August 2011 - Monthly Recap by Bombing Science

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Paris

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new york

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paris

budapest

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paris

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sittard

budapest

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montréal

new orleans

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miami

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miami

montréal

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new orleans

vienna

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budapest

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montréal

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new orleans

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new orleans

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new orleans

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vienna

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paris

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colombus

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Barnes

BSCI: Can you please tell us a little about your come up. When did you decide to start writing and how did it all happen?

BSCI: Tell us a bit about your history. I know you are originally from the US and now living in Seoul Korea. How did that come about?

Barnes: My beginnings were somewhat complicated and pretty uninspired actually. I was going to a lot of punk rock and hardcore shows when I was 15 and 16 (mid 90s) and eventually met this cat SAPONE out of Upper Darby, PA. Dude introduced me to the local scene and general mayhem techniques (flared Philly hands and scratch rocks mainly). Anyways, homeboy got me hooked but never really showed me the ropes. I stayed interested, just never schooled by any older writers until much later in my life. After a shitload of ridiculous and played out names (dank, bilt, done, stormÖ) and little style progression, I finally met some good cats to learn with in Savannah, GA- Stoats, Oysta, Saint and Mock. I was still pretty shit, but a decent artist, so as soon as I focused my efforts onto letterforms, I progressed exponentially over a few years. During that time, Stoats suggested the name Barne and it has stuck to this day.

Barnes: Iím actually a fisherman, but since thereís little money in the trade, Iíve opted to go with a teaching career. In 2003, I finished my masterís in Georgia and had little options to earn a sustainable income there, so I moved out to Oregon. After about a year there I made the move to teach out in Korea. I had a few options in Asia, but Korea seemed to have the best living situation and chance to save some loot. Teaching out here provides an incredible lifestyle of minimal worries and quality social life. No complaints. BSCI: So you are a fisherman. I just ate 3 huge plates of seafood in this dope Peruvian jumpy. Shit was money. What is your favorite fish or seafood dish? Barnes: Hah! Naw, Iím just an avid fishing junkie when I got time, not a serious commercial fisherman by any stretch. Regardless, the finest

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tasting fish in my opinion is some freshly caught walleye gobbled right there on the shoreline. No doubt. Also, good old grilled red snapper on the beach usually hits my money spot.

BSCI: How is graffiti seen by the general public in Seoul?

Barnes: Iíve used canoes and small boats to get to some small river and bayside spots before. Tried throwing some shit up off the side of the boat one night, but there were far too many obstacles to pull it off even kind of well.

Barnes: Graffiti is still relatively new to Koreans. It got introduced here in the late 90s, so thereís a 25 or so year gap they need to catch up on. I think a lot of the younger generation is cool with it, thinking of it as being ìhip hopî and trendy. Older heads around these parts donít really have a clue. If they happen to catch a glance, they look confused and by the time they realized their shitís been defaced, Iím gone.

BSCI: What are the major differences you noticed between US writers and the writers in Seoul.

BSCI: Lets talk about style. In my opinion it’s all about style from hands to pieces, you must have it.. Do you agree?

Barnes: The biggest difference between a western writer and Korean is the destruction of public property. A lot of cats in the game here are more urban influenced artists than proper writers. I find that some of the better writers here had a quick spat with tagging when they first started up and then quickly moved on to painting sick characters and pieces. I have no problems with that at all, whatever, but from their perspectives, they got little love for us fools going around scribbling our names on everything in our path.

Barnes: No doubt. Gotta have your own take on whatever alphabet you use- usually built on a foundation of simple letters and style. No use jumping into the game without having a handle on the basics.

BSCI: You ever got to bomb boats or use boats to go bomb walls in the water?

BSCI: Looks like you have a very sharp modern yet classic graffiti style. Do you have anything to say about the new wave of writers who either never had a solid graff style or who did but still switched to this «naive» hipsteresque style that we see popping up a bit everywhere. You know, the shit that looks

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like a 12 year old kid did it back in the 70’s? Barnes: Hah! I know exactly what youíre talking about and I just donítí get it. I see it all over the web, with loads of prominent blog sites glorifying this style. I say good for you if youíre going out there writing your name on whatever it is you can find. But regarding this style, it just doesnít appeal to me. Iím constantly looking into these pieces for something more, like a good scheme, quality lines or some sort of handiwork that will enlighten me as to why this style is so popular. Still havenít come up with anything. BSCI: Each writer does graffiti for different reasons. What are yours? Barnes: Like most writers, Iím a narcissist. I do it for sheer vanity and excitement. Shit turns me on like nothing else in the world. BSCI: If you had to chose another graff name, what would you write? Barnes: I dig my name and the letters involved. I honestly donít know another moniker that I could go with. Everythingís been used again and again. And Iím a firm believer that your name should come to you and fit. This seems to do just that.

