn more about it here.

Posted by marc at 7:24 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 26, 2003

The Thessaloniki 7 are Free!!

A few weeks ago Jon Burgerman posted some information to the Wooster site about a group of hunger strikers who were imprisoned in Greece under questionable circumstance. Earlier today we received some fantastic news from Ange Taggart:

From from Athens Indymedia: "The Thessaloniki 7 are free!! Earlier today they told the doctors if they didn't force feed them they would try the doctors for manslaughter!!! Then 2 hours later they released them.

Just half an hour ago, at 4.00 p.m. Greek time, the Council of Deliquencies of Thessaloniki (i hope the translation means something :)) ruled that the Thessaloniki 7 are to be set free!! Without any bail, but with the following terms:

1. That the 4 non-greeks are not to leave Greece until the trial.
2. That the 3 Greeks should not leave Greece until the trial and should present themselves to a police station twice a month (or something like that).

Earlier in the day, a public prosecutor had ordered compulsory feeding for the 5 hunger strikers. That move quickly turned against the state's side, as people were outraged by that move, that reminds of totalitarian regimes. The media started putting pressure on the government, and even members of the governing PASOK party came out to demand the release of the 7. And it was true that last week the solidarity movement in Greece had put great pressure to the government, with lots of occupying buildings, demonstrations, actions and informing the public.

Today also saw the release of a new photo that proves the innocense of Simon Chapman.

This is a victory of the struggle for dignity and freedom by the 5 hunger strikers, of the other 2 prisoners, but as well for the thousands of people that stood up for them all over the world!! It is an outright defeat for the Greek state-repression complex, and for the global "anti-terror" mechanisms.

We are so happy for that! The passion for freedom was finally stronger than their prisons!!"

Posted by marc at 11:34 PM in | Recommend this! |


New York | December 5th | Giant Robot Issue 31 Release Party



The Essentials
When:Friday, December 5th, 2003 ? 11PM
Where: Essex, 120 Essex St. (& Rivington) in the LES
RSVP:
URLs: Giant Robot | Kozyandan

Posted by marc at 6:26 PM in | Recommend this! |


Mysterious Al - Get Well Soon!



All of us here at Wooster HQ send our get well wishes out to Mysterious Al who last night broke his collarbone in a self described "drunken bizzare bmx accident" (He also managed to smash his ipod into tiny little pieces) He's been at the hospital all day and is likely to be in a sling for the next six weeks. Man that sucks!

Posted by marc at 5:50 PM in | Recommend this! |


Profile: buZ blurr

A few days ago we received a "Give Em Props!" entry from Other in Canada that spoke about how Other was influenced by an American artist named buZ Blurr. Following a bit of research on the web, we became absolutely fascinated by buZ Blurr and his long history of boxcar art. We shot him an email and was pleasantly surprised to learn that not only did buZ blurr know of the Wooster site but that he was more than amenable to chat with us. Here's what he had to say:


buZ blurr - The Vitals


Age: 60. I'm really Old Skool, having recently retired from the railroad after 41 years of service.
Hometown: Lafe, Arkansas
Where do you now live?: Gurdon, Arkansas, although I prefer to call it Surrealville, Principality of buZ, as the origin of my boxcar icon dispatch, and issuing authority for my artistamp works and mail art. A fantasy realm as equilibrium device to retain my sanity or practice insanity.
How long have you been creating street art?: Don't know if the practice of marking on railcars qualifies for street art, but I first started on Nov.11, 1971. The folk art tradition of chalking monikers on the traveling billboards of the freight trains dates back to the 19th century, when hobos and rail workers broadcast their presence in the vast network. I followed this tradition by fashioning my own icon for quick application and easy recognition, and plying the obsessive numbers game of dispatch. Anonymously sending obscure cryptic messages as caption to the icon as Zen Koans to ponder.
What did you do last night?: Answered some correspondence.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: Unfortunately, steak and potatoes.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: T.S. Garp, or perhaps Kilgore Trout.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Right front jeans pocket, some change and a pocket knife. Left front pocket, a Canon camera . Left back pocket, a billfold. Right back pocket, a handkerchief. Shirt pocket, two ballpoint pens.
If you were given "more time", what would you do with it?: Given I've recently retired and supposedly have more time, I have to constantly face the choices of doing the things I said I would do if I had the time. I'm prone to fritter away time trying to decide. Should I drive around to nearby yards to mark the cars? Should I do mail art in hopes of some feedback? Should I work on larger stencils from fantasy collages? Should I do more stencils to spray through on the railcars? Should I commit the spray to canvas, or reduce the imagery to stamp size and do a stamp sheet? The railroad men have an axiom for retirement; Running out of time and money.
Who do you love?: Emmy S. Butler, nee Blanton.

