September 18, 2008
SouthCentral (PART 3 of 4) from ABOVE on Vimeo.
"It was my last day in Guatemala before leaving for Mexico the next morning. 1 hour, 2 buckets of paint and 3 beers later this was what was left behind. -Guatemala City."
... Above
Posted by marc at 7:58 AM in Travelogues |
April 17, 2008
Space Invader's latest invasion map of Kathmandu is now online and on sale on Invader's website. All the benefits from the sales of this map will be given to charitable organizations who support the Tibetian cause.
Posted by marc at 7:33 AM in Travelogues |
January 29, 2008
You can follow RIPO and Above as they travel through South and Central America here.
Posted by marc at 8:03 AM in Travelogues |
November 28, 2007
"I struggle to even begin to find the proper words that can do justice to how grateful I am for all the support during the enduring 7 months of travels and 26 countries visited during the Sign Language Tour. Trust and being able to link up with the global art community in foreign countries was not only necessary but critical for the progress of the Sign Language Tour. With the incredible support of artists, and fans alike sending numerous emails with invitations to come to their country to paint, as well as experience their city was what made this tour possible. I want to say THANK YOU to all of you that helped and supported this tour on many different levels. If I slept on your floor at your house, or painted a wall together in your city. Perhaps we simply had a friend in common or had a beer at a bar I want to say Thank You! It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. This is why I write back and give my praise, and gratitude to all of You who helped assisted directly and indirectly. Some might call it naïve? others Blind Faith? On being able to fly across the world and trust, stay, and live with fellow artists and people that have never yet met face to face. To reiterate the Sign Language Tour could not have be successful unless both Trust, and Faith were present by everyone that was involved. Perhaps hearing all of the stories during the Sign Language tour can give you confidence on your own personal challenges? Every dream or idea is able to be manifested as long as you never doubt yourself or your abilities.
Finally I must acknowledge three people who helped out immensely with the Sign Language Tour. The first two people are very familiar to you all. These people are Marc and Sara Schiller of Wooster! For the 4th year in a row they have been so generous and supportive to post these travelogues and artworks from around the world. The last person who deserves a huge Thank You is RIPO from Barcelona who traveled with me for 7 months doing his own creative artworks and unique tour. Please visit and see more of what he did here.
So that's it that's all from the Sign Language Tour! Feel free to check out the YouTube account setup for this tour to enjoy a Video from each of the 26 countries visited.
WoosterAboveTour Stay tuned for the current tour and artworks now in progress around South and Central America!!!"...ABOVE
Posted by marc at 2:14 AM in Travelogues |
September 24, 2007
"I must say that Athens, Greece has not only one of the most active Graffiti scene, but so many different styles the locals build off it's intimidating, with a variety of Rollers, Hot Tags, Pieces, Productions, Posters, Stickers, and Stencils. Athens has been a Hot/Bed of graffiti since the Olympics, as well as many Kosmopolite events bringing foreigners from around Europe, South America, and the United States. Everything I saw in Athens donated itself to getting creative, the weather hitting 90-100 degrees, the abundance of Roof/Tops, many Graffiti stores and cheap Ouzo and Souvlaki all make Athens a Capital city for Graffiti. *A HUGE GREEK THANK YOU TO: Eros, Dreyk, and Phaz
(All for letting me sleep on your floor and supplying me with Home/Made Greek Food, and way too much Ouzo! Final Shouts to INVA, BARNS, and the AMIGOS Crew. !Malaka!"
... Above
"Rush/Hour @ Monastiraki. A nice balance."
"You know when your in a different country and your words don't seem to match up and translate into the other language? Using the Greek Alphabet and Flag Motif these letters are a perfect example of being lost in translation. Delta...?...Omega...?....Sigma...huh?
"One Man's Junk, Another Man's Treasure."
