• April 19, 2009
  • Posted by Marc

Books We Love: Urban Recreation by Akay and Peter

We’re pleased to let you know that the third book in our “Books We Love” series is Urban Recreation from Akay and Peter.

When we started working on the “Books We Love” series a few months back, Sara and I put Urban Recreation on the top of our list. The book first came out in in late 2006 and has been on our coffee table ever since. make them available through the Wooster site.. 

When we first got a copy of the book, we wrote on the Wooster site:

Behind every piece of art there’s always a terrific story. The intrigue about street art is that most often it’s impossible to know who the artist is, let alone know the story behind the work….

When we first started to roam the streets of Soho many years ago, we would always walk past these two faded globes with the word “Akayism” on them. These posters lead us to learn more about the work of one of the true legends in street art today, Akay, who lives in Stockholm.

Akay’s work is similar to that of artists like Dan Witz in that they think about their work in projects rather than random actions.

This month a terrific book called Urban Recreation is being published by Document. The book tells the stories behind the different projects of Akay and Peter, who together are known as the Barsky Brothers.

The work that these two guys do on the street is extremely rare, in the sense that it truly goes beyond spray cans and wheatpastes to be actual architectural structures and installations. The time, not to mention the money, that goes into their projects is remarkable. The book tells the stories behind thirteen projects done in the last four years.

Using material they find on the streets, Akay and Peter take ugly empty places and turn then into these magical little oases.

For us, Akay and Peter are the type of artists who have the ability to truly change the way people think about (a) their environment and (b) what should be in it and (c) what are definition of public art should be.

One of the projects that we really loved was City Swings in which for two weeks the Barsky Brothers installed 65 swings in Stockholm for people to enjoy, all made from found objects.

If there is one book that you should purchase this month, it’s Urban Recreation.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been working hard to get a significant amount of copies to make them available for sale on the site.  We were thrilled when they arrived last week.  Like all the others we’re confident that you’ll love the book. But if you don’t, all you have to do is return it to us and we’ll refund your money.

Urban Recreation
by Akay and Peter
Price: $22.00 (27% off the retail price of $29.95)
192 Pages
Size: 9.4 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
Format: Hardcover
Color

Previous “Books We Love”:

Talk Back: The Bubble Project
Public Phenomena by Temporary Services