buz blurr - The A's to Our Q's:


Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?

buZ blurr: Provided freight monikers are defined as street art, given they can be seen at road crossing, the appeal of the transient imagery was the mystery of who the authors of these icons and doodles might be, and the most prevalent ones such as Herby, The Rambler, Water Bed Lou, the 3rd generation Bozo Texino, and others guardedly protected their anonymity knowing that mystery created a legend. Tuscan Red Legends. The seemingly omnipotent presence of these icons and logos riding the rails out in a vast network anonymously was my primary inspiration to ply the trade, and create my own. The outlaw nature of the work, counter to the rules of the railroad I worked for, also demanded my own anonymity, for I was endangering my livelihood, despite the need of artists to
proclaim their work.

Wooster: Why Trains?

buZ blurr: Because of my occupation as brakeman for the railroad afforded me access to the railcars.

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?

buZ blurr: I really admire Logan Hicks, for his incredible attention to detail in his multiple stencil work. Other for his fantastic draughtsmanship, in blending paintstiks to convey imaginative subjects. Labrona for the mysterious quality of his drawings. I like Broke for variety. The Solo Artists for the amazing number of images out in the network, and adhering to the tradition, plus his use of language.

Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or see street art?

buZ blurr: New York City, Lower East Side, corner of Ludlow & Rivington, southwest side, since there is a stencil dispatch of mine as truly authentic street art, placed there while I was in the city the month of August. At least E.F.HigginsIII, who has a temporary gallery at 149 Ludlow says it's still there. I also did some flyer postering on Wooster Street from Canal all the way to Houston announcing my show up in Chelsea at 504 W. 22nd Street. A lame attempt to get back some street cred , since the expensive Whoop De Doo gallery scene was a sparsely attended mistake.

Wooster: What inspires you now?

buZ blurr: Photography, and stencils.

Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peak?

buZ blurr: I make a four copy edition of a bookwork, documenting our lives, utilizing the cheap graphics of photocopies, inkjet and color electrostatics copying, and Velo binding as Christmas gifts for my three kids. No, you can not have a peak. I've destroyed enough myths with my admission to being a graffiti culprit, and you would not be interested in the images from the mundane life of an old square.

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THE ESSENTIALS #16 - Yok's Seven Favourite Spots in Perth

Yok's Seven Favourite Spots in Perth











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Give 'Em Props!... Walker Evans by Rotgut

"Is there ONE painting, sticker, stencil, sculpture, or piece of architecture that truly inspires you in your daily work?"



"I'm not very good at articulating what makes a piece of art good or bad and I can't bring myself to talk about a piece of art in terms of having a spirit or a soul or anything like that. So I'm just going to say that the photographs of Walker Evans have all the qualities aesthetically and subjectwise that I strive towards with my signs, except he did them first and better." ... comerade kgbe

Posted by marc at 6:49 AM in | Recommend this! (1) |


Fresh Stuff From.... Victim in Perth




Posted by marc at 6:48 AM in | Recommend this! |


Our Favorite Websites: Graffiti



Graffiti Archaeology is one of the most ambitious, as well as impressive, web projects we've come across in quite some time. On the site, you can currently track over eleven graffiti covered walls to see how they've changed over time. Some of the photos date back to 1998, so you can see five years of evolution. The site has an extremely user friendly interface that lets you see the wall evolve in a time lapse fashion.

If you haven't yet done so, check out Graffiti Archaeology. It's brand new so shoot any feedback you have over to Cassidy. He's one of the site creators. We do hope that this site catches on and people start documenting the walls in their 'hood. It's a very cool concept.

Posted by marc at 6:46 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 25, 2003

Give 'Em Props -- Jules Olitski's 'Instant Loveland' by
"Give 'Em Props! is Back!"

From time to time we ask a group of artists to choose one painting, sticker, stencil, sculpture, or piece of architecture that truly inspires them in their daily work. What about it brought them in? Was it the color, the lines, the crazy figure, the movement, the composition...?

Today's Give 'Em Props is from O.two:



"It's tricky, but the painting I'm into at the moment is by Jules Olitski called 'Instant Loveland' painted in 1968. He uses sprayed acrylic paint on dyed canvas, using colour as a medium. The colour is the brushstroke, he lets the colour create the form and depth.

It's a big canvas; 294.6 x 645.7cm, and currently hanging in the Tate Modern. Looking at the painting feels like weightlessness. Olitski paints canvases that feel like ambient colour. Like you're standing in a fog of raw paint particles, they're really amazing.The spray-painted clouds of colour seem to hang in front of, or sometimes even behind the canvas that they're actually painted on.

