Mike Ballard I.D.S.T

Block 336

336 Brixton Road, London

1 - 29 June 2012

All photos NoLionsInEngland

Mike Ballard's second solo show this year, I.D.S.T opened in Brixton last night.

 The venue is a non descript utilitarian basement concrete box, perhaps a bit too labyrinthine to be described as a plain box, various rooms, slots and box rooms house a varied collection of Ballard’s lastest photograph collage and film experiences.  The centrepiece is a vast low ceilinged room roughly the size of a tennis court with 5 very large looping film projections playing on the walls of three sides.  The films are essentially process documentation of the creation of a painting.  It seems that in each one Ballard is studying the process of paint explosion, created by cracking open a spray can of paint on four spikes.  Each of the films bursts into life as the can erupts, then the paint is captured dribbling across coloured backgrounds, an abstract dynamic colour discharge across the screen. Each of the slow drips, dribbles and runs are mesmerising to watch, trance alert – no drugs necessary.  We love colour! 

 

The end result, the accidental by-product  of the hours of filming is a gorgeous glossy abstract splatter filled canvas displayed outside the film cave.

Films frequently crop up in the Ballard output but this is a long distance from the scratchy over-dubbed retro-future black and white sci fi edits seen before.    After some 15 to 20 minutes in the film area emerging into the comparative light and bustling throng of the crowd taking in the rest of the installations was a stimulating shock to the senses.

 Also featuring in the show are a set of photograph collage light boxes and the kinetic lightbox (circular thing on the floor) recently seen at Ballard’s Arch 402 show,  these photos below come from that previous show, the installation at Block 336 benefits from compactness and proximity which makes them relate better to eachother than as shown at Arch 402.

 (Not all these lightboxes are in the I.D.S.T show)

Also making a return are a trio of photographic paint collages on aluminium,

 Astro Traveller Far Rockaway; Astro Traveller Between Patterson and Benson

 

 The I.D.S.T in the show title is the acronym for If Destroyed Still True, its addition to a piece of graffiti abuse giving the slur a longevity beyond the mere existence of the visible writing.  The allusion is to the impermanence of the moment of creation in the fluid paint transitioning into end product, Ballard’s film brings about a recycling of those moments in the creation of his New Instruction painting, lending that fleeting point in time the potential for an infinite existence, he has the potential to recall those moments and recreate them at whim and for ever.  That’s what Graffoto reckons anyway.

 This show brings together his collage light box units, chromoprint photographs and his films in a more coherent collection that anything we have seen in the past couple of years.  There is none of the wall/ceiling/floor painted illusion room stuff that he does so well (e.g. Dalston garage, 2008) which neatly swerves the “one-trick-pony” issue.  Yet the film zone is a beautifully colourful, disorientating and immersive multi-coloured cinematic experience.

PS - ARTIST'S TALK, Fri 6 Jul 2012, feat Hall Of Mirrors

Last night (FRI 6th July, 2012) Graffoto joined a gratifyingly large standing room only crowd at Block 336 for an artist talk by Mike Ballard [, interrogated by Alex Daw].  Seems a good excuse to supplement our own guesses above with lies and half-truths from the artist's own mouth, not to mention better photos that weren't taken leaning against pillars and people.

Going back about 7 years, Ballard moved beyond his 20 year pure letterform practise into a broader fine/conceptual art direction including mashed up video making inspired by Stan Brakage.  In a 2006 video of a serpentine spluttering paint line filmed by a cam mounted on a spraycan, the focus is on the dynamic jet of spray and the surface transformation at the impact point, this is very much a primordial ancestor which has evolved into the the IDST installation.

Ballard's fascination is not just with the painting and not specially with the process, it's just the paint itself.  Random uncontrolled paint, released explosively from the pressure cylinder of the spray can and distributing itself according to the brutal laws of nature.

Its not just the motion, explosion and dribbling that Ballard wants to experience, there is the sound too, the sound of the can puncturing on the nails, the hiss of the paint propellant being released from the can and the splatter and drip of the paint hitting the canvas surface.

The physical characteristics of the space where the films are showing touched a an ancient autobiographical note for Ballard.  He grew up in a small village in the remote provinces and in his words, "it's hard to be prolific all-city when you are the only graffiti vandal in a small village" but the limit of the 13 year old's world was a rail track which passed through one of those cavernous box like tunnels full of pillars and this was where the delinquent Ballard started out doing graff.  This happy hidden practise ground was referenced in Ballard's "All of Everything" show a couple of years ago and the Block 336 space has a strong echo of that ancient spot.

The Cutting, detail from The All Of Everything Show, 2010

vs....

