PANTA Issue 7

BOOK A STREET ARTIST MAGAZINE ISSUE 7 / OCTOBER 2015

BOOK A STREET ARTIST MAGAZINE ISSUE 7 / OCTOBER 2015 EDITORS IN CHIEF Guille Lasarte & Charlotte Specht guille@pantamagazine.com charlotte@bookastreetartist.com ART DIRECTOR Guille Lasarte MARKETING DIRECTOR Mario Rueda mario@bookastreetartist.com CONTRIBUTORS Suthipa Kamyam, Pepper Levain, Mademoiselle Maurice, Janielle Williams, Michael Mann, Sister Fa, Lee Camp, CS Muncy, Tribal Baroque (Lila’Angelique & S.K. Thoth), Sandra Zegarra Patow, Dan Rubin, Luiz Henrique Ferreira, JOS*, Pau Quintanajornet, PROJECT WALLFLOWERS, illopetals (Leon Sparks & Deborah Brogden), Katharina Finke, Dies Irae SPECIAL THANKS TO Daniel Rode www.pantamagazine.com panta@bookastreetartist.com FOUNDERS OF BOOK A STREET ARTIST Charlotte Specht Mario Rueda www.bookastreetartist.com

Cover photograph by Luiz Henrique Ferreira

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS With this seventh issue of PANTA, we are celebrating the magazine’s second birthday! It all started out as a vague idea from three friends and colleagues who love art, indie magazines and creativity in general. Back then, we didn’t know exactly where to start, so we created most of the content for the first issue ourselves, interviewing whoever would answer our questions, photographing whoever would pose for us and working with the first few collaborators who believed in our vision. Although we still have much to learn and PANTA still has a lot of growing up to do, we’ve seen this magazine evolve over the last two years from an amateur DIY magazine to an established publication with a strong character and opinion. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from this endeavor that encourages us to carry on is that art hardly ever has no impact. A first glance is never enough, and the stories and dreams of our contributors continue to inspire us to dig deeper into the influence that art can have on an individual, a group, a community, a society and ultimately the world. More than 4 million visits online show us that you can hear us, so we plan on continuing to collect and showcase inspiring work by influential artists from around the world.

Thank you for being a part of PANTA.

ISSUE 7 / CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATION

creatures from her imagination Text by Guille Lasarte Illustrations by Suthipa Kamyam www.suthipakamyam.com

Although it may not seem like it when we see her illustrations, Suthipa hasn’t been sketching as far back as she could hold a pencil. She actually only began drawing a little over four years ago – a surprising achievement considering the technical mastery exhibited in her work.

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Suthipa’s background is in graphic design and she only got into illustration when she was pursuing her MFA from the School of Design and Crafts (HDK) at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “I was very inspired by the nature there, which is completely different from where I grew up. So I started to turn those impressions into drawings,” says Suthipa.

Suthipa is currently based in her hometown of Bangkok, where she believes there are increasing opportunities for young artists. “People are taking more and more of an interest in contemporary art. Over the last few years, there have been many small independent galleries and art spaces opening up all over Bangkok.”

As for inspiration, Suthipa draws it from “memories and stories I’m interested in, usually stories of nature and folktales. When I start a big project, I usually think of these stories and connect them into a bigger story.”

Whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it right – her illustrations have appeared in multiple magazines, including Wallpaper* and Grafik. She’s shown her work in a number of exhibitions across Europe, North America and Asia and has also been published in a number of international book publications.

Suthipa’s distinct style is characterized by fine detail, a remarkabale understanding of texture and a generally grayscale color palette – a style that she developed while working as an assistant to artists Nina Gorfer and Sarah Cooper back in Sweden. Now, Suthipa works as a freelancer, taking on clients from a variety of fields while simultaneously developing her own personal projects.

Watch out for this talent on the rise! ◆

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10 ILLUSTRATION

SUTHIPA KAMYAM 11

Joko Koma, Berlin

PHOTOGRAPHY

under ground Photography by Pepper Levain

Pepper's photographic endeavors were supported by

PEPPER LEVAIN 17

After studying and working as a video and live performance artist in Brighton, UK, Pepper started developing characters for an experimental film in 2014. Supported by her current art school (Academy of Media Arts Cologne), the young artist traveled to New York to begin a visual and cultural research journey. Using a Polaroid and Yashica camera, she photographed drag queens, clubkids, transsexuals, cross dressers and any unique figures of underground nightlife, art and fashion that she could find.