He once wrote that he thought of 'colour as being seen in and throughout, not solely on, the surface' and that he would prefer nothing but some colours sprayed into the air and staying there.

Anti-gravity paint. It would be amazing to be able to paint pieces suspended in mid-air. Or put up a background for your piece, that would disappear into it's own depth...

O.two

Posted by marc at 7:37 AM in | Recommend this! |


THE ESSENTIALS #15 - Psalm's Guide to Melbourne

Psalm's Guide to Melbourne


Some of my fave spots are (in no particular order):

"Misty" Bar - located in Hosier Lane, Melbourne City. Very stylish bar and equally stylish laneway with plenty of stencils, posters and other general creativity.

The "Blender" studio - located in Franklin St, Melbourne City. It's an arts studio space shared by some of Melbournes finest street artists. always a laugh is to be had there.

"Brunswick" in Fitzroy - located just outside the CBD (Fitroy is a suburb), and as a whole is a pretty interesting place. There's plenty of bars, restaurants, clothes shops, book shops, etc. But Brunswick St is the main strip. Very eclectic mix of people and plenty of street art if you go for a walk around the back streets.

"Out 4 fame" - a free monthly A5 full colour mag that focuses on urban culture.

"Canada Lane" in Carlton (Carlton is a suburb) - Again just outside the CBD, has one of the best stencil galleries in town, and it's the longest running too.

The latest abandoned warehouse - Every month or so an abandoned warehouse becomes an unofficial gallery. The word is passed around and people head down to either have a look or put something up. The newest one has sprung up near the corner of Nicholson St and Moreland Rd in Coburg (coburg is a suburb). It used to be an old tram depot

"Banyule" trails - too hard to explain how to get to them. But if you're into bmx trail riding ask someone and they're sure to head you in the right direction. It has some awsome jumps and rhythm sections.

Cheers ..... /// PSALM ///

Posted by marc at 7:36 AM in | Recommend this! |


Profile: LudMasSon


LudMasSon - The Vitals:



Age: 26
Hometown: Minneapolis
Where do you live now?: South Minneapolis
How long have you been doing street art?: 3-4 years
What did you do last night?: I printed like a 170+ stickers and now I have to cut them out.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: A nice slowely cooked meal from the crock pot.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: The one stuck in my head that won't leave me alone.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Lint
If you were given "more time" what would you do with it?: Spend it all in the studio.
Who do you love?: My family and friends.


LudMasSon - The A's to Our Q's:



Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?

LudMasSon: It first started when I moved to the heart of the city. I would drive around and see tons of graff and be pissed that I had nothing of mine on these cities wall. It's not that I wanted to copy these other street artists, but I wanted something of mine that stood out. That's when I came across full sheet stickerpaper. From that point on I just started creating as many different stickers as possible.

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?

LudMasSon: Some street artists that stick out for me are London Police, Faile, Dface, Adam Neate, and the The HeavyWeights. Each one of these artists/group artists have such a distinctive style that really stands out to me. Another reason I admire these artists is that they post some huge work. I sit here and post these little stickers, why these guys are posting shit that blows me away.

Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?

LudMasSon: All of Minneapolis is a good area to post work. I can take a long walk during the day and leave a trail of my work, so if I get to drunk on the way back I just follow my stickers.

Wooster: What inspires you now?

LudMasSon: Everything inspires me.

Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peek?

LudMasSon: I have started this new series of stickers that are inspired from images that I have clipped from numerous sources. Basically, I use the image for a base of a drawing and then let my vision take over. I guess I can show you two my new stickers.



For more of LudMasSon's work, check out his website.

Posted by marc at 7:34 AM in | Recommend this! |


Fresh Stuff From... Jet + Rubble





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Sickboy recently had a show

Sickboy recently had a show at Magma in Manchester, England. Here's a few flics of what went down:




Posted by marc at 7:32 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 24, 2003

London | November 27 | We Are Letting You Into Something

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Catchin' Up With.... Chris Stain



It's been many months since we last heard from Chris Stain, a wonderful stencil artist who not too long ago moved from Baltimore to upstate New York. If you have a copy of Tristan Manco's book, Stencil Graffiti, then you're familiar with his work. The other day Chris sent us a flick of a new piece, a self portrait, this one taken from an old photo.