Hall Of Mirrors v. Mike Ballard, IDST film installation

The origins of the three chromotagraphic prints became clearer (as in, this time I can remember what he said).  Another Ballard film process involved directly painting on and scratching a super 8 compilation of fast moving fast moving cuts, this "spoke" to Ballard by drawing his attention to invidiual frames which got stuck in the projector, offering themselves up for longer scrutiny. Ballard got the message and created the Astro Traveller Far Rockaway images from those frames.

The light box collages are entirely found and appropriated internet images, distorting scale and deliberately mixing hi res with very poor quality pixellated images, dancing around Ballard's long cherished themes involving mysticism, hip hop, Sun Ra, Ramellzeee, mysticisim, tunnels.

Penny: "Economy of Scale"

Rook and Raven Gallery, London

17 May – 21 June 2012

All photos: NoLionsInEngland

Stencil artist Penny has captioned his Rook and Raven solo show “Economy of Scale”, it could just as easily have been “Hand Cut” as this description applies to every image on show and blistered, bleeding fingers must be entry price for producing Penny’s stock intricate multi layered paintings

Alice Before The Fall, 10 layer stencil on 64 dollar bills

I don’t know if Penny stresses too about simulating a link with the still trending street art vibe.   There have previously been some rather generic Kate Mosses stencilled on outside walls [WRONG - see comments] but this homage to Albrecht Durer’s praying hands down near Brick Lane from about 9 months ago bore a closer relationship to the art Penny has created for this show.

Penny, Brick Lane, 2011

The first thing that stands out is that if you are used to a diet of Banksy, K-Guy and Stewey’s Stencil’s then you won’t have expected anything like the detail, intricacy and graduated toning of Penney’s work.  About half of the work has been produced using 7 or more stencil layers, there is a defect in our language if we are forced to use the same label to describe Penny’s and Mr.Farenheit’s work. 

Medusa, 2 layer, spraypaint on glass, framed over butterfly

If Penny has one trait which might be described as an alignment with Banksy it may be an element of humour in some of the pieces.   A lot of the stencils are drawn on the front and reverse of paper currency, old one pound notes and dollar bills and the gag is delivered with the title of the work, including the “Penny Pusher” series in bronze, silver and gold seemingly touching on the Olympic theme dominating the landscape of London this, referencing the huge expense required to stage this sporting fete as Europe tips back into recession and currencies look doomed to fail. 

Maybe Euro notes would have potential for future memorabilia value as we drift inexorably towards the neo drachma and the nouveau Franc.

 Penny Pusher – Silver, 12 layer stencil on one pound note

Many people have made an exhibit of themselves with one or two layer stencil images on canvas.  The more adventurous throw in a bit ofspraypaint “hand finishing”, or as Banksy’s film showed us,  in Brainwash’s case you put them all on the floor and ride your wheelchair around while flicking acrylic in the air.   Penny goes the extra distance to embellish the routine stencil image, such as creating a masque’d femme fatal with a stunningly iridescent and REAL butterfly.

Reborn, 2 layer stenil, spray paint on  glass, framed over “genuine” butterfly

Penny has another novel use for stencils up his sleeve which is to frame the stencil layers alongside the artwork, the effect of depth and cut is a bit like those dissected antique books you see around, we love the effect of the layers, sadly that doesn’t show in the photo below which completely flattens the strata.

Maia In Spring, 10 layer stencil, spray paint, dollar bills

Skeleton Stencil – “Maia In Spring” 10 layer stencil

And for completeness, a couple of installation elements gave an element of interactivity, by rolling pennies in the machine you might get a Penny badge out of the hopper, couldn’t get near the thing for all the obsessives thrusting their coins into the slots. 

These “Penny Shop Pick and Mix” pieces invited you to select your own personal combination from 5 eyes, noses and mouths on dollar bills to make you own preferred Penny face combo.  The idea is that the choice is from an open ended but signed edition for the duration of the show.  For a mere £31,250 you could have one of each of the 125 different possible combinations and perhaps the artist could be persuaded to stencil a “CERTIFIED INSANE “ piece as well.

Penny Shop – Pick and Mix

The list for the pictures has the word “hand cut” against every single stencil image.  Penny is telling us he is a Master.   No prisoners,  no  short cuts.  On the end of Penny’s arm a very calloused exacto finger is plotting its revenge.

Kali – 13 layer hand cut stencil, spraypaint, uncut sheet of dollar bills

There has been an excess of reference to Banksy in this post but any artist operating in the stencil space has to contend with the enormous shadow that Banksy throws over the genre.   Rook and Raven is a large upstairs and downstairs space which must be a daunting challenge for an individual artist but there isn’t a crap image in sight, they’d all pass muster as fine art if drawn or painted by any other technique.     Then you remember this is stencil work and you have to admire the quality and intricacy of Penny’s use of the form.

