I was going to wait for my Jan/Feb post which is coming very soon, but this can’t wait and deserves its own post.
A few months ago SOFLES came to Melbourne to paint this EPIC piece. Selina Miles and the guys from Juddy Roller were also hanging around, so there bound to something special going on… Special is not the word to describe what came next.
The piece itself was spectacular in black on a all white background – reminding me of a raw sketch straight outa Sofs’ black book. I also love how he left all the raw throws and tags around the piece. The piece was painted over 3/4 days using a massive crane and a fuck load of paint. Note the cheeky PORK roller that just popped up recently..
After the painting was completed – that’s when the projection mapping started. You can tell by the video that’s it’s an excruciatingly detailed process – which is also evident in the final production.
The production was a part of Melbourne’s annual ‘White Night’ Projection festival. This year was the first time graffiti and projection were combined. Clearly a great idea as the project attracted hundreds of spectators.
Shaun Hossack, creative director for the project (who also runs Juddy Roller studios and runs one hell of a party) did a fantastic job bringing all the parties together and providing overall direction.
From the Press Release: “Over 5 stories high, Sofles’ inner city mural is his biggest work to date. Add to that Grant Osborne’s incredibly detailed motion design and a musical score by New Zealand music producer Opiuo, and you have a truly innovative work of art. Visible for one night only, but destined to leave an impression on the city’s skyline Sofles – Graffiti Mapped was one of the most exciting events of the entire White Night Melbourne festival”.
Check out the full length video below to show the full projection sequence – it goes for about 7 minutes in total.
Also make sure you check out the incredible video below by Selina Miles (director of the famous/viral Sofles – Limitless video) of the end to end process. Selina’s videos not only show off Sofles’ amazing work – they also pay homage to the process and the context around the piece as well ad the scale. I love the movement of the lift with the music and the use of a drone camera (from UAV drones) also brought a great perspective to this piece.
I can see this graffiti mapping business has a big future – the possibilities are endless. Unlike other forms of moving art (e.g.: INSA’s gif-itti) this form has so much more flexibility (and while labour intensive for the projector – much less laborious than re-painting an entire wall).
Watch out for my January/February Melbourne post – coming soon..
I’m back after a brief blogging hiatus. I’ve been meaning to post my review for this great event that happened back in April over in Western Australia for a while now…
Leaving a cold wet 17 degrees in Melbourne, I was pretty damn excited to fly to Perth on the 10th of April, right in time for the grand finale of PUBLIC by Form Gallery in Perth, Western Australia, which I posted a preview of a while ago.
I arrived to a perfect sunny 30 degrees and soon as I hit the ground, I had a good feeling about Perth, I hadn’t been before, but something felt right. I went straight to the hotel and dropped off my bags, and went for an explore. Within a few hundred metres of my hotel, I could see the amazing Phlegm and ROA murals in progress. I made a beeline straight for them. Upon entering the car park I also saw the work of many other great artists. The works were spread throughout the CBD and inner city suburbs. Here’s a selection of some of my favourite pieces from the event.
ROA. Photo by Bewley Shaylor.Pixel Pancho. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Pixel Pancho. Photo by Pixel Pancho.Pixel Pancho. Photo by Pixel Pancho.Phibs. Photo by Luke Shirlaw.Hyuro. Photo by Luke Shirlaw.Hyuro. Photo by Luke Shirlaw.Phlegm. Photo by David Dare Parker.Alexis Diaz. Photo by Alexis Diaz.Alexis Diaz (detail). Photo by Alexis Diaz.Amok Island. Photo by Amok Island.Ever. Photo by Ever.GAIA. Photo by Dean Sunshine.GAIA and Ever. Photo by Brendan Hutchens.Lucas Grogan. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Lucas Grogan. Photo by Jean-Pierre Horre.2501. Photo by Luke Shirlaw.Maya Hayuk. Photo by Jean-Pierre Horre.2501 vs Maya Hayuk. Photo by 2501.Beastman and Vans the Omega. Photo by Dean Sunshine.HEAVY Projects. Photo by Dean Sunshine.HEAVY Project. Photo by Dean Sunshine.HEAVY Projects. Photo by Dean Sunshine.HEAVY Projects. Photo by HEAVY Projects.