Her photographic impressions juxtapose personified artificiality with radical authenticity. While holding a strong visual approach, the project’s content opens a contemporary dialogue relating to gender, AIDS history, gay rights and mainstream vs. underground. It offers a visual landscape that moves away from documenting subcultures as a form of victimization. Instead, it captures the strength and empowerment inherent of a highly diverse scene which may be regarded as a symbolic statement for freedom of selfexpression, creativity and an act of social emancipation above all.

Meanwhile the project was continued in Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It continuously generates a growing archive of footage. Currently, Pepper is photographically exploring the everyday work routines of dominatrixes.

While her photography rapidly developed an own dynamic and became an independent project, the film is still being written. Most of the images in this feature are works from Pepper’s last exhibition, “Divine Daughters: Beasts of Revolution 2014/15” (Kartell Kollektiv, Düsseldorf, June 2015). ◆ www.pepperlevain.com Opposite page: Top: Ruby Wednesday, London Bottom: Tarren Johnson, Berlin This page: Top: Onehalf Nelson, New York Bottom: The artist herself, Pepper Levain

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Crystal Osbourne & Neil Gogoi, New York

PEPPER LEVAIN 19

Amanda Lepore, New York

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This page: Top: James St. James, Los Angeles Bottom: Nicholas Gorham, New York Opposite page: Beverly Sage & Scarlet Envy, New York

PEPPER LEVAIN 21

“I photograph people that carry a look and an attitude that goes against conformity and conservative thinking of how a human being has to live or look like to fit into society. Nightlife especially is a sphere where sparkling joy and also very grotesque dark spheres collide. A platform to explore and connect with your own inner desires.�

- Pepper

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Svetlana Stoli, New York

PEPPER LEVAIN 23

Carl Illingworth & Luke Harris, London

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This page: Top: Jarrett Edward & Zac Weiss, New York Bottom: Kenny Kenny, New York Opposite page: ReveRso, Berlin

PEPPER LEVAIN 25

26 PHOTOGRAPHY

Left: Amanda Lepore, New York Bottom: Horrorchata, New York

“I want to use my art as a statement against homophobia, an homage to the freedom of self expression, creativity and individuality.�

- Pepper

PEPPER LEVAIN 27

Top: Domonique Echeverria, New York Left: Ryan Burke, New York

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Top: Dylan Monroe, New York Left: Jonathan Omer Mizrahi, Tel Aviv

PEPPER LEVAIN 29

Top: Maxi More, London Right: Slater G. String, New York

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STREET ART

Coloring the City Text and photos by Mademoiselle Maurice

Mademoiselle Maurice is a visual urban artist and activist born and raised in the high mountains of Savoy. Utterly touched and artistically inspired by the horrible incidents that occurred in March 2011 during her stay in Japan, she let the events around the tragic earthquake, the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear power plant explosion pour into her first urban artworks. Now based in Paris, she is devoted to shaping natural materials – paper and thread – into complex colorful installations or “openly positive creations”, as she calls them, breaking urban monotony and gloominess. Her vibrant exhibitions of paper and color have graced urban spaces around the world, including Sweden, Vietnam, Australia, Portugal, Mexico and Singapore. Beyond a powerfully emotional decorative act, her work reflects her activist spirit and aims to question human nature and our interaction with our surroundings and the environment. www.bookastreetartist.com/mademoiselle-maurice

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MADEMOISELLE MAURICE 33

“My compositions are like a swarm of birds, or like plants that grow on grey walls in grey cities, as if nature was trying to claim its place in the urban landscape.�

- Mlle. Maurice

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MADEMOISELLE MAURICE 35

38 STREET ART

MADEMOISELLE MAURICE 39

“The colors represent a universal message of peace, harmony and metissage. They are a tribute to the thoughts of great men like Nelson Mandela, who spoke about the rainbow nation. Greenpeace also uses colors for their rainbow warriors, as does the LGBT movement, as pacifist and protective colors. The paper arrangements in the city thus become hymns of harmony between the people.�

- Mlle. Maurice

MUSIC

SISTER FA Text by Janielle Williams Photos by Michael Mann

Fatou Mandiang Diatta, also known as Sister Fa, was in her teens when she started making music in her hometown Dakar.

