Pourrais-tu te présenter ?
Oré, 35 ans, normand. Définitivement accro au graffiti, mais aussi aux autres expressions esthétiques dans les rues (affiches, pochoirs, stickers, collages divers et variés).

Quand as-tu commencé à t’intéresser au graffiti ?
En 1989, je trace mes premiers tags au marker dans des cages d’escaliers. Depuis le Graffiti fait partie de mon existence. Pas un jour ne s’écoule sans que je sois traversé par l’envie de peindre tel ou tel endroit de la ville.
Pour ma part, le Graffiti est davantage un mode de vie qu’une simple activité créatrice (« We do Graffiti, we fuck Graffiti, we are Graffiti »).
J’ai découvert le Graffiti en liaison avec la culture Hip-hop. Cependant, ce lien originel n’a plus beaucoup d’importance maintenant pour moi. Mes références proviennent désormais autant du Rock (je suis notamment grand fan de Noir Désir, Manu Chao, The Clash), même si j’adore des gens comme La Rumeur ou Casey.
Mes voyages et mes lectures m’influencent énormément.
Cependant, les racines du Graffiti classique sont toujours en moi, elles forment mon « background » culturel : je n’oublie pas que j’ai peint des lettrages et des tags durant de longues années.

Ce livre, c’est histoire de garder une trace de toutes ces années ?
En effet, après 20 ans de peinture, j’avais envie de faire un bilan.
50% des œuvres présentées dans le livre ont aujourd’hui disparu.
J’ai voulu retracer mon parcours de graffeur et montrer l’évolution de ma peinture.
Je débute ainsi le livre par des photos de mes premiers lettrages, pour finir par une présentation du spectacle « Ecoute Les Murs Parler », en passant par le collage des Quetzalcóatls et les réalisations de fresques.
Enfin, je suis depuis deux ans membre d’une association (La Sauce Aux Arts) où il existe une branche Éditions. Donc il y avait les gens pour m’aider à réaliser ce projet.

Qu’est-ce qui a finalement été le plus compliqué dans la conception de ce livre ?
Créer une ambiance et trouver une rythmique au niveau de la mise en page qui soient cohérentes et agréables tout au long du livre.
Et que l’aspect général de cet objet traduise bien mon état d’esprit de peintre.
La première maquette élaborée au bout des 4 premiers mois de travail avait d’ailleurs déçu les potes de l’association. Ce fut un long et difficile processus pour trouver la bonne manière de présenter mes peintures.

D’où te vient cet intérêt pour le Mexique et les civilisations précolombiennes ?
Les mystérieuses cités d’or ou une séduisante  prof d’Histoire Géo ?
Depuis mon enfance, j’ai toujours ressenti un profond intérêt pour l’Histoire.
J’ai d’ailleurs obtenu une maîtrise d’Histoire il y maintenant quelques années…
J’ai toujours trouvé la muse Clio très séduisante…
Pour ce qui est du Mexique, j’y suis allé pour des séjours plus ou moins long depuis 1996.
En 1996, c’est la possibilité de rencontrer les Indiens zapatistes au Chiapas qui m’a décidé (et l’envie de voyage en terre latine…).
Au fil du temps, et de plusieurs séjours là-bas, j’ai visité les principaux sites archéologiques et musées du Mexique et du Guatemala. Différentes lectures sur les mythologies mayas et aztèques m’ont également apporté certaines références, notamment celle du Serpent à plumes,  le « Quetzalcóatl ». Le dessin animé « Les mystérieuses cités d’or » est d’ailleurs excellent pour les petits, pour acquérir certaines notions sur les civilisations précolombiennes.

A part le Mexique, y’a-t-il d’autres pays ou villes qui t’ont marqué ?
J’aime le voyage. Une de mes expressions  fétiches en anglais est « Travelling, Smoking, Painting ». Beaucoup de lieux et villes sont importants pour moi. La Grèce a une place particulière, comme le Mexique, car l’histoire de ma famille est fortement liée à cette terre méditerranéenne.
Mais, on peut déplorer une espèce de culture urbaine mondiale qui nivelle tout (plutôt vers le bas) et qui tue les différences entre les lieux. Ainsi,  dans mes souvenirs d’adolescent, certains quartiers d’Athènes avaient une réelle saveur presque orientale (comme le marché du boulevard Athinas). Aujourd’hui, c’est grande enseigne (Zara, Séphora, Mac Do et compagnie…) et caméras de surveillance. Et quasiment toute l’Europe, voire le monde entier, s’uniformise ainsi à grand pas.