Iris In The Dark

Jo Peel - Things Change Animation

Civilisations rise and fall, some more quickly than others. Their legacy often lives on through residual art though archaeologists and historians are inclined to get distracted by coinage, bent forks and chipped potties. Jo Peel has made her mark with art, animating a complete evolution from idyllic paradise of nature to decayed east end sink high street on the epic Village Underground wall on Holywell Lane, London.


Jo Peel - Things Change (from here)


Anyone relying on 3 weeks of good weather for painting an outdoor project in London in March would usually be invited to have their head checked but despite forecasts of biblical tempest on two separate occasions, the weather divinities smiled on Jo who had a prolonged period of exceptional weather for her work. So much so that the failure of one monsoon to arrive per Met Office expectations lead to rain having to be simulated.



 Jo spent 3 weeks on this animated mural and having popped along almost daily for a progress check and chat, Graffoto reports a work ethic that would put many graffiti writers to shame. Using brush and can plus a number of props, Jo was working feverishly, nipping to the side and her succession of volunteer photographers were getting a shot roughly every 3 to 5 minutes.



The evolving scene is essentially imagined but in several parts is a composite of London locations including Jaguar Shoes, a Dalston local butcher shop, a Shoreditch architectural mash-up and the barren area with possible swamp overtones could be anywhere South of the river.




The end product remained up for a couple of weeks until recently replaced by an ad for a print release.

Things Changed - Final Mural

Shoreditch is no stranger to Jo Peel’s work, here is one that beautified a part of Shoreditch last year.
 

Cordy House, 2011

Another thing about this project that restored one's faith in the skinny trousered urbanistas that prance around Shoreditch - Jo left the orange painted stones on the pavement everynight and generally they stayed put. All the good things about the art said, the soundtrack seems to be a bit mis-matched. The tune is fine but in combination with the animation it’s like watching a mute TV while your neighbour forms a loud White Stripes derivative band. Graffoto doesn’t often gratuitously direct you to other graff blog sites but for a comprehensive and interesting interview with Jo about this project, check out this on GlobalStreetArt.

For more on Jo Peel, check out her website here

INSA - Self Reflection is Greater Than Self Projection

London Newcastle Project Space
Redchurch St, London

29 March 2012 ONLY


All photos: NolionsInEngland except the proper photograph stolen from Ian Cox


It’s not porn, it’s critiquing porn. That’s the fine line INSA’a one night only installation of chrome, arse and tit straddles.


photo Ian Cox


The installation comprises an all-enveloping wallpapered collage of images of INSA chicks photographed reflected in mirror balls. To the voyeur, it’s the hyper contrasting optical distortions that delight the eye most,




The photographic collage builds from studies (interesting how when it’s INSA, we use "studies" rather than “readers wives shots”) of two pouting females. The artistic concept is raised another power of two as this surround-fetish installation is evidently a collage of photographs themselves taken in an all embracing installation room.




The blurb says something about a Francesca Selby from Papergraphics who donated the digital printable wallcovering, Digimura (www.theartofwallcovering.com). One of the other Graffoto contributors is actually some kind of un-sung global hero in the world of printing bloody big stuff but I can’t be arsed to ask him what this printing technique is; to this author it looks like a distorted colour dottery (whut?) which itself becomes a bit abstract if you try to get to close.




The first 50 fetishists through the door were given a numbered limited edition print derived from the imagery in the show. Usually a free print is so insignificant, so little to write home about that it veers close to a debasement of the artist’s usual quality of work. A bit like getting a Michelin chef’s ready cooked diffusion meal range from the 24hr petrol station down the road. The 42 by 59 cm freebie INSA print given away tonight is undeniably a stunner. It looked so lush there was a hope that it might grace the walls of NoLions Towers but Lady NoLions wasn’t swallowing it.




There is some kind of sick irony in the fact that this all-encompassing immersion art installation is photography based and in itself is magically photogenic. These photographs may not do justice to the trick on the eye in which people appear to be poised perfectly balanced on tanned bootilicious contours.




INSA’ s signature stripes, flesh and swoosh come together all over the installation




(Our good friend from Hookedblog reckons that the original shoot for the wallpaper was done in some kind of kinkily dis-orientating strobe flash mode. This explains the intense points of light scattered around the wallpaper, not to mention the ghost tripod in the shot above.)