BSCI: How far does someone have to fuck with you (graffiti wise) until he receives a proper ass kicking? Also, did you ever get in to a scrap over writing and if yes please share the story. Barnes: Haha! Itís funny because Iím not a huge guy or nothing, but I take this shit serious enough and get loaded enough to scrap if it comes up. (Fuck you steez and fuck you jino, you cunt fucks) If a cat clips me with a swoop or some shit on their tag, no worries, but if I get deliberately crossed, especially in Korea, I go a little berserk. The way I see it is, if you cap one of my tags, I chrome out everything of yours I see. Again Iím not a ruffian or anything, but I get shitfaced and want to crush some of these pussies out to claim a little undeserved fame. As for a story, I got a few. This oneís funnier than hardcore, but worth telling. So one night I was drinking Pisco, a Chilean liquor that gets me just right, here in Korea with a friend and decided to hit this elevated rooftop spot in front of copious amounts of onlookers at 9PMstupid. Got up, got it done, got down and realized mad heads were flicking me. So I got out quick, turned a few corners and was back on it. What I didnít know was there was a group of 4 western fellas following me and taking pictures the whole time. I hit a quick script and they ran up to me and snapped a pic of my

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face, so I lost it. I just cracked the first dude in the nose and proceeded to get fucked up by these other twats. They had me pinned and somehow I walked away with only a bleeding lip and a shitload of rage. For some reason I kept provoking them and one dude just walked up to me and cracked me in the face. Fucked me up good but was still left standing and even more enraged. So I did what any normal guy would do. I followed them to their bar, took a few jager shots, called some korean homies, who proptly responded like champs, and went back to their bar. I walked down all badass and called them out to finish the job. They obviously thought I was insane and as did the bar owner. Dude kicked me out of his bar and soon after one of these fools walked outside to meet me and some hard Korean motherfuckers. He went back in and gathered his troops, we met around the corner and they called a truce. Apologized and acted a fool. Ended up buying us loads of drinks and actually being decent guys. Whatever though, fuck em.

care. Iím with a beautiful Korean queen at the moment, and loving it. To be honest a lot of Korean girls are pretty difficult, but if you show some flash and decent fashion sense, none of which I possess, youíll do great. I landed a money Korean broad and am grateful no doubt. BSCI: If you could shoot one person and get away with it, who would you clap? Barnes: The top dog in the illuminati or Pauly Shore. Either way, the world benefits. BSCI: Any regrets in the graff game? Barnes: Painting trains with a certain unnamed friend, which wound up costing me loads. Still a great friend, so itís all good, but fuck me. Fuck me. BSCI: Anything you would like to tell our viewers, graff or non graff related.

BSCI: I’m not big fan of generic graff interviews so lets talk about something else. Korean girls. Whats good with that? Any knowledge for the westerners who might visit?

Barnes: Yeah, thereís no shame in biting in the beginning. Learn from the greats in the game and slowly develop your own style. Burn one down and get as funky as your wrist can make it. Oh yeah, fuck cigarettes and smoke trees instead.

Barnes: Korea girls are ace. Consistently attractive, but for good reason. Loads of money and vanity means a lot of plastic alterations. I canít seem to notice or really

BSCI: Word up Barnes. Thank you for your time and this great interview!

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ekos

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jaber

misery

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reap

tam

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writs

sacred

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Sacred

Bombing Science: Sacred, what’s good homie?

BSCI: Can you break down some historical knowledge about Indianapolisand the MidWest graff scene in general?

Sacred: Yo.. I’m slacking off at work right now to answer these questions and getting paid for it! BSCI: Haha, that’s whats up! Tell us a bit about your stomping grounds. What is it like being a writer in your city? Sacred: Indianapolis, born and raised. Commonly known for racing, big conventions, pork fritters, Peyton Manning and rednecks. It’s a decent size midwest city that seems to be a step, or many steps, behind the rest of the cities its size. It catches up eventually... sort of. Everything is spread out and people love their space. Being a writer in Indy is a challenge, especially if you’re not self-motivated. I’ve seen many come and go and comeback and stop and go a little more only to stop again. That being said, I still like my city. I have been afforded many opportunities that may not have happened if I grew up in a larger city.