Pourrais-tu nous citer quelques artistes dont tu apprécies le travail ou qui ont eu une influence sur tes productions (pas forcément seulement dans le graffiti) ?
Je suis admiratif, et je les considère comme des « maîtres » pour moi, de gens  comme Invader, JR, Bansky, Jace. J’aime particulièrement aussi les travaux de L’Atlas, Os Gemeos, André, Zeus.
Je suis un peintre autodidacte, c’est le tag qui m’a amené à ce que je fais aujourd’hui.
Donc je demeure extrêmement influencé par les gens du milieu Graffiti et Art de rue.
Cependant, je me forge petit à petit une culture artistique classique, afin de connaître un peu mieux l’art occidental en général, et nourrir ainsi ma création.

Si je passe par Caen as-tu un ou deux endroits à me recommander ?
Au niveau graffiti, peinture ou en général ?
Les deux…
Au niveau général, rien  de particulier à signaler sur la tranquille capitale de la Basse-Normandie…
Au niveau graffiti, là aussi on pourrait dire qu’il n’y a pas forcément beaucoup à voir.
Il se passe quand même des choses. Des gens comme Sane2, Akor, Blast peignent beaucoup et font avancer le mouvement, chacun à leur manière. Leurs crews  322 et DLT sont les plus actifs dans le coin. Les KSF et ECF, avec Nore, Hope, 1ER, Kaps posent aussi pas mal. Et puis, le pochoiriste Artiste Ouvrier vient de s’installer ici.
Sinon, si il y a un endroit à visiter pour voir du mur peint, proche du centre ville, c’est selon moi sur le Campus Universitaire 1 que ça se passe. Forcément, il y a plusieurs de mes fresques, mais pas mal d’autres gens viennent se  poser là  car on y trouve des murs sympas,  vus par tous les étudiants, et pas de patrouille de police pour te déranger.
Le long du canal, le mur d’enceinte de Renaults Trucks (RVI) était  beaucoup peint, mais je ne sais pas si c’est encore le cas. Enfin, sur la commune d’Hérouville, Sane2 met en place pas mal de projets divers. Le site de la SMN à Colombelles est à voir, car c’est le plus vieux terrain, mais trop de toys de gamins.

Des souhaits, des envies, des projets pour les prochains mois ?
Diffuser bien sûr le bouquin le plus largement possible.
Mais surtout, poursuivre dans la belle dynamique de mes 3 dernières années.
A savoir : des serpents à plumes collés un peu partout en France et ailleurs, de belles commandes de fresques, des dates sur de bons festivals avec les potes slamers, zicos et vidéastes pour notre spectacle « Ecoute Les Murs Parler », et enfin, si ce n’est pas trop demander, encore quelques endroits sympas pour exposer.
Et pour finir, avec une légère ironie : avoir des critiques dithyrambiques, avec  des articles de 5 pages,  dans tous les magazines du petit milieu graffito-streetarto-tendance-fashion…

Le site d’Oré: http://www.artore.org/

Pour commander le livre d’Oré (20€ frais de port compris):  J’irai taguer sur vos tombes.

Please introduce yourself. Where are you from? When did you start photography? Did you paint before starting photography?

My name is Ruediger Glatz aka Ruedione and i come from the beautiful city of Heidelberg in Germany.

Like many people I’ve shot photos my whole life.  When i was 7-8 I had as well some darkroom moments with my father, but the real start of my photography was in 2000…soon i became a photonerd.

I started to write around `91 but slowed down around `98….today I piece just once a while, but can’t claim myself being an active writer.
My focus is on my photography

Backflashes is a big book with large pages and only 1 big photo per page. Was it important that your photos were presented on such a big format?