Posted by marc at 7:20 AM in | Recommend this! |


Sydney | November 27 |Cut Sik


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THE ESSENTIALS #14 - Regular Product's Guide to Sydney

Regular Product's Guide to Sydney


I've only been living in Sydney for the last year and it takes a lot of getting used to after 8 years in London. But I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. There's plenty of good bars, great beaches, ace places to eat and amazing views everywhere, but I've made 5 choices of things that I dig personally and taken pics of them because I'm no tourist guide.

1. Windfair Company Book Stationary

Fantastic book/junk shop in Chinatown with all sorts of weird shit left over from the 70s sitting on dusty shelves. Including the picture book Dragon Tiger Doublesword Style by Dr. Leung Ting. And also a great place to pick up that flat black Chinese ink.




2. That hand on top of that old pub on Bourke St.



If I wasn't already doing hands before I saw this, I'd claim it was my total inspiration. I have fantasies about stealing it.

3. Surprises.



The scene in Sydney is probably not as broad or prolific as other cities I have spent time in and I lot of the more
obvious street work is from international or interstate visitors, but every now and again you come across a beautiful piece like you've never seen anywhere before and everything is okay again.

4. Various walls



There are loads of walls around the place covered in random stuff by people who wouldn't necessarily identify with 'street art'. It's great that there's so much crap around, political stuff, art, nonsense, love letters, skipping girls (there are about 50 of them) and other weird shit. These pics are from Newtown and Redfern.

5. Extras



Our Spot is a great little gallery/shop in Darlinghhurst which has held exhibitions by loads of fresh artists and stock a
kickass tshirt range. Most recently was the Sneaker Freaker 3 launch party with visual skills supplied by YOK and Victim (left). Gallery Wren is another good space to check out with an eclectic exhibition list and is also a part time clothes shop, stocking small local designers

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Gloom -- In His Own Words



"I'm an artist living just outside LA who goes by Gloom, mainly, and Teo every now and again, when feeling personable. Now, I haven't reached Tofer- or Buffmonster-like heights yet and, most likely, never will, because I'm pretty lazy and have a job which forces me to bed much earlier than I like. But I love street art nonetheless and do what I can when I can do it. I've loved it all since first seeing Style Wars way back when, and will probably still be carrying a Pilot when some fifty-seven years old. But getting to the nonsense of this all a small sampling of my work can be seen at Fotki, a clean and easy photosharing site (way better than Fotolog, if I may say so): Unfortunately, my digital camera was stolen awhile back so I'm forced to use my trusty Polaroid, which, as it turns out is alright by me, as it adds to the gloominess. It's mostly my Mystery Girl and a few paintings; nothing much but a quiet start. My undying appreciation.... Most sincerely, Gloom"

Gloom - The Vitals:


Age: 26
Hometown: Los Angeles
Where do you now live: Los Angeles
How long have you been creating street art?: Off and on for about four years. Trying to get a bit more serious about things though, just within the last year and a half or so.
What did you do last night?: Ah, last night, let's see; just hungout with some friends, smoking, drinking and talking alot of nonsense, all while messing around in a sketchbook. The usual.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: Pretty much any and everything. But if I were in a jail cell, waiting around for my lethal injection and was asked what I'd like for my last meal, I'm thinking, simply, pizza, loaded with pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: Margot Tenebaum. Mmm.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Well, I've just woken up, so nothing yet. Then again, even when I'm awake and ready to go, rarely do I have much in my pockets but some keys and a crumpled sticker or two.
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: I know I'd find some way to waste it, sadly. Seeing a bit of the world wouldn't be so bad though, I guess.
Who do you love?: An incredible girl named Ashlye Perez.

Gloom - The A's to Our Q's:


Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?

Gloom: I've been into art forever, but it was graffiti, of course, that started this whole thing; the Subway Art book in particular, as it was for many of us. But back in the eighties, it was actually seeing this one spot off the 110 freeway near my father's house that we'd always pass when going places that would just be covered, and to the young kid I was, all those pinks and blues were like candy to me. I'd always bug my dad with questions about it, all the whos and whats, but he didn't have the answers. So, probably in hopes that I'd give it a rest already, he finally took me down to this stretch of wall one day, with a camera. Then I discovered the design thing, and, well, you know the rest; the combining of mediums-the natural progression of things.

Wooster: Who's the girl?

Gloom: Ah, the girl. Well, I have no idea. She happened to be in a picture I took at a party years ago, and I remember she wasn't feeling well. She wasn't drunk or fucked up, just genuinely sick, and simply waiting to use the restroom. There was something about her stance and stare that caught my eye once the pictures were developed, something I hadn't exactly notice at the time it was taken; so, later, put my own spin on the theme, and bam. I just think it's cool she's out there in the world somewhere and has no idea as to the part she plays.

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?