Women weren’t common, let alone supported, in the music industry. They were expected to seek husbands and become caretakers of children and households. Sister Fa encountered disparagement from her own father, a teacher by profession who preferred her to become a pharmacist or a lawyer to becoming a rapper. She still chased her calling, most of the time evading household duties to pursue her music. At only nineteen years old, Sister Fa rapped alongside some of today’s most famous hip hop artists at the Senegalese Hip Hop Awards.

Shortly after, her presence became internationally known.

She has since performed on ten separate compilation albums and produced two solo albums, Hip Hop Ya La Fal (2005) and Sarabah (2009) and is in the process of making a third.

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42 MUSIC

SISTER FA 43

“I PREFER ACTION OVER DISCUSSION,” SHE SAID, WITH A GRIN SPREAD ACROSS HER FACE. AND HER SUCCESSES SPEAK FOR THAT CALL TO ACTION. A FLAME OF INTEREST IN MUSICAL EXPRESSION BLAZED INTO A CAREER OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM.

I

t was a surprise to be greeted by a soft-spoken voice, given the commanding quality of Sister Fa’s rapping tone and the candid nature of her lyrics. Between global conferences and concurrent projects, she had time to discuss two of her passions – music and activism – and how they’re evolving together in her career.

As her musical career began to grow, Sister Fa realized that the work of female artists is not to achieve the same as men in the music industry. The task is to create a unique space for themselves and demonstrate that they have “something to give and say.”

The lyrics of many of Senegal’s songs are rich with social and political commentary. Youssou N’Dour, the legendary Senegalese singer and one of the earliest artists of the famed Senegalese mbalax style of music, has sung of and triggered change on a host of sociopolitical issues. When Sister Fa started her musical career in the early 2000s, the two decade long rebellion in southern Senegal was still underway and provided constant fuel for political discourse. Sister Fa wished to bridge the love of music with a desire to be an agent of change, particularly for the living conditions of women in Senegal. Women work difficult jobs without respite to feed their children. The majority of women work in the informal sector, which often excludes the possibility that basic rights will be ensured. They often work long hours under substandard or even dangerous working conditions. Those who work in rural areas run the ongoing risk of being raped. At home, they may be victims of domestic abuse. Sister Fa asked herself at a young age why such an unjust establishment allowed itself to be perpetuated in Senegal, and how this cycle of inheritance

from one generation of women to the next could be stopped. She found the means not through traditional Senegalese music, but through hip hop. Once, in an interview, she called hip hop “protest music,” a phrase that captures the particular power of hip hop in demanding attention and forcing listeners to reflect on social issues.

“I prefer action over discussion,” she said, with a grin spread across her face. And her successes speak for that call to action. A flame of interest in musical expression blazed into a career of human rights activism.

Female genital cutting (FGC) has been at the forefront of the issues for which Sister Fa campaigns. FGC is practiced in regions of Africa, a few countries in the Middle East, and among some communities in South America. The most recent initiative is Senegal Free FGC 2017. She aims to eradicate the practice of cutting within three years. It’s a project that Sister Fa created independently and has since managed to rally the support of various NGOs, the Ministry of Education and Health, as well as medical professionals.

According to United Nations Human Rights Council reports, a quarter of women between ages 15 and 49 are victims of FGC around the world. Girls from birth to age 10 are often forced to undergo the procedure. Physical and psychological trauma and even death can result from the mutilation. Sister Fa spoke of three seventeen-day old babies of the Chami community in Colombia who died as a result of FGC in 2007. She’s fighting to prevent FGC and other traditional practices that are adverse to women’s well-being from becoming a “destiny” for her own young daughter and for all women.

44 MUSIC

Sister Fa travels globally for sensitization tours, during which she informs communities about FGC and women’s and children’s rights. In December of 2014, Sister Fa and supporters started the project ‘Assobul’ in Berlin, where she is currently based. Artists and supporters from Senegal, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso are doing sensitization work in Berlin. The same inhumane practices and traditional gender dynamics continue after emigration to Germany and other countries. FGC is illegal, but can still occur illegally in Europe or when individuals return for visits. Assobul brings together the African Diaspora community by offering a medium for exchange of ideas on improving the rights of women and children within Germany and abroad.