While the event spanned over ~30 days, the main event was the painting of Perth’s 1st ever giant murals over the last 3/4 days of the event. In total there were around 30 murals painted for the event, spanning across the City of Perth. I was very impressed by the organization of the event by the FORM Gallery crew. With a logistical nightmare trying to coordinate over 45 artists, paint and equipment, all in 35 degree heat, the FORM Crew did an amazing job, Well done guys!!! A very friendly and hospitable crew. Thanks very much for taking such great care of us while we visited.
There was a great selection of artists from ac cross the globe representing all different styles and genres. Unfortunately there was no graffiti, but I suppose street art was a big stretch for conservative Perth, so graffiti may have been avoided for this reason. For a city not really known for street art, the public reaction was encouraging. People of all ages and walks of life filled the city over the weekend. I love walking around randomly and listening to some of the conversations and questions people ask each other. In particular I was really impressed by the public’s reactions to the HEAVY PROJECTS installations (interactive works of art that use Augmented Reality on smart phones and tablets). Here’s a short video the guys out together to document the event (plus some footage from a previous project).
On the Friday night there was also a great show at FORM Gallery – PUBLIC SALON showing off canvases from the contributing artists, some great work on display, check out some shots here.
And finally. This great video by Chad Peacock is a really accurate representation of the event and well put together. Damn it takes me back!!!
The FORM guys also took a number of artists to visit the Pilbara, a very special part of top end of Australia with breathtaking views and incredible nature (also sadly known for mining – the 2 don’t really go hand in hand). A few of the artists had a paint while there, I particularly like the piece by Remed.
Remed. Photo by Ben Fulton-Gillon.2501 and Remed. Photo by 2501.2501 and ROA. Photo by 2501.2501 and Alexis Diaz. Photo by 2501.
After all of the above, any street art fan in Perth would have to be pretty happy, but it didn’t stop there. FORM has continued putting up murals in Perth, with Creepy (aka Kyle Hughes-Odgers) painting at Perth Airport (a sponsor of PUBLIC) and also Vans the Omega and Beastman’s new piece that went up last week.
Kyle Hughes-Odgers. Photo by Kyle Hughes-Odgers.Kyle Hughes-Odgers. Photo by Kyle Hughes-Odgers.Vans the Omega & Beastman. Photo by Jarrad Seng.Vans the Omega & Beastman (detail). Photo by Jarrad Seng.
What I loved most about the event wasn’t just the art, and was not unique to PUBLIC; is the sense of community I felt. This is something I really love about the street art scene. I got to catch up with some great old friends, and made some new ones who I will undoubtedly randomly catch up with again somewhere around the globe.
Fingers crossed that this event is on again next year. I will be there with bells on!
If you are in Perth, check out the full list of artists and the mural map. FORM has also put together this short book called PUBLICation available for Purchase at the Gallery and viewable online for free here. FORM have also started “PUBLIC Urban Art Walks” to give fans a guided tour of the city, well worth checking out.
Ok, so that’s enough, right? Actually no, there’s more. And it’s massive. Due to some logistical 😉 issues SANER was unable to make it over for the original dates. I was gutted to hear this when I found out, but when I found out FORM are still bringing him over in August to paint in Perth and also the Pilbara, I was pretty damn excited! I’ll make sure to cover this later in the month.
Still playing catch up on my posts, so here’s my favourites from February. Lots of great stuff yet again in February featuring works by Melbourne’s local talent and a few from our many interstate and international visitors.
To start off the month AllThoseShapes brought us some great bits and pieces, including this great paste from Lucy Lucy, another neon piece from Straker (loving this new style of his), some more rad stencils from Akemi Ito, this apt piece by Spie with an angry gorilla commenting on taggers in Hosier and Rutledge lanes (2 of Melbourne’s most tagged/capped lanes) and a couple of slaps from MIO, who is killing it at the moment with stickers and lots of throwies around town.
Lucy Lucy. Photo by AllThose Shapes.Straker. Photo by AllThose Shapes.Akemi Ito. Photo by AllThose Shapes.Spie. Photo by AllThose Shapes.MIO. Photo by AllThose Shapes.MIO. Photo by AllThose Shapes.