The book was still a compromise for me….if it was only on me, i would have put just one image per doublepage, but i was as well grateful to the publisher, as doing such an uncommercial book in this period of time, while tons of graff books come on the market and most sell way less, than they used to sell, is a certain risk I appreciate a lot.

indeed…this kind of presentation was important to as I want to see my “babies” getting the right focus.  The composition of an image is very important to me…normally i don’t crop my images. I go even so far, that the images in the book, that go over a doublepage and had get cropped for that, fall in my eyes under grafic design and are no more part of my photos in that book.

I personally don’t crop to push myself becoming better. With crops you can easily optimize your images and you don’t  have to focus much while shooting.

The presentation of my images is quiet an emotional point for me.

Your photos are all in black & white and some are a bit noisy. They look like film photography. And it works great for night photos. Do you like the current trend of clinical precision that allow digital photos? (and by the way, do you actually use digital cameras?)

When I started this series in 2002 I was strictly shooting film and the T-MAX3200 gave me the needed speed to shoot this series. I like the grainy and raw look of this film and had the feeling, that this format was supporting my look.

In 2005 i switched to digital, as the first camera came on the market, that gave obviously better results than film plus i found a mentor who opened my eyes for a certain general view on photography.

…but i kept the same look for the series.

Today I shoot mostly digital, but use film for some series.  I experiment a lot with all kind of cameras and always try to push limits.

I am very grateful for the possibilities, that the digital photography gave me, the same time you have to be aware of all kind of risks, that come with that medium.

When i shoot a series i always make up my mind first, what kind of style is underlining my message. I do shoot as well “technical perfect and precise” digital images, but for most of my series i use a retro look, as it gives me the emotional intensity, that i always look for in my images.

Backflashes must be one of the 1st books about graffiti where it is not shown a single graffiti. Is it a way for you to tell that adrenalin, friendship, tension, & night-missions are what really matters in the graffiti?

I see my book being the second book, as Alex Fakso published his HEAVY METAL in 2006.

My aim was to visualize that feeling that kept me going out at night for so many years. Graffiti -and specifically bombing- influenced my life a lot and i wanted to preserve that precious feeling for me and others, that might be interested in grabbing the book in 10-20-30 years and get a backflash.

The way i chose to shoot the series in, has the focus completely on the feeling….the identities of the persons are totally not relevant…it is even important for me, that they are not being recognized, as graffiti is a movement, that creates idols, who might disturb what I was looking for.

In a way i think that the community aspect of graffiti is probably the most important factor to me, that made this movement so special to me, but this is somehow what my next book is about…i am already working on for 7 years. BACKFLASHES is all about the bombing-feeling itself.

…a piece made for night-lovers.

As a former graffiti writer, is it frustrating sometimes to take some risks with people in front of a train and not painting on it?

It is funny…it seems that this is the question almost everybody asks me. The answer is quite simple. Photography is no different than writing for me. It is about style and achieving aims, therefore I always saw myself as part of the production, but in another way. While i spent formerly 7-8 hours on a mission plus had to chase in the morning trains (what was as well special to me) to get my piece, i join today the production and have mostly 10-20 masterpieces in a very basic format on me. Those I can finish in the perfect moment. You could compare it to a writer, who does his firstlines and fills in the yard, but is able to do his outlines at home.

This was always a wonderful way of working for me.

As well i was never able to satisfy my personal view on quality and style in writing, while i am able to do so in my photography. Of course there still has to be a certain challenge, to be able to evolve, but i love my images and it feel like carrying home babies.

Which photographers do you admire most? Did some of them influence your own style?

I wouldn’t say that there is a specific photographer, who influenced my style or who i even admire.

When i started in 2000 very soon the images and the approach of MAGNUM photographers like Bresson, Burri and Capa influenced me, but over the years i had the feeling something was missing and it were finally images of the American civil war and other vintage prints, that showed me what i was seeking for.. that influence added darkened edges and a certain retro look to my style. Somehow the opposite of what seems to be perfect to the most is perfect to me … it gives warmth and emotional focus on details to my images and this is what was a bit missing before. I never wanted my photography to be neutral.

Several years ago the concept of “stars” faded for me and today i don’t see any photographer or “star” in general, who I would like to switch life with…i enjoy my life.