A glance at the photos from Sister Fa’s sensitization work will show you that they usually take place in classrooms.

Sister Fa addresses youth with the conviction that they are the ones who can spearhead changes in mass mentality.

During sensitization tours, she educates children on the topics of FGC, early marriage, pregnancy and abuse, and instills them with the understanding that such experiences are not normative.

Sister Fa’s aims to educate have been met with resistance at times. While on a tour of Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Gambia, local governments refused her entry to the classroom. Authorities have accused her on some occasions of tainting children with information about sex and on others of having an anti-Islamic agenda. In 2013, she was on a sensitization tour with the Orchid Project, Education sans Excision or, “Education without Cutting,” in northern Senegal when they were attacked in front of a school with stick and machete-wielding opponents. Representatives of the educational institution where the tour took place formed a circle to protect her and her group. The group made a narrow escape in their caravan, fortunately unharmed.

Sister Fa’s goal is not to shock or promote conflict between youth and their parents. Her goal is rather to inform young people by speaking a language they know: music. The mob in northern Senegal, most of whom were men, wasn’t enough to discourage Sister Fa. In fact, she returned once more last October. “If it were women I’d feel bad,” she expressed. The male attackers were “scared that the right information was coming.” ◆

AUTHORITIES HAVE ACCUSED HER ON SOME OCCASIONS OF TAINTING CHILDREN WITH INFORMATION ABOUT SEX AND ON OTHERS OF HAVING AN ANTI-ISLAMIC AGENDA.

INTERVIEW

LAUGHTER & POLITICS: LEE CAMP Interview by Mario Rueda Photos by CS Muncy

Lee, are you an activist who started using comedy to raise awareness about current social and political problems or are you a comedian who realized that humor could be a great tool to send across a meaningful message? Which one came first?

I am a humanist who got trapped in an opium den of laughter. I am a comedian at heart. I wanted to be a comedian since age 12 – jotting down comedic ideas in the deep recesses of my bedroom while other kids were kissing girls. Lucky for me, no girls showed such interest – leaving me countless hours to write comedy. I started performing live at 17. For the first five years of my comedy career, I did not say anything that one would consider “political,” unless you think that vending machines failing to produce the candy you paid for counts as a civil rights issue. Then my material became increasingly political. I grew as an activist offstage as well. One fine day I was part of a handful of activists who saved a death row prisoner’s life in Texas. I screamed with joy when I found out he would live. Then I screamed the horror of a man realizing one person (or a handful) can save a life. Why horror? Because it means every action matters. Every moment matters. Up until that point in my life I had thought I “kinda” mattered. After that moment I felt wrong for every time I got on a stage and didn’t talk about the harshest realities of our times. This doesn’t mean that my words have made that much difference.

I can’t calculate that. BUT it means I have to try. I can’t bare an existence in which I don’t even try.

You cover very serious topics in your shows. Who are you trying to reach or what are you trying to achieve?

Are you human? Then I’m trying to reach you. Are you conscious? Then I’m trying to impact you. Do you see suffering around the world and wonder what we can do about it? Then I’m trying to make you take the next step. And then I also tell fart jokes. They help the medicine go down.

How do you know you are taken seriously by your audience when their natural reaction is to laugh about the jokes you make?

How do any of us know we’re taken seriously? Maybe we’re not. Maybe it’s all a cosmic joke at our expense.

But also people e-mail me and tell me they take me seriously. It really depends on how a joke is presented.

A joke can be written/delivered in a way that makes it clear the comedian is “just kidding” and that everything they’ve just said is nonsense. Then there’s a way to have a joke that simply lightens the mood and entertains while the point is still made – in a very serious sense.

People know when Jon Stewart is joking and when he truly feels something needs to change or needs to be said. Then there are other comedians where every word they say is meant to be laughed at. They are telling you not to take them seriously in the slightest. I’m not one of those comedians (though that doesn’t mean they aren’t funny and talented).

