Children of the Can: “25 Years of Bristol Graffiti”

We could label as a historical reference. Our parents might have considered art pilgrimages to Rome or Paris, but our kids might be asking: What’s up with Bristol? In this book you will find answers. By then you will have forgotten or lost interest in the questions. What remains after that isn’t just color and this, this is the important bit.

Documenting and detailing Bristol based artists from 1983 – 2009, the foundations right up to what the book labels as “The Renaissance,” this was one of the most intriguing street related reads I curled up with in a while. The editorial content is quality, but the overview of artists is pretty mind blowing.

As Felix Braun states clearly in the foreward: “This, then, is the story of Brisol’s Graffiti as told by those who know it best –the artists- and charts its development form the early 1980’s through to the present day.”

Worth it for the pictures, but valuable for the critical heart and sincerity in place of forced sophistication …. It’s fat and phat and stocked full of flavor.

By Felix Braun
Published by www.tangentbooks.co.uk

Mural Art:
Murals on huge public surfaces around the world from Graffiti to Trompe L’oeil

Now that’s more specific. Right away we know what we’re getting. And we get it. Created by a group ‘trying to promote the art and practices of alternative forms of culture,’ the book points not only to the social relevance of mural painting, but also to the massive scale its taking place on.

The book goes artist (or group) by artist in alphabetical order. This is a picture book. The little bio’s are well received and do a service to the artists by telling readers who all the great work is from, but don’t bring out much you haven’t read else where if you’re reading about this stuff from time to time.

All the artists are contemporary, meaning that they are working right now while you read this. Another great gift for any art lover.

Published by www.publikat.de

UNTITLED. Street art in the counter culture

There’s Banksy on the cover and ‘the’ counter culture made me sort of skeptical. I don’t think it’s a singularity, neither counter nor clockwise.

I opened it and read: “This is our Punk Rock,” and half expected to find some lyrics of the New Bomb Turks (biggup Buckeye state), Refused or at least Henry Rollins. No chance.

The next text was titled, “How to Survive an Art Attack,” and I was feeling sort of attacked. I kept going and turned the page to “Spring Street, NY”, the focus went to the epic Wooster Collective show and the text was well written, but seemed to be off point. Though that would be off my points. Soon came the question, “My Hood?” …

My Hood. My Points. This one I’d reference as tasty popcorn and perhaps there lies its zeitgeist and achievement. There’s loads of great artwork inside and the pictures are well shot. The random stops, texts and sort of useful via useless explanation in things did get addictive. I raced through them. I didn’t close the book til I’d gotten through it all and some bits I laughed with like the YACHTAG race or the poor blue whale that wore the victor’s name.

The book feels like a well communicated poem. Pictures and words interacting to create a commentary that is punk enough to follow its own drum.

It’s also ironic enough to make its shortcomings somehow charming and put out with enough passion that I’m looking forward to seeing where the sequel goes.

Though like the book, the CD that came with couldn’t explain to my ears how it got near my punk rock or convince my hands to drag it into my play list more than once.

By Gary Shove
www.untitledstreetart.co.uk

Bristol, Black & White

Buy it! It’s straight-forward snap shots of people living. It’s a massive key to that question of What’s Up With Bristol, which offers any clues you can find for yourself within a few moments of Mark Simmons life there.

The intro and forward are anything but pretentious and the photographer showed his ability to open people up and put them at ease. Or at least I felt like I heard him talking when I read this. Basically this is the story and some work samples of a man documenting a quarter of a century in a city he knows well. There are small explanations of what you’re looking at, and this is a choice explained in the introduction when Mark assumes his role in the frozen moments.

Divided into chapters: Street, Music, Protest, Faith and People, I know this is one that I will look through many times. Great pictures. A history I lived in another place and and time. Many of you may feel the same. Or not. This is Bristol! Or at least Simmon’s well documented times there.

Bristol Black & White
By: Mark Simmons
www.tangentbooks.co.uk