Sacred: I need a history lesson about the whole Mid-West scene, but I know Chicagohas been holding it down for quite some time. Prior to the mid-90s the bboy and dj scenes were what was happening in Indianapolis. During those times there were a handful of people painting but not really focusing on it. The mid90s was when it hit. Some of the original crews doing the most things were MUL (based out of Chicago), IWS and HFX. Shortly after many more crews came into play and it seemed the scene was growing. Some worth mentioning are TCB, S2L, NUA, MFK, KA and FRS. Each crew brought something different to the scene. A lot of people came and left though making it inconsistent. There have been some great writers that have lived here, but there are only a few now. The current scene has a decent amount of writers and some of them have great potential.

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BSCI: Tell us about your come up. How did you get in to this graff shit. Sacred: I was always a creative and curious kid. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making art. I always seemed to live near railroad tracks so naturally I paid attention to the graffiti on freights and more importantly (for myself) the markings on bridges underneath the tracks. I would walk the tracks all summer long finding new spots to explore. It was the summer of 1994 when I decided that «Metallica Rules» wasn’t as cool as what I thought I could do.. so I started painting my own dumb shit. In junior high I met Canz3. His older brother DAZE was in IWS. I didn’t meet IWS right away, but I was aware of their work that indirectly influenced mine. I started writing SAC or SACONE during my sophomore year in high school when I met DJ SONIC. He was currently learning from the local legend DJ TOPSPEED. Soon after, SONIC introduced me to TOPSPEED and then it was on. Not only did TOPSPEED open my mind to all types of new music, but he introduced me to more of the graffiti scene. Then I learned that a friend of mine was the younger sister of one of the founders of IWS.. DOS1. DOS1 (later DOSE) and CREEP (aka CREPE) started the crew in 1995. Both of them were artists before graffiti. They saw me get up around the west side so

they asked my friend to put us in touch. In late 1995 I was put down in IWS. They taught me how to paint clean, hustle for paint and party hard. All we had for inspiration at the time was the graf pages in The Source and Rap Pages and a copy of Subway Art that one of us stole from the library. In 1996 or 1997 TOKEO transported from Atlanta. He was the youngest writer in the scene but he was by far the best. Every crew in the city wanted him to join. Although he chose MUL, he still hung around everyone else and directly influenced a good amount of us. He helped me develop my style.. some of the things I still address in my pieces today. In September of 1997, I met 6CENTS in art class. He was a free-spirited kid who knew nothing about graffiti, but could draw like a motherfucker. We became friends and I encouraged him to write so that we could have a character painter in the crew for our productions. Within a year he was already making an impact. In 1998, during a brief IWS fallout, we started FAB Crew with the intent to become the next TATS, FX or DF crew... primarily focusing on murals and productions. We still painted trains and many bridges and still bombed the streets occasionally, but we really wanted to be amazing muralists. We kept doing our thing, despite the drama and hate surrounding us, and it paid off. To this day we get gigs frequently. In 2002, we co-

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founded the event Subsurface with DOS1. It started out as almost all Indianawriters, but it grew significantly by 2004 to showcase writers from other regions also. That really changed the game for me, because we were being exposed to all these different styles firsthand. In 2005 I switched my name to SACRED. I started traveling more and meeting new people getting influence from all over the place. I’ve been doing pretty much the same thing ever since.

have many other interests but I lack the same kind of passion in them. Food, music, basketball and design are a few examples.

BSCI: Tell us what in your opinion makes a respectable writer?

BSCI: What is Indy famous for? Anything you would recommend eating or seeing out there?

Sacred: A respectable writer needs to crawl before they sprint. They must respect what came before them. They need to be resourceful. They need to be productive. They can’t be a biter. They have to begin by painting shit without permission. They have a strong foundation of letters, simple or wild. They paint clean, illegal or legal. They have a good sense of color. They NEVER rat anyone out. They don’t talk unnecessary shit.