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48 INTERVIEW

Why do you think there is still many comedymakers out there making “commercial comedy” and not making “impact comedy”?

You just answered your own question. “Commercial comedy.” Commercial equals advertising. Advertising equals money. Money equals happiness. You didn’t know that? Money equals happiness. The Koch Brothers are a billion times happier than you and I. Seriously though, I think that the reason most artists – be it comedians or singers or actors – don’t talk about politics much is that they A) don’t care or B) don’t want to lose their careers. What I do is not generally acceptable for corporate interests. I have had a fluke career in which I now have my own TV show even though I say everything that every major media conglomerate hates. It’s like trying to earn a living by being a splinter. “If I can just find the corporation

he could no longer be associated with Nike because he can’t accept their horrible labor practices. It would be a massive scandal. Would the team drop him? Who knows, but I’d love to watch it! I really wish there was more of that. But on the other hand, I don’t believe comedy should only be about politics. I love a lot of apolitical comedians – from Mitch Hedberg to Louis C.K. – there is great comedy out there that is not politically based.

You are very aware of current international affairs.

Were you always interested in politics and society or did you have a certain “awakening”?

My mind and my passion for activism blew open after I graduated college and moved to NYC. We started bombing a country of brown people – can’t remember which one because we do it too often (it was Iraq.)

I THINK THAT THE REASONS MOST ARTISTS – BE IT COMEDIANS OR SINGERS OR ACTORS – DON'T TALK ABOUT POLITICS MUCH IS THAT THEY A) DON'T CARE OR B) DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEIR CAREERS.

that WANTS a splinter, I'll have it made.” I’m happy that this has happened, but it’s a true outlier. Almost no comedy careers work like that, even though it’s incredibly rewarding. If you want widespread acclaim and spots on late night shows, don’t do what I’m doing (turns into camera). Hear that kids?! Don’t follow my example if you want to co-star in the next Adam Sandler vehicle!

In general, do you approve of artists who make art only for commercial purposes or would you say every artist has an obligation to use the channels given to them and help improve our world?

No, I don’t want to put my desires and motivations on others. I wish a great many other artists spoke out. I can’t imagine what it would be like if some huge athlete like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or something said

And I finally thought, “Why the fuck are we doing this? What did Iraq do to us?” This realization is called becoming an adult. Many people never make it. Many people remain children, turning on the news and going, “Oh, I guess Iraq is dangerous. We better bomb them.”

They never question the reality we’re fed by people who think they own the world, people who think they have the right to murder a child in Iraq because it helps the stock price of the oil company they have money in. I also got my real education after college. That’s when it’s time to actually read the important books and watch the real news – such as DemocracyNow. You have a vast followership on social media and beyond – a great opportunity to bring your message to many people. What is your secret for building such a community? g

LEE CAMP 49

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LEE CAMP 51

Just being awesome. I guess that’s it. I’m kidding of course. I’d say two things allow me to gain a fan base – one is that there are a myriad people who want truth, people who watch our mainstream media and want to vomit long and hard. Those people follow my stuff. The other reason is simply hard work. And I know that’s a really boring answer. But I’d hate for Facebook to tell me how many times I’ve posted on my Facebook page over the past 10 years. Seeing such a huge number would probably make me sad. Ha. But at least I’m posting important stuff. You’ll find NARY A CAT VIDEO! Do you think that having been banned from Fox News helped your career jump to another level?

Do you think media outlets like Fox News feel threatened by people like you?

So for those who don’t follow my every move – in 2008 when no one knew my name, I was invited on Fox News to tell jokes. They didn’t know that I had no interest in helping them sell propaganda. So I went on and verbally burnt the thing down. Anyone can find the clip on YouTube – it’s still there. But at the time it happened, I honestly didn’t think anyone would see it except those watching Fox News at 7am on Saturday, which it turns out, are not my demographic. However, it quickly went viral and became a huge thing. I knew it was something I had to do but did not know or care what it would do to my career. Ultimately it sank my main source of income – college touring. Since I wasn’t as political in my comedy then, my income came from standard comedy performances at colleges, not political performances. The colleges didn’t want me anymore after seeing the Fox clip. It was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to make my living in other venues and stop catering to the college audience. I earn a lot less than I did then, but it’s been well worth it.

