(Above: FLX and Inkie at Children Of The Jam, Dec 4th 2008)After a very successful launch party at the Arnolfini arts centre in Bristol, and a jam with twenty five writers doing their thing just across the water in sub-zero conditions behind us, I decided it was time for a break. It was beginning to feel like the wheels I had set in motion were unstoppable and that the end was just the beginning, so to speak, with promoting and marketing the book taking over my life just when I thought I could relax awhile. Add to this the fact that along with the extremely welcome praise – which made the months and months of working into the small hours worthwhile – came the inevitable backlash from the haters, and it was definitely time to shut up shop for the festive season. So to all of you who got Children Of The Can for Xmas and have let me know how much you enjoyed it: thank you. It was a real labour of love, and to know that it struck a chord with so many of you dissolved any negativity in seconds.
Happy New Year.
x
6 comments:
how typical of someone who believes they're in some kind of 'graffiti establishment' to insist that their book is exempt from criticism. this ridiculous convention took root decades ago and its probably not going to be shifted any time soon.
whether you like it or not criticism has been a part of literature, music and art for centuries. sometimes it is ungraceful and used maliciously by "haters", even in broadsheet papers, but is it not also a tiny cog in that undefinable mechanism that drives artists to push boundaries? is every artist not a type of critic? that may be a bit flippin metaphysical for a graffiti blog knockabout and i'm not really sure where i'm going with it, beyond trying to understand what fucking planet you're on, so i'll ask another question, specifically about the book: where on earth are the tags and throw ups?
i ask not out of the inverted snobbery that places 'illegals' above 'legals' but as someone who champions these maligned artforms at every opportunity. for me its never about pieces vs tags - what a pointless debate that is - i just like to see all facets of the movement represented fairly, and i can't recall seeing one throw up in the whole book! (although i only flicked through COTC in Borders, between a gap in my fingers, sobbing gently)
In no way do i feel that i am either a) in a graffiti establishment or b) exempt from criticism, and furthermore i quite agree that the notion of being exempt from criticism is ridiculous. My comment merely refers to the fact that most of the criticism i received (in the wake of a grueling year writing my first book) came from people who hadn't read or even taken the time to look at the thing in any detail.
There ARE tags and throw ups in the book (take a closer look) and by including crews such as the mighty TUB through to more recent bombers such as TNP and Demz from CM, i have tried to give a voice to every aspect of this scene that i have grown up in; which wasn't easy, considering the understandable reluctance of most of the city's illegal writers to talk.
This is in no way to back Felix and try to rubbish 'Google Biscuits' but the book is effing full of throw-ups and dubs, particuarly from the early days - I would encourage you to go back and have another look, dare I say maybe even buy it?
The only negative 'observations' I have heard have been from an artist or 2 that were not included - so jealously/sour grapes could be the root cause?
inclusion in a publication that features pages devoted to such nobodies as 'Filthy Luker' (seriously, WHO?!) and numerous unworldly, mediocre writers like Space, KTF and JAC is not something i could ever conceivably be jealous of. trust me.
good fer ye to have a break, the book blew the minds of evry bastard ive shown it too, job done! part two planned for 2034 i hope!
wurd
I'm looking for an artist to create a deconstructed Communist hammer and sickle banner to hang at the back of the stage for a St George’s Bristol concert event on 27th March this year.
The show explores the political pressures on artistic creativity - and artists’ responses in humour. The featured artist is the Russian musician Dimitri Shostakovich.
The banner needs to be ready for Friday 26th March.
I can't pay a fee for creating and making the banner, but I can pay £40+ for materials.
The artist would be acknowledged by me in my narration of the show, and in the event programme - and would take a bow at the end of the show if desired.
The artist is free to make photographic records throughout the event.
St George’s is a prestigious venue, and showing of work there would look good on a CV.
...............................
Many of my projects fuse music with visual and dramatic art.
An example is the Drawer of Dreams physical theatre project I created for the September 2009 Colston Hall Celebration.
You can see a two minute DVD of Drawer of Dreams on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq1IWu2f6yI.
BOZARTS (David Adams)
Home Office Tel: (+44 117) 944 1717; Mob: 07917 123 353
Post a Comment