Posted by marc at 1:21 AM in Travelogues |
August 27, 2007
After a Wild/Ride in Zagreb, Croatia I was able to continue on to Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Having already visited over 20 countries at this point and seeing great friends and countries nothing could of prepared me for my experience in Ljubljana. I must admit that prior to arriving to Ljubljana I was not expecting much, nor did I know much about this city. With the great support of my friend MORKA the city of Ljubljana was free to paint and enjoy. A Big THANK YOU to LUNAR, YCP for your generous support!".. Above
"Lock-smithing in Ljubljana"
Lightning Bolt Tuff. The next day I came back to take a photo of this letter style and find this model and photographer already doing a photo shoot in front of it! I quickly got a photo with her as well.
"Medieval Style."
Posted by marc at 8:29 AM in Travelogues |
July 30, 2007
"In 2005 during the European Tour I had many troubles with the local police in Vienna. This time around I was lucky not have any encounters with the Viennese law enforcements. Vienna has a nice setup of what is basically a combination of large squat houses in the older industrial part of the city called "The Arena." A lot of Live Music is played at the Arena as well as more wall space to paint on then you could shake a can at. *A generous THANK YOU to Nicholas from INOPERABLE GALLERY for letting me stay and sleep on your gallery floor. NYCHOS, Claudia, and Monica for your support and free paint at the Arena"... Above
If "Les is Mor"... then More or Less simplicity is best.
Tall and Skinny.
Posted by marc at 3:31 AM in Travelogues |
July 11, 2007
We've featured the work of Above many times on the Wooster site. Today, Reyhan Harmanci from the San Francisco Chronicle has a terrific profile of Above in today's paper. You can read the piece by clicking here.
Posted by marc at 7:40 AM in Travelogues |
July 10, 2007
Istanbul was the most rewarding city to reach along the Sign Language Tour. This recent tour took over 24 months to organize and plan so going from the conception point in San Francisco to Istanbul, the farthest East the tour was scheduled for was such a rewarding feeling of accomplishment and excitement. Taking a bus from Bucharest, Romania to Istanbul was an experience all in itself with intense border patrols and all of the illegal smuggling going on. The saying goes "East meets West" and Istanbul is a city so Distinct with its interweaving of Western culture and Eastern Traditions that makes this city have such charm and character. *A very large THANK YOU to Eren, Eggeman, Khan, James and Aylin for letting me sleep on your floor, taking me around Istanbul, and all of the Late night expeditions... Above
This Arrow Mobile blends in naturally with the leaves from this vine. The first form of "Spell Check" was a system that would "Verify" instead of Correct a word. Back then Spell Check offered no suggestions for incorrectly spelled words. This was helpful for typos but it was not so helpful for logical or phonetic errors. SPEL/CHEK…Please verify this photo to see what you find as out of place.
In all of Istanbul there is not a single Graffiti Store! My Turkish friends knew a guy who sold "Car" spray paint and we loaded up on low-quality paints. We barged some rooftops and tried our best. (tilt your head left)
Mosque.
Posted by marc at 7:36 AM in Travelogues |
June 20, 2007
"After traveling around 25 countries in Europe It was time involve New York City with the Word/Play Arrow Mobiles and general mayhem. Ever Since Giuliani and the 9/11 events the streets of NYC are flooded with undercover cops making getting up sometimes difficult. I know this because I got nicked by 2 undercover cops and ended up spending 20 hours in Central Booking Police Station. A Huge Thank you to RIPO and George for Bail out of Jail and the Hoopty Who's!".. Above
Nice High tops in Little Italy.
It was the middle of December and no one seemed to notice the Mistletoe they were standing under. I constructed these doors to swing open and block out the surrounding viewers and act more as a private kissing booth than an art piece. "HIDE" was inside doing just that, while "SEEK" was outside getting all of the attention.
Posted by marc at 8:52 AM in Travelogues |
June 8, 2007
Vatican city is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. The Vatican is the smallest independent nation in the world. With Religion as the back/bone the Vatican is a naturally a Mecca for many visiting Nuns from around the world.