Oh, and to answer your second question: Yes, I think most media outlets are threatened by me. I’ve been on MSNBC once and I was on Current TV a bunch. But for the most part the main outlets don’t want me. They don’t want something with a strong opinion, especially someone they fear might not “play the game.” You know, someone who won’t go along with the script.

Applying humor to the most devastating topics of our times is a counter-intuitive reaction to many.

What do you tell these people? And can humor actually also help us on a day-to-day basis to make our lives easier?

Wherever you find hardship, you find humor. So clearly humor can be a defense mechanism. There was humor in the concentration camps. There’s joking around in war. It’s not because the people in those situations don't understand how grave it is. It’s because they desperately need to laugh in order to carry on. I have never met an activist who doesn’t know how to laugh – and those who are like that, usually get burnt out after a few years. Almost no one can be so brutally honest about such dark issues without burning out.

Unless you find a way to laugh instead of cry. I think I myself would’ve burnt out long ago if it weren’t for the comedy.

How do people use humor around the world? Would there be societies where you could not bring your message across through this channel because people would be offended or confused?

Cultural differences matter a lot but I actually find that my comedy is even more accepted in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada. When I’ve toured there, it’s been great. But yes, comedy is different in different places.

Some cultures seem to like more slapstick stuff, so I wouldn’t go over too well there. I don’t fall down that often. But now that you mention it, maybe I should fall down more.

When it comes to freedom of speech and comedy, should we be able to make fun of anything or are there limits?

No, to me there should be no limits on speech. If you want to be a racist asshole, then be a racist asshole.

The limit should come in whether the society wants to hear it. The hope is that if someone is truly hateful and disgusting, others won’t want to watch and enjoy their stuff. Of course you look at Donald Trump and apparently some people really enjoy bigots… although maybe Trump’s poll numbers just have to do with which clown people enjoy watching the most, not who they actually want to be a “leader.” ◆

For more info on Lee Camp, check out: LeeCamp.net | Facebook.com/LeeCampComedian YouTube.com/RedactedTonight (on every Friday at 8pm EST on RT America.)

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MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

the stigma of street performance Text by Tribal Baroque (Lila’Angelique & S.K. Thoth) Photos by Sandra Zegarra Patow & Dan Rubin

A lot of people approach us with a prejudice: if a performance is on the street, it is less valid, less creative, less skilled than one in an indoor venue. In many cases this is true. But not with us. We are indescribable, unique, raw and on the cutting edge. Vocalists, we accompany ourselves with dance, theater, footpercussion and violins. Nobody else does it. Without a genre like most other performers, we have no ready fan base. Those who like us, like us irrespective of their tastes for metal, pop, electronica, reggae, opera, etc.

Our only option and responsibility is to do our art and perform it regularly wherever we can, and that means publicly. The following are some questions, behaviors or statements by audience members during our public performances that imply the aforementioned prejudice.

Are you studying somewhere?

Lila: I’m always learning and growing. I’ve both studied music and theatre in school, but now I am doing my own thing.

Thoth: I am a student of life, forever. The world is my classroom. All of you are my teachers and all of you are my students. However, when you ask this question, you

don’t seem to realize that I invented this method. Who would I be learning it from? Have you seen someone do this before at a conservatory or music school? The question makes me wonder if you have even been listening and watching.

A person watches an entire piece or several pieces without tipping.

Lila: Why do you continue standing there watching us if you have no intention to tip us? Why don’t you let the people who are going to help us out watch instead?

I never ever stop to watch a busker without tipping them. We’re not asking for the price of a Broadway show ticket. This is our livelihood. Either show respect for it or move on.

Thoth: This is a reprehensible behavior. You would never refuse to pay for a Broadway show, or a performance at Madison Square Garden. The main point is: move on if you don’t find us interesting enough to support our work. Although we offer our work free to the universe, we do this as an energy exchange in order to continue investing in our art. It’s theft to steal our fine energy without giving something back.

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“We are famous in the real way through our own work and actions, not through false and boastful publicity.”

Are you performing somewhere?

Lila: We’re performing right in front of you. Do you devalue what we do in the street because it’s not in a venue? We’re still giving it our full focus and effort, just as much as we would for an indoor show. I think it’s admirable to be giving ourselves, our work and our music freely to anyone who will listen.