Is this book the end of a period of you life? Do you still shoot graffiti writers or like Alex Fakso you are now experiencing new photographic themes?

I would say that this book was about a former period of my life, that was even over, when i started shooting…so i called it BACKFLASHES.

Since i started taking photos, the challenge of learning was always a very important matter to me. Therefore i shoot since years as well photos in other directions than graffiti, but i like to separate things. About 4-5 years ago i started to work also as a photographer, but what i shoot job wise has nothing to do with my personal work…but it keeps me learning.

Next to BACKFLASHES i have other long term projects i was working on, and since i finished BACKFLASHES in December 2008, i focus on my series ARTISTS (just a workingtitle), that i started shooting for in 2002-2003.  Here i shoot portraits of around 90-95 protagonists of the graffitimovement. I join them sometimes for a couple days and the focus is on the person and their living environment…this series should be finished by the end of 2010.

…but there are a couple more series. I am addicted to shoot and i enjoy it a lot.

And a last one if I visited Heidelberg, which are the places I shouldn’t miss?

It depends on the day, but for sure you shouldn’t miss the ZUCKERLADEN …a crazy candystore with a crazy owner.

I always call Heidelberg “happy land” as everything seems to be alright and good.

http://www.ruedione.com/

http://www.backflashes.com/

Visual interview with

Pener one – Spectrum crew

I’ve got no preference in terms of painting tools that I use.
I love paintbrushes as well as markers I like the smell of both ink and paint.

…Amsterdam… I’ve been there a couple of times, but never had a
chance to collaborate with SOL CREW EINDHOVEN…. The works of Erosie
and the rest of the guys have really made a huge impression on me.

Definitely black&white…. A sharper contrast… Easier reception…
You cannot cheat, you cannot conceal a thing
There is power in simplicity.

When it comes to the technique and obtained effect I’d definitely
prefer stencils…I always try to merge my templates with background to
fit them in into the whole composition…A stencil enables the wall
project to go much easier and faster… It gives the final effect… On
top of that I love its phat effect… The runs, inaccuracy… These
things define my work pretty often

Definitely Dexter. I think it won’t finish well though…
I got somewhat lost around the fifth episode…
Anyhow, my wife still watches it

laura palmer laura palmer laura palmer laura palmer laura palmer laura palmer

Pirates

‘Both… Preferably mixed.
binarpilot, Atari Teenage Riot, prefuse73, vitalic, Animal Collective,
jan garbarek, primus, meshuggah,…I listen to all kinds of music,
depending on the hour or activities I’m involved in. Read the rest of this entry »

Plakboek has been released for the Dutch Design Week 2008. I think it was not an “urban-art” event, how did you get involved in this ?

Eindhoven is a small city and design is Eindhoven’s claim to fame because of the Design Academy etc. Luckily there are quite some other events during the DDW not directly related to the ‘ pots and pans, chairs and tables’-design, but places where there is a different touch. One of these places is Freek Lomme’s Onomatopee and his Your-space. He did a lot of the arranging so we were lucky to produce the book.

Actually I think it’s good it was not related to an “urban art event”, it’s good to see genres mix, I never liked that art is only about art, urban only about urban, hiphop only about hiphop etc. There are good and bad things to find in all fields.

What was your aim with this book, to make a kind of photo album of the last 10 years in Eindhoven ?

In a way yes. Like a scrapbook should be…Me, space3 and Crackrock wanted a good overview of certain people and certain works that had an impact on Eindhoven’s streets in the past 10 years or so. Next to that of course there are also more traditional tags and old electricity boxes with tags still visible after 15 or even 20 years. Most of these were buffed just recently, so in a way the book shows the ghosts of a past era, and also shows the constant battle with the citycleaners. Also it’s good that a lot of things are put together in one book, unlike big cities there are not so many people constantly going in and out of Eindhoven so a lot of nice things never were seen.

The curator of the exhibition gives a few explanations in the book, but according to you, what made Eindhoven scene special ?

The fact that a lot of people with different backgrounds met in a similar field; producing stuff in the streets that challenged each other to make more and different work. A constructive vibe instead of losing too much energy battling in a negative way. More traditional graffiti always existed next to other expressions, people did both art or design and graffiti and crosshatched these fields. On a personal level all these different people always relatively got along quite well, it’s a small place it makes sense.