A Dyslexsic is able to find Amor in Roma without much effort! Many people associate Roma with being Romantic. I personally associate Roma with sore abdominal muscles due to leaning over and hanging upside down while painting backwards from a rooftop all night long.... Above
Posted by marc at 6:25 AM in Travelogues |
June 5, 2007
"The first time I went to Belgrade was from Budapest and the train ride was probably the most unpredictable and uneasy ride of my life. The Second time I went to Belgrade I was arriving from Sofia, Bulgaria was one of the most scenic train rides I feel I have ever experienced. The Train route went thru thick Forrest's that ran parallel to a blue and green rivers and large mountain ranges. Once in Belgrade this city was something like none other city I could relate to. The city had a European Feel but at the same time still held true to its natural charms and characteristics. The Graffiti and Street scenes in Belgrade appeared to be young but growing at their own unique pace and style.
*A big thank you to OGI for letting me sleep on your floor and ANGEL, BOEM, LORE and KATA for taking me around Belgrade for painting and late night fun.".. Above
On May 7th, 1999 Operation Allied Force (NATO) bombs hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. The United States and NATO later apologized for the bombing, saying that it occurred because of an outdated map provided by the CIA. The Building of the Ministry of Defence which is considered to be the masterpiece of post-war architecture was also
bombed in 1999 from NATO attacks. Both Bombed out NATO buildings are on the same street line that runs thru Belgrade. That Street is known by locals and news reporters as the DEAD/LINE. It was very shocking I must add to say that the bombed out Embassy and the Ministry Buildings remains are still very visible and un-repaired.
In Serbia the Alphabet is called Cyrillic. Cyrillic has a lot of edges and angles in their letter structures. Not many alphabets can even come close to Cyrillic in style and form. Unfortunately these letters are made a free/style and have nothing to do with the Cyrillic Alphabet. Shame on me!
Posted by marc at 7:00 AM in Travelogues |
May 30, 2007
"Maybe it's the location, climate or attitude of the Danish people but Copenhagen has hands down more Graffiti and Street works than all of the other Scandinavian countries. Returning to Copenhagen again this year it was great to see older pieces from other artists still running on the streets, as well as a new wave of Danish Artists hitting the streets with Innovative styles. If you have never been to Copenhagen I highly suggest going there. Rent a Bike, visit the inner city of Christiania, and paint, paint, paint!. I want to give a big THANK YOU to LINTS and METTE for letting me sleep on your floor for the 2nd year in a row."
.... Above
"The story tale of the infamous race between the Tortoise and the Hare is applicable and represented in this photo. I feel that the person in the electric wheel chair (Tortoise) in the "Fast/Lane" with the speeding bicyclists (Hare) illustrates the common phrase of It's
not a matter of being the strongest, or quickest but being the most persistent and never giving up that will enable you to complete your dreams.
Posted by marc at 6:56 AM in Travelogues |
May 21, 2007
LINE/FIRE: The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a week long series of riots and fighting that overthrew the Communist Regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. On December 17th, 1989 Rioters broke into the District Committee building and threw Party Documents, Propaganda brochures, Ceausescu's writings, and other symbols of Communist power out of the windows. 3 days later some 100,000 protesters occupied the Opera Square (today named Victory Square) and started to chant anti-government protests "Noi Suntem Poporul!" (We are the people!) Over 150+ protesters died on what is called the "LINE OF FIRE" during the riots and over throw of Ceausescu. This arrow mobile was hung 17 years after the Romanian Revolution on the "Line of Fire" where many had fought and died for their human rights.
The Infamous "Bucharest Death Drop." This photo does absolutely no justice to the story and impact of this roller piece. If you're scared of heights I suggest you don't watch this video!