Thoth: This is truly one of the oddest questions we get.

You ask this with enthusiasm yet have no idea you’re asking a question like a store customer who asks the price of an article when it is posted right in front of your nose. Somewhere is here, now.

Do you make enough money to live?

Lila: Yes, and we are able to travel and do everything we do because of it. Is that surprising? Do you ask any professional how much money they make offhand? No. So why ask us?

Thoth: I do not talk about money to anyone except my performance partner. I am strict about this. I am totally annoyed by any street or public performer who does so.

Why? Because no reason exists for you to be telling me how much money you earned, except to boast. The best and most neutral way is to say “I had a great day!”

You guys should be famous.

Lila: We are famous, just not in the way you’re thinking.

Thoth: We are famous. We are famous in the real way through our own work and actions, not through false and boastful publicity.

Do you play professionally?

Lila: Yes. Just because we’re playing on the street doesn’t mean we’re not professional, trained musicians with a lot of talent and experience under our belts.

Thoth: To be professional means to earn money doing what we do and to have a business based on one’s work.

We are professionals.

TRIBAL BAROQUE 55

“To perform with anything highly regarded you have to have a lot of official recognition, which we have none of. Carnegie Hall wouldn’t touch us with a 10 foot pole, so we proudly do everything ourselves.”

You should be in the opera, Carnegie Hall, Cirque Du Soleil or some other conventional organization.

Lila: To perform with anything highly regarded you have to have a lot of official recognition, which we have none of. Carnegie Hall wouldn’t touch us with a 10-foot pole, so we proudly do everything ourselves.

Thoth: We are already in an opera and continue to write operas. The fact is we are presently some of the most prolific modern, opera composers in the world. Carnegie Hall? I wish!

Would you play [famous song] for me?

Lila: No, we only play our music. We’re not a juke box.

Thoth: No. I never do. I have been asked to play “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “The Devil Goes Down To Georgia”... No! I don't play covers.

You’re the best street performers I’ve ever seen.

Lila: Many street performers are pretty average, if not downright bad, so that isn’t much of a compliment.

Thoth: Surely people should know that any comparison like this belies itself. To allow my ego to be moved by such a comparison does not bode well in the future.

I totally get it. I don’t know if anyone else does, but I do.

Lila: I hate backhanded compliments. How about you just stick with saying you like our work and moving on instead of insulting us at the same time?

Thoth: This is one of those pompous backhanded comments. I don’t really care who doesn’t like what I do.

I can’t change someone’s mind or heart. If a person can’t feel it, then a didactic explanation won’t help them. ◆

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TRIBAL BAROQUE 57

www.skthoth.com www.bookastreetartist.com/tribal-baroque

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PHOTOGRAPHY

THE GRIO PROJECT Photography by Luiz Henrique Ferreira Models: Alessandra Cardoso, Danielle Morais, Nadine Pazini, Lua Soares & Vanessa Oliveira

Luiz Henrique Ferreira is a young photographer from Brasília.

His work focuses on the representation of peripheral youth through a gender approach. Luiz has been taking photographs for three years now and aims to represent what he considers misrepresented black youth through a series entitled “The Griô Project”. This project analyzes the representation of black ghetto youth in the Federal District of Brazil. As a member of this youth, he aims to deconstruct the poetry of his people, break stereotypes and challenge mainstream standards of beauty, which he considers “white and Eurocentric”. Ghettos, he says, are colorful, happy and the youth in them create an original sense of aesthetics. “Girls empower themselves though their hair pieces, their braids, the flowers in their hair. I am a part of this. I empower myself by taking photos of my brothers and sisters; an artistic act of resistance,” says Luiz. ◆

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THE PSYCHEDELIC CHEF

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Un Taco de Cochon Recipe & Illustration by JOS* THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS

Back in Querétaro where I was recently living with Marie, my girlfriend, I had the opportunity to cook for my illegal restaurant project in lots of places, like inside a gallery (La Almendra Roja) or cooking for a bunch of awesome architects, preparing tapas for parties and so on. I came up with idea of playing around a bit with a big ass classic “mole” sauce (a traditional Mexican sauce). I know my compatriots will make a funny face when I reveal the recipe, but I don't care, I love to cook!