What does Eindhoven look like today ? Is it all buffed ? Are there interesting new comers we should know ?

Yes…it’s mostly buffed and kept clean. Like most other North-European or at least Dutch cities there is apparently enough money to spend on city-cleaning, and it’s done as a “safety measure”; people feel unsafe and the best way to lighten that feeling is a superficial one. Nothing really changes, it looks and feels “better”, so that makes all the difference. It makes sense I guess in a society that is so much about appearance and looks.

Still people do things so there is still stuff to see, but it’s not as vibrant as before. In the bigger picture it makes sense that things change after a 10-year span.

If I visited Eindhoven, which are the places I shouldn’t miss ?

Definitely check out MU, an art space with good contemporary art and changing exhibitions as well as the Van Abbe Museum, look for Arnol, the loudest streetpreacher ever in the center city, he will give you Jesus’ blessings personally, drink a beer or fifteen at the Lafolie-bar, go to Motta artbooks, break a leg in Area51 skatepark, get your infamous Dutch-cuisine lunch at Dik & Lang, try to be at a Stroomhuis-party, and that should be enough for one day to not come back in quite a while…

(cc) Facemepls

We are at the end of an era for what was called street-art last years. Are you still interested in the current scene ?
What artists are you currently excited about?

I really like Influenza’s ongoing experiments in the research of using and abusing our cities and it’s public spaces…I still can’t get over what Mischa Leinkauf and Matthias Wermke did with their film “zwischenzeit”, it’s so good. Did you see Blu’s latest visit to Barcelona? I saw some beautiful stuff from Adams some time ago that make you realise how far some people push things…Ofcourse it’s interesting to see the developments ( or lack of developments) by our beloved (or not so beloved) streetart superstars and the famegame and moneymachine around it, some change in just a decade! Next to that there are so many things happening it takes too much space to type down…not only in street-related fields but in general. The more you see the less you know…

Is there any project or collaboration you would love to do but still nobody asked you to ?

I would just like to find a way to bend time a bit more in my advantage.
If somebody can help me with that, that would be really nice.

http://www.erosie.net/

http://plakboek-eindhoven.nl/

Jolek: Je suis JOLEK peintre sur tous supports , originaire du nord , sur Bordeaux depuis quelques années.
10 ans de graffiti et j ai dépassé le 1/4 de siècle…

eko: Le graffiti c’est comme collectionner des baskets ou mettre des jantes en alu c’est un truc de mecs. Exhiber des filles c’est juste une autre façon de briller vis-à -vis des copains ?

J’aime le graffiti / la peinture / les femmes et la photo , j’ai donc rassemblé ce que j aime , le résultat  me plait et plait a mes modèles  c’est le principal . Si ça plait aux autres c’est cool  sinon j’men bat les c……
après je fais voir et fais tourner quelques photos aux potes qui aiment ce que je fais mais j’en ai qui restent secrètes .

T’as pas l’impression que sur tes photos on ne regarde plus tes pièces ?

Ceux qui aiment mes graffs regarderont les graffs et les  sexygirlz.
Ceux qui ne m’aiment pas moi et mes graffs se contenteront de mater la sexy girl ou regarderont
ailleurs.

Comment a commencé cette série pornograffitique ?

Mon premier body paint c’est une histoire de dingue que personne ne croira… . fait aux feutres de couleurs et  marker noir réalisé sous skunk / photo pourrie mais un pur souvenir

Mon 2eme body paint c’etait pour une femme libertine contactée par le net / pour faire une série de photos insolites pour son site perso X.

Pour la 1ere séance photos pornograffitique. je faisais un graff autorise sur un camion de prostituée a Paludate pour ceux qui connaissent et j’ai convaincu  la dame de poser devant mon graff.

Voila pour les débuts.

Les calendriers de routiers ont-ils bercés ton adolescence ?

J’avoue  j’ai  toujours aimé les magazines et vidéos de femmes dénudées mais je n’imaginais pas un jour avoir le plaisir de faire de telles photos .

Qui sont ces filles  ?