Slicer. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Rashe. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Rashe. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Jaw. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Mayo, Steve Cross, DVATE, Ethics, Askem, Sat, Porno, Awes and Simple Sime (Park Street Party). Photo by Dean Sunshine.Choq and Sueb. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Makatron. Photo by Dean Sunshine.SAGE. Photo by Dean Sunshine.
Choq. Photo by David Russell.Slicer, Shawn Lu, Adnate, Jaw, Rashe. Photo by David Russell.Slicer, Jaw, Shawn Lu, Rashe, Adnatea and DEAMS. Photo by David Russell.Taylor White. Photo by David Russell.Brian Itch. Photo by David Russell.Kaffeine. Photo by David Russell.Ink & Clog. Photo by David Russell.Ink & Clog. Photo by David Russell.Ink & Clog. Photo by Roberth Pinarete Villanueva.
Ink and Clog also put this short video together after their trip to Melbourne.
Phoenix the Street Artist. Photo via Invurt.
Finally I had to include this interview by Fletch from Invurt with Phoenix the Street Artist, one of my favourite interviews I have read in a long time, about one of my favourite Melbourne street artists. (Check out his work here).
Ok, So I am a few months behind on what’s been happening in Melbourne since the start of the year. Summer in Melbourne is always action packed with lots happening. Here’s some of my favourite work from January. February and March posts coming soon.
AllThoseShapes is always capturing all the happenings on the street. I’m loving Akemi Ito‘s stencils that seem to be popping up everywhere lately, I not only like the imagery but also his process drawing, inking and cutting each stencil from scratch. Good to see some new stencils. A great paste by Lifetime Stickyfingers and I love these abstract pieces by Quellle Atak and Madmax. AllThoseShapes also released his new book Figment – which is available here. A great book.
Akemi Ito. Photo by AllThoseShapes.Lifetime Stickyfingers. Photo by AllThoseShapes.Quelle Atak. Photo by AllThoseShapes.Madmax. Photo by AllThoseShapes.
David Russell, chief photographer at Invurt, has really stepped up his game lately and has captured some amazing photos. I have also included a couple of shots below Dave’s by Roberth Pinarete Villanueva, a new photographer in Melbourne, to show the contrast in styles. I love what Roberth does and his shots give you an amazing and different perspective of the works. Roberth takes photos from all angles and then combines them, with stunning results.
Adnate and Two One. Photo by David Russell.Adnate and TwoOne. Photo by Roberth Pinarete Villanueva.Adnate and TwoOne. Photo by Roberth Pinarete Villanueva.Kaffeine. Photo by David Russell.Kaffeine. Photo by Roberth Pinarete Villanueva.
Awesome pieces by Putos, Style, Straker and TwoOne. I’ve also included a shot of Keith Haring‘s mural painted in the 80’s which was recently restored (and if you look closely some idiot has tagged it already, hmmm).
Putos. Photo by David Russell.Straker. Photo by David Russell.Style. Photo by David Russell.TwoOne. Photo by David Russell.Keith Haring (restored). Photo by David Russell.
A little while ago I heard whispers of something big happening in Perth, Western Australia. I usually only cover Melbourne based art and events, but this is an exception and needs to be shared. I’m heading over to Perth tomorrow so I will be covering the remainder of the event for Vandalog.
PUBLIC started on the 5th of April and continues through to the 13th and will feature street art, projections and installations across the city. 45 amazing artists will paint over 30 giant murals and walls over the fortnight.
The line up is mind blowing and an Australian first, with names like 2501, Phlegm, Yandell Walton, Hayley Welsh, Jordan Seiler, Jerome Davenport, Amok Island, Ian Mutch, Casey Ayres, Chris Nixon, Darren Hutchens, Martin E Wills, Paul Deej, Daek William, Stormie Mills, Hurben, ROA, Ever, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Peche, Natasha Muhl, Phibs, Beastman, Lucas Grogan, Andrew Frazer, Hyuro, Mekel, Mow Skwoz, Drew Straker, Jaz, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Maya Hayuk, Reko Rennie, Pixel Pancho, Jetsonorama, Gaia, Alexis Diaz, Nathan Beard, Remed, Vans the Omega, The Yok and Sheryo and more.
Here’s a couple of work in progress shots I stole from Sam Gorecki via Invurt. More here.
Pixel PanchoPhlegmROAPhibsThe Yok and SheryoMaya HayukLucas Grogan