One day before Marie was preparing to travel back to her hometown Revel in France (or “Revelandia”, as we call it), we decided to go explore Oaxaca, just eating authentic Mexican food and discovering secret places. Oaxaca is THE place to try local chocolate and mole.

Once we where there we focused on discovering local spots to eat cecina, mole, chocolate with water… yes, water! The locals told us that the fat of the milk kills the flavor of the chocolate, so we tried it like that and we loved it! It’s the bomb! Every morning we had that for breakfast with a side of traditional bread (pan de yema).

After the travel back to Querétaro, I attended a party where I cooked a variety of tapas and this is when I got the idea of showing how versatile the mole can be. I went from simple to complex flavors in just one taco, putting together the most representative Mexican flavors with some artisanal candy (muegano), pork and a French topping - Brie cheese!

People were drunk, happy, dancing and just asking for more magic in that little bite, it was like a mariachi French kissing Amelie Poulain on a bed of candies and cheese… I think that’s awesome! Pinche puerquito valiente!

INGREDIENTS (approx. 20-taco portion)

1 L of water 50 oz. white tequila 1 kg pork tenderloin 300 g mole paste 5 bay leaves 70 g dry cranberries 1 big onion 50 g thyme Olive oil, as needed 20 corn tortillas 500 g Brie cheese Salt and pepper

PREPARATION First put salt and pepper on the pork loin and preheat around 5 to 6 spoons of olive oil in a medium pot. Sear the pork loin, throw in the thyme, chopped onion in squares and bay leaves. Deglaze the pan with the tequila and 1 litre of water or until you cover the tenderloin.

Cover the pot and let it cook for 50 minutes.

Take the pork loin out and cut it into stripes around 7cm long by 1cm thick and put it aside. In the juice where you cooked the pork, add the mole paste and stir until blended.

Then add the chopped pork in the mole.

When you are ready to plate, take the muegano and break it into little pieces, you will use it to sprinkle the taco at the end to give some sexy crunchiness. Take a warm tortilla, fill it up with the pork and mole, sprinkle some cranberries and the muegano on it and top it off with a nice slice of Brie.

A COMER!!!

Get fat, get drunk, have sex!

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ART & COMMUNITY

PROJECT WALLFLOWERS Text by Pau Quintanajornet Photos by PROJECT WALLFLOWERS Founded in 2013, PROJECT WALLFLOWERS is dedicated to the concept of empowerment through art and focuses on the idea of developing our own resources and strengths to improve our environment.

It offers a platform for self-reflection and discourse with the immediate milieu and the continuously progressing globalization of our society.

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This international long-term art project was created

by Chilean-German artist Pau Quintanajornet, who made it her task to establish a worldwide network of colorful art and community projects on extraordinary walls, objects and locations to leave a significant impression in public and urban space and to become a bridge for dialogue.

By creating art in public spaces, WALLFLOWERS encourages different ways of communication and discussion with the locals, neighbors and passersby as well as on social media. It allows the public to discover fascinating stories, dreams, hopes and desires of the people who live behind those particular interventions. The project pursues the goal of giving an impulse for a common togetherness, to design

and visualize our social sphere positively. Through working all over the world with organizations, local artists and cultural centers, which believe in the power of exchange, the project is able to dive deeper into community complexities.

After growing with each of its projects over the first years, WALLFLOWERS figured, that in order to work more efficiently and transparently, there had to be different programs to be able to satisfy the particular needs of different communities, so THE BLOOMING SEEDS, THE COLOR WOOD MOVEMENT and HEMISFERIAS LIGADAS were born, each project reflecting the philosophy of the WALLFLOWERS credo.

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THE COLOR WOOD MOVEMENT “Let’s skate to create” www.thecolorwoodmovement.com This program is an initiative aimed at drawing attention to marginalized youth all over the world and to empower them by combining art and skateboarding. The idea is that young skaters get in touch with the project and become part of a huge abstract and international longterm art piece entitled “THE COLORED WOOD”.

The wood panels become the canvases, which are created by skaters riding on the panels with the wheels of their boards freshly dipped in paint. Through this action, traces of their movements are