Gloom: Let's just say if Faile and Swoon were to have a baby I'd like to think it'd be named Gloom. I dream of owning a house someday and seeing if they'd all just spend a week there, covering every inch of the fucking place, inside and out. I'm just hoping to see a Swoon piece in person, on an actual New York wall (having never been), after which, when I finally die, I can die happy. Faile-the ultimate; anything goes, everything works. Akroe as well; some focused shit; clean-color scheme-composition king; I look at this stuff and get extremely jealous.

Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?

Gloom: I'll put it wherever I can put it and see it where and whenever I see it. I don't have any favorites. LA definitely has its spots, but it's so big that there are still a lot of areas left untouched, aside from a lot of misguided tagging, so I enjoy getting my silly little posters up in these areas that aren't really known for seeing street art.

Wooster: What inspires you now?

Gloom: DJ Shadow, sunsets at the beach, sushi, weekends, Wooster, the underappreciated work of Cy Twombly, John Coltrane, Wes Anderson films, the documentary The Gods of Times Square, the beginning of Style Wars, the smell of a new Magnum44, when my friend Gabe gives a disinterested look when I start talking about street and Jerome says he hates graffiti art, downtown LA, Lee Perry along with classic Jamaican record shop art and album design, new, all white, shelltoe Adidas, Majandra Delfino, Beautiful Decay, partying with my friend Tor, Aesop Rock, painting in the garage with Infa (another good friend), Coast to Coast radio program, puppies, Miller High Life, the words of David Sedaris, letters in the mail (which I need to start sending more of again), used stencils, and Ashlye's back rubs.

Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peek?

Gloom: Unfortunately, I'm not working on anything serious at the moment. It seems I'm in one of my many slumps. I've got to do something about this, soon. Where's Ashlye? I need a back rub.

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Catchin' Up With.. Airgoose1




"hi guys. hope all is good in the big apple... fuck i miss it, i was only there for 5 days too. here's some flix from new york, they are joint stickers with muju, who is a member of my new crew "The Forty Thieves"... keep it upski. big love. airgoose"

Posted by marc at 6:29 AM in | Recommend this! |


November 23, 2003

Profile: Cruz

Today's profile is of Cruz, a wonderful artist from Brazil who along with Calma and Asa are known as the Faca Crew.



Cruz - The Vitals


Age: 18 years old
Hometown: Mogi das Cruzes, near Sao Paulo
Where do you now live?: Mogi das Cruzes
How long have you been creating street art?: I?ve been doing this for about 4 years.
What did you do last night?: I drew and slept very bad.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: I hardly ever have dinner, so I sometimes eat junkfood.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: Robert the Robot (my brother?s character)
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Keys and some makers.
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: I would draw and paint more
Who do you love?: My family, my girlfriend and the eternal Galera Sapao (Big Frog Guys)


Cruz - The A's to Our Q's:


Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?

Cruz: I started tagging walls with friends, after that I involved myself in graffiti. Then I looked for other ways to make art, by stencil and posters, for example.

Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?:

Cruz: Gemeos for me are the best, because it was by watching them that I began to be interested in grafitti and stuff. I?m keen on Obey and Buff?s posters and on other guys as well, such as the writers of Brazil: Onesto, Victhe, Herbert, Binho, Ciro, Speto and many more. I also identify myself with Barry McGee. Two guys that i have worked with, Calma and Asa, are great. In summary, I can say that I like a bit of evereything relating to art: from mosaic to photograph, just what involves expressions of a point of view.

Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?

Cruz: The city of Sao Paulo

Wooster: What inspires you now?

Cruz: My inspirations are the details of day-by-day, meeting different stuff, Sao Paulo pollutions and some flashes of my mind.

Wooster: What are you currently working on?

Cruz: At the moment I?m drawing and painting on cardboards and there?s a door that I'm starting to paint soon. But I'm always working on characters, using simple materials, such as medicine boxes, lottery tickets and packages in general.



For more images, check out Cruz's fotolog.

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Fresh Stuff From....


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THE ESSENTIALS #13 - Dalek's 10 Favorite Spots in New York and Brooklyn

Dalek's 10 Favorite Spots in New York and Brooklyn



1. soho art supplies : art suplies and such (manhatten)
2. toy tokyo : toys (manhattan)
3. kid robot: toys (manhattan)
4. alife : all sorts of things (manhattan)
5. st marks bookstore: books/ magazines (manhattan)
6. pierogi gallery: art (brooklyn)
7. kc/dc: skatebaords (brooklyn)
8. printed matter: books (manhattan)
9: pizza prince: food (brooklyn)

Posted by marc at 9:03 AM in | Recommend this! |