Traveling to a new country is always enjoyable especially when you have friends and paint waiting for you upon arrival. The wild nights painting on Roof/Tops, and train tunnels could not of ever happend with out the great support of SINBOY and VLAD
... Above
Posted by marc at 7:48 AM in Travelogues |
June 1, 2006
"Every city has those people who work behind the scenes providing opportunities to artists and helps foster the scene. In Melbourne the one person that has made a name for himself is Andy Mack. Andy runs the City Light project which works with artists to help present their work in Hoiser alley, and another location by reproducing and displaying it in back lit light boxes. Each 'exhibit' runs for a total of two months. Andy also runs a gallery that had a great show up. Although i forget the artists name, the work was unforgettable. Each piece was 'carved' out of packing foam by picking little bits off until the piece took shape.".. Logan
Posted by marc at 7:27 AM in Travelogues |
May 31, 2006
Recently, Logan Hicks returned from an extensive trip to Australia to attend Melbourne's Stencil Festival. Here's his first report:
Stencil Festival
The whole purpose of my trip to Melbourne was to attend the Stencil Festival. It is a bit odd to think that the medium of stenciling has grown enough to warrant a festival of its own,but sure enough, it has. After a 15 hour flight i was hopeful that the people of Melbourne would be as receptive to my work as they were others. I wasnt disappointed. The work in the show was exceptional.
The Festival went on for 4 days, and had plenty to choose from. There was a stencil t-shirt workshop with artists Miso and Ghostpatrol, collaborative workshop where the artworks where auctioned off and the profits given to a charity, and on Saturday night there was a live painting demonstration with myself, Phibs, Prism, Form, and the Die
Laughing Crew from Tazmania. By all outward indications the festival in melbourne was a flying success.
Unfortunately i had to cut my tripa little short and I was unable to attend the Sydney leg of the Stencil Festival. The Sydney festival will take place June 1-5th. There is no doubt in my mind that the show will be just as amazing as
it was in Melbourne.
For more info: stencilfestival.com
Posted by marc at 6:53 AM in Travelogues |
April 14, 2006
Artist: Ichi
In follow-up to our post about the lack of Japanese street art on the web, comes this link from DROWN NBA to the STREET ART IN JAPAN photo group on Flickr.
Posted by marc at 7:21 AM in Travelogues |
April 3, 2006
From the comments comes word from Matt that more photos of graffiti from Pripjat exist on the web here and here. He writes: "Chernobyl to me is like the street art heaven....unbuffable walls, no police, no interuptions, just anything goes territory."
Most of the work is of kids playing, which give the scenes an absolutely haunting quality.
Posted by marc at 10:53 AM in Travelogues |
Deksta from the Czech Republic sent us the photo above found in a Czech geographical magazine called "Koktejl". It's a photo from Pripjat, City which was abandoned 20 yeras ago just after the explosion at Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Does anyone know who the artist is who painted the figures on the wall? Posted by marc at 4:27 AM in Travelogues |
"just got back from an insane trip to lima to paint murals for two weeks and wander the streets and beaches...one of the most layered intense giant cities i have ever been to in my life... i went with MORE of KOPS crew and we painted with so many people... Pesimo,Entes,Beas,Naf,Fuma Kaka,and a bunch more i forget all the names ...met alot of amazing locals and got some pretty amazing diarrhea too...special shout out to beas for saving our lives and hooking us up at his place for 2 weeks!!!!!i cant believe he put up with our rum consumption and saved us from going to jail.".... other Posted by marc at 11:00 PM in Travelogues |
Back in California for a few moments and before I know it one things leads to another. My friend OJ wanted a new look for his house. We had a blast cutting the physical wooden arrow extensions and attaching them to the roof of the house. The rest is history. "There's no place like Home!" ... Above Posted by marc at 7:48 AM in Travelogues |
Our last meet-up in Italy will take place tomorrow night in Rome. Here's the info:. Date: Friday, February 17th Last night's meet-up in Florence was a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Rome before we head back to New York Posted by marc at 4:54 AM in Travelogues |
Yesterday, before leaving for Florence, we had the opportunity to get a sneak preview of an amazing set of canvases that Kami, Sasu, Alexone, BO130, Microbo, WIll Baras, and Mr. Jago have been working on for over two weeks leading up to a large event here in Milan. The work is absolutely stunning.... Posted by marc at 4:07 AM in Travelogues |