Secret professionnel ,,,,. La plupart sont des modèles photos mais il y a aussi des étudiantes . une star du x. stripteaseuses ,  femmes libertines échangistes et coquines………….  toutes majeures et volontaires.

Comment les rencontres-tu ?
Je les rencontre par internet pour la plupart. Après il y a le bouche a oreille ou des connaissances.

T’es plutôt un gros baratineur ou ton charme est-il si irrésistible qu’elles ne peuvent refuser de poser pour toi ?

Non , je les contacte, fais ma proposition accompagnée de photos de ce que je fais , si interessee on échange quelques mails ou tel pour régler les détails  si ok on se fixe une date sinon on laisse tomber.

Jamais de mauvaises rencontres lors des prises de vues ?

Jusqu’a présent ca c’est bien passé, j’espere que ça continuera comme ça, je vais dans les endroits ou je peins tranquille et où il n y a pas beaucoup de passage. Les modèles viennent souvent accompagnées et je me déplace avec mon pitbull, mon fusil a pompe et mon couteau à huitres.

L’hiver arrive, les rhumes aussi maintenant t’arrêtes tes conneries ok ?

Justement non, je vais en profiter pour faire du body painting au chaud, mais comme je suis du nord je suis habitué au froid et je continuerai  à peindre en extérieur, par contre pour les photos de modèles devant graffs c’est clair que c’est pas terrible, je vais faire mes séances prévues et on verra la suite.

Je peux rajouter quelques dédicaces stp.

Pour mon homeboy, et mes vrais amis / EKO pour les photos publiées et cette interview, a ma copine [pour mes absences avec mes bimbos’. IDEM //        GHETTO mon poto de BORDO //
NEFAZ // NAZ //GREMS………………………………………………………………………………………………………
DECIBELLE // ESTELLE // EVA // MISS AMAL //JADE // NATH // FABIENNE // CAROLE // TYPHAINE // COLINE // JULIETTE // CELINE// ANITA …….pour tous les graffeurs avec qui j’ai peint et partagé de bons moments et FUCK  à toutes les langues de putes.

pour mes futures modèles et futurs supports

Merci à toi Jolek et j’ai envie de citer le pseudo d’un mec sur Flickr pour conclure: Fuck Vulgar shit !

Jolek on ekosystem – Jolek on myspace

Interview with DC GECKO

Can you give us a brief rundown of your life up until today? When, where, did you start to work in the streets?
My name is DC Gecko, Docteur Gecko. I was born in “La Réunion”, a french island located in the Indian Ocean. I hijack, hack, remessage advertising that you find in bus shelters. The particularity of my work is that my modifications can only be seen during the night. However, during day time the ad modified seems to be untouched.

Have you worked for JC Decaux to learn the tricks to open their bus-stop advertising systems ?
, well no, but that would be amazing, especially that now they have some new shelters, I should give it a try. Actually, Internet was the solution. I found on a ad-busters forum how to open a model called “sucette”. So I did my simple “key”, and still use this one in different cities.

Kaws has been known for his work on bus shelter posters. Did he influence you in any way ?
Well it’s not because of his early work that I wanted to work onto advertising, if you want to know. As I said, in the beginning I wanted my stuff to be a bit longer than 3 days in the street. I guess, if my city did not adopt this anti-graffiti law, I would still do graffiti or sculptures on wall, or something else. It was the frustration of not being able to express myself that leaded me to hack advertising, a kind of adaptation to the constrains of my city. However, I knew that working on these ads was not an original idea, but at that time, I was not aware that he was the first and that he did open a new area for others.

You are born in Reunion Island. Jace who live in Reunion also painted a lot on billboards. Same question, did he influence you ?
We cannot not be influenced by Jace, we can only rip him!

When you see an ad, do you bring it at home to work on it ?

Your work can only be seen at night. That’s the beauty and the strength of you project, but at the same time aren’t you afraid people don’t notice your work ?

There is now a real little community of French street-artists living in Spain. How did you land in Madrid ?

Do you have connections with other “urban artists” in Madrid ? (somewhere else ?)

Any plans for the future that you can tell us about?

According to you who should i interview next for ekosystem ?