The Graffoto photo collection from this show includes a beautifully composed “from the hip” shot of an friend with his mouth wide open, perfectly juxtaposed in front of one of the images so that his bearded mug looks like a carelessly trimmed Brazilian. Unfortunately, such is the way with that kind of “street photography” technique, the pic was hugely over-exposed and will never be published, this will hopefully prevent a generation of young boys growing up with a bizarre idea of where a G-Spot is found. Here is a completely unrelated pic.



Arses


Someone cleverer than this author may make a case that a room full of lathered up penises might fulfil the same intended artistic concept but if INSA ever takes that as inspiration to a produce a similar gender opposed installation then you might have a bit of a wait to read about it here on Graffoto.

Secrets Of The Sticker Shed - Sticker Making Workshop

High Roller Society
10 Palmers Rd
London E2 0SY

25 March 2012

All photos: NolionsInEngland

Stickers photographed in the wild are by a variety of artists and are not all made by Stickee



Stickers operate at the margins of general acceptability, slightly less vilified than tagging by the “I love street art but tags are mindless vandalism” brigade. Stickering is a vital and vibrant culture where the graffiti's “up and prolific” mindset fondles street art’s aversion to risk.


feat Nylon, printed by Stickee


High Roller Society took time from its hectic schedule to host a workshop by sticker maker Stickee. In the presence of some of London’s leading users of robust and permanent stickers, who understandably shied towards anonymity on the fringes of the gathering, Stickee demonstrated how the gap between you and home production of top quality screen printed stickers is bridged with a bit of software and some low cost hardware, most of which you probably already own.




Stickering is a broad label so to put Stickee’s product in context, sticker “artists” get up using anything ranging from hand written courier labels with acres of lovely white space, check our 2011 novelty street stickering interview with wordy DHL label supremo Curly, lazer jet printed envelop labels, “my name is” stickers to hi end multi-colour giclee printed and shaped vinyl productions. Often a glance around the edges of a street art show might reveal a little pile of artist stickers filling the function of calling card, usually worth trousering a few of those whilst sinking a few of those free weird tasting Ukranian cyders (or whatever they are, often it becomes difficult to remember).




Stickee is a full time sticker maker and the quality of his product belies the slightly Heath Robinson ramshackle production line. Starting with the art work which is imported or scanned into illustrator, a black template is prepared including registration marks which are incredibly important for the shape cutting at the end. Working in the CMYK colour scheme the template is printed on to acetate which is then used to burn the silk screen. Eschewing the very expensive vacuum photo exposure unit, Stickee creates the screens using a duvet vacuum bag (£1!!) and piece of foam, a black tee shirt, a vacuum cleaner and 1 cigarette’s worth of free sunshine. The enemy of sharp imagery at this stage seems to be light sneaking around under the black areas of the acetate, Stickee gave loads of tips, does and dont’s and tricks to minimise the risk of producing a crap screen.


Printing the reversed image on acetate



Duvet Covers - not just for housewives



Burning the screen, vacuum holding good!



Rinsing photographic emulsion off the screen

After all that care and cautious processing to ensure a blemish free image with sharp edges, no dust specks, nothing missing, the fun and quick bit is slapping around the ink at the screen printing stage, we all got a fling at that. Curiously, while the objective of printing the acetate is to get as much black ink as possible out of the nozzle, the nature of the vinyl paper and the ink are such that you actually need to be quite sparing with the ink at the screen printing stage, who’d have thought?




Then there is the cutting, which is computer driven on a digital blade cutter, this actually cuts the sticker but not the backing paper behind, must be pretty sensitive and/or clever. This is where the registration marks on the sheet are very important so that the optical device on the print head can find out exactly where the image on the computer screen is located on the sheet of paper. Best way to be wowed by this precision cutting is to look at Stickee’s own youtube video below.


Sticker contour cutter



video by Stickee


The Finished Product - main image attributed to ARREX


The gallery walls had a lush looking selection of various stickers produced by stickee, see below, as well as several intriguing "making of" demonstrators such as this collection showing the four screens used to produce the famous TEK 33 trident stickers.


Top left to bottom right: pink layer, red layer, yellow layer, black layer


Like all these things, the technology is impressive and it is quite an eye opener to see the skill and length of time involved in producing even a single layer sticker. Anyone at the workshop could go home and have a fair stab at producing top quality stickers but as always the art is actually more important than the medium, so without a big flow of ideas probably your best bet is to let Stickee do it, Graffoto has known for a long time that his work is about the cheapest and highest quality!


Stickers by Mighty Mo, Aida, Nylon, Sweet Toof, Mr Penfold, Stickee, available from High Roller Society

Links:
Stickee Facebook
Stikee Flicker
High Roller Society
Arrex