So we just now found our first Internet access in Turino (in the square outside Turino) and thought we'd post a few pictures from the last couple of days. Posted by marc at 9:56 AM in Travelogues |
What an amazing night last night here in Milan. A few hours after getting off the plane from New York, we met up with an incredible group of artists who came not only from Italy but around the world - Blu, Galo, Chaz (The London Police), Rekal, Ozmo, Abbominevole, BO130, Microbo, Kami, Sasu, Will Barras, Mr. Jago, Alexone, and many more. We're off to Turino today. More soon. Posted by marc at 6:30 AM in Travelogues |
With temperatures dropping below -20 you'd think it would be impossible to do anything creative other than drink vodka and blow condensation rings with your breath. But that was the challenge set for D*Face, Mysterious Al and Asbestos when they set out to create ice sculptures in the Ice Hotel, 200km north of the arctic circle. Every year the hotel is built from huge blocks of crystal clear ice harvested from Sweden's Torne river. Over three days, using chainsaws, razor sharp chisels and brute force they turned their 3 tonne blocks of ice into the world's first street art ice sculptures. With only 4 hours of daylight to work with, each day, the artists relied on the hotels electric lights and the green glow of the aurora borealis to illuminate their carvings. Mysterious Al carved a skull from his block, D*Face fashioned a 9ft tall spray can with his signature D*Dog wings and Asbestos found a mutated two headed reindeer hiding inside the crystal clear ice. A special thanks to Gisèle Scanlon who organised the whole gig, she'll reveal the full adventure later this year in her book 'The Goddess Guide', but here are a few sneaky pics first. http://www.theartofasbestos.com/ice/ Posted by marc at 8:14 AM in Travelogues |
“Trust in the unknown, and go with the flow!” was the ideology of these travels. Some might call it naïve? others Blind Faith? On being able to fly across the world and trust, stay, and live with fellow artists and people that have never yet met face to face. These European Travels could not have worked unless both Trust, and Faith were present by everyone that was involved. Let these European Stories give you confidence on your own personal challenges, as well as the street community at large for relying on, and being able to reach out for support. Support Systems like Wooster Collective for instance provide us all with a wealth of stimulus, information, as well as new street works from around the world. The fact that most of us will never meet each other face to face is irrelevant. What is relevant is that we are all fueling the streets with creativity, art, and courageous new ideas. As a community we are blind to gender, race, or age. The emphasis is on making the I would like to give a special THANK YOU to CHAZ, (London Police), D*FACE, NOMAD, and MS. RIEL as each of these people helped out immensely with support and generous efforts to make the European travels come to life! Another special THANK YOU also needs to go out to Marc and Sara of Wooster Collective for your Trust, and Faith in these travelogue entries as well as the street Community at large!" ... Above Posted by marc at 4:13 AM in Travelogues |
Flying from Iceland back home to Spain enabled me a down time to rest and reflect on all the adventures, cities and wonderful people I had been introduced to along the 4 months of Traveling Europe. Barcelona is Ideal for putting artwork's in the public domain because of its sunny and warm weather as well as laid back attitude of the Spanish People. It was impressive to see such large and colorful works that seemed to be around every corner you walk in the city. Barcelona expresses a certain flair in its art, and streets. Its inspiring to see such volumes of tags, throw-ups, pieces, posters, stickers, and stencils living free among the locals. To say that there is no Buff system in Barcelona would be a lie, however it appears as if the Buff is getting increasingly active around Barcelona, as well as police and undercover cops. When I was near La Rambla one night, a car of undercover cops seized me as I was putting up some work and took me to the police station. Times are changing and so are the streets of Barcelona. The buff or police will never reign supreme over the artists but the fight is starting to get hot. If you have not yet been to Barcelona, GO! * A big thank you to Royal for your support! ... Above Corner pocket on this fresh wall. One of the most difficult aspects of painting a wall illegally during the daytime is not the cops, but the pedestrians stopping and asking questions of What? Why? is this illegal?..etc. It is important for me to find my space and groove when I paint illegally in order to block out the distractions of people, and cops. With rocks I made a physical line and enclosed my space from the distracting outside world. "To each their own!" Patterns, textiles, and textures! Obsessed and Infatuated with all three. psycho rambling on La Rambla. As if 7 arrows were not already enough?! In Barcelona its always a nice day for a walk. Posted by marc at 7:17 AM in Travelogues |
After Zurich I caught a train down to my flat in Barcelona to chill out for a few days on la playa before flying up to Reykjavik, Iceland. The contrast of laying on the beach soaking up some sunshine, to the chilly arctic winds of Iceland was an adventure all in itself. Iceland is a very interesting country and Island. Because of its isolation from the rest of Europe. The style of its music, art, and fashion is very unique because of this factor. The whole country of Iceland only has 250,000 people, with 185,000 of those living in the Capital city of Reykjavik. I was fortunate to have friends in the isolated countryside as well as the centre of Reykjavik, which made the 3 weeks in Iceland well rounded and cultured. Reykjavik has a young, but very intensely growing street scene. Within the last 2 years Graffiti has been hitting the city streets in growing numbers, and with participants. Reykjavik is a challenge because of its cold, subzero climate during the night time. The Downtown is literally a ghost town after midnight, but the freezing cold winds make it hard to paint and be outside for longer than 20 minutes. Painting the City was the easy part, the challenge laid in how long you could handle the cold. My advice is to wear 2 jackets and 3 pairs of pants when you go painting in Reykjavik! * I want to thank Miss Riel, and Nomad for their overly Courteous Hospitality. I could not have done it without your assistance! Cesco for your flat while you were gone. Krem for the Cabin and tour of the mountain side. Tanya for your love, Cirkus for letting us tag your bar up night after night, and Galo for being my right hand man with the wild nights of Jaegermeister! ... Above This wall is smack in the centre of Reykjavik. A collaboration of styles with Nomad, and Miss Riel. Using the roller extension around all the construction supplies was fun, until you slipped. Hot cocoa breaks courtesy of Miss Riel. The Icelandic Countryside is like no other. The Icelandic pedestrian sealed the deal with the yellow highlights in this frame. Nice bag of tricks on his part. Takk. This "castle" was abandoned because of a fire earlier in the year. The fire probably had something to do with the next door neighbors who were selling Speed/Meth to what seemed like the whole city of Reykjavik. We (Nomad, and Miss Riel) recreated the building into a castle but had a hard time keeping focus as so many cracked out people were offering us and asking us for Speed/Meth. My part of the castle was play on words that read "A QUEEN, FOR A KNIGHT" A conceptual wrap around roller in the Icelandic countryside while the others film and watch Brom (Berlin) do a throw-up. Iceland's main support of economy is through fishing. The opportunity to attach an arrow on this boat caught my eye. Posted by marc at 9:10 AM in Travelogues |
March 1, 2006
February 23, 2006
"Before"
"Gnomes are scary little guys. Broken foot and all."
"The wooden extensions were tricky to secure on top of the roof but in the end the arrows were still flying high."
"thanks OJ and Adam for your support."
February 16, 2006
Time: 22:30
Name of the place: Esc
Address: Via Dei Reti 15. Near Termini Station (S. Lorenzo Zone)
February 15, 2006
February 13, 2006
"Olympic Geezers" Chaz and Galo outside a bar in Turino
Sara at the Opening Ceremonies
Tina, Galo, and Sara at Ski Jumping Event
Sara Rooting For the Koreans at Speed Skating
Al Roker giving The Wooster Collective a big thumbs up
February 10, 2006
February 6, 2006
February 1, 2006
"I struggle to even begin to find the proper words that can do justice to how grateful I am for all the support these past 5 months traveling around Europe! Quoting Herman Melville on his subject of unity and community “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with out fellow men.” During the past months traveling around Europe this statement was confirmed over, and over, and over again. It is unique to say the least, how the community in the streets and even online has opened up to each other with embrace and acceptance. Such community efforts on the behalf of YOU made these travels and experiences around Europe possible. It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation! This is why I write back and give my praise, and gratitude to all of YOU who helped assisted directly and indirectly. You all know who you are!
streets bleed with Art. Thank you all again, and again….see you in the streets!!!
January 12, 2006
December 29, 2005