Sacred: Probably most famous for the Indianapolis500. The snake pit there might be more famous. Elvis performed his last concert here. The Colts get a lot of attention. Gencon, Ribfest, brewfests, food fests, art fests, concerts, first fridays gallery openings... a bit of everything but nothing going on all the time. We got some good museums. Good micro breweries (Sun King’s Grapefruit Jungle IPA and Osiris Pale Ale are tasty). Eating is all over the place but not consistent. My favorites are Thai Papaya on the nw side... Taste in south Broad Ripple has gourmet sandwiches that are good but everything is pricey... super nice tacos at this mexican grocery store in Fountain Square(thanks GRAWER!)... West Coast Tacos

BSCI: Other than graff, what are you passionate about? Sacred: For me graff gets lumped in with my art. That’s what I’m most passionate about. I

BSCI: Any inspirations out side of the graff world? Sacred: I’m open-minded so I can draw inspiration from all types of sources. Social interaction, nature, various arts, geometry.. just about anything really.

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food truck co-owned by DJ SONIC has dope korean tacos... Some Guys, Bazbeaux, Bebop, Noble Romans (W. 10th St.only!) and Jockamo all have great pizza. BSCI: What is the most appealing aspect of graff to you? Sacred: Maybe scale. I make a lot of art and I don’t really work larger than when i’m painting a piece or a production. I like that it keeps me moving. Sitting down while designing or drawing or brush painting gets boring to me after awhile. Another important aspect is freedom. It’s great to be able to do it at any given moment with or without permission. And you do it the way you want to.. not what your boss or a client thinks. BSCI: Anybody out there you don’t know personally that you would love to paint with and why? Sacred: There’s tons of them.. but one that comes to mind quickly is GIANT. Always a big

fan and an influence early on. Characters, letters, fills... he has it all. BSCI: Street art, how do you feel about this movement. Sacred: I like it when it’s thoughtful. I don’t like it when it’s just mere repetition of a meaningless object.. especially if it’s not their image to begin with. BSCI: Everyone has a good story. Please share one with us. Graff or non graff related. Sacred: 6CENTS, NEMASIS and I were all painting a bridge on a very rainy easter sunday. We noticed some guy in a rain suit walking his dog but we didn’t think anything of it. We just finished smoking a blunt when this cop comes walking down the embankment.. soaked from the rain. Apparently someone called in (probably the fucker walking his dog) and reported that gang members were painting this bridge. The odds were definitely against us.. we

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had weed, we smelled like weed, had tons of painting evidence, and this cop is soaked from the rain so he’s probably pissed he had to come check it out. First thing he said is, «This doesn’t look like gang graffiti.» We bullshitted with him for a minute and he said he didn’t see any problems there and told us to keep painting. He didn’t check our ID’s or nothing. That would’ve been weird enough, but a minute later after he walked back up the hill, he grabs his partner (this old school white cop) to stand in the rain at the top of the hill with him and praise our work. He yelled out, «Looks good guys!» and gave us a thumbs up. We just laughed (confused as hell) and kept painting... weird. BSCI: Are you a big WU fan? If yes, who do you like better Ghost or Rae? Sacred: Not a big fan but I was definitely into them back in the day. Raekwon definitely takes the title for me though. I think he’s better now than ever.

BSCI: Any regrets in this graff game? Sacred: Not taking my own advice and crawling before trying to sprint. I was always trying to go wild or creative before I really understood my letters. It took me years to get decent and my process was definitely backwards. That’s all though.. I don’t regret anything else. BSCI: Any shout outs, call outs, things you would like to put out there? Sacred: Big shouts go to 6CENTS, CREPE, DETOUR, NEMASIS, DOS1, WRUK, ISH, FLEX, TRAZ, TIMBER, FATIGUE, EXHAUST, LIKE, RAPES, GAMBLE, ENIME, ARIZE, OMEN74, DARK, MINES, TAZER and MACHETE. Much love to my crews IWS, FAB, RTD and CISA. Much respect to many other crews including DF, ATT, MUL, MFK, FST, BID, SYW, BY, ACT, TAC, MOC, CT, PC and ELUSIVE. BSCI: Sacred, thank you for your time homie. Much love.

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dabs myla_miami

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nicer_miami

ensr_vienna

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hsix zek_new york city

olito_québec

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6cents_chicago

dais_copenhagen

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unknown_miami

vyalone_miami

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zimad_new_york

revise_chicago

grab_miami

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broker_athens

unknown_chicago

astro_montrĂŠal

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mrlce akut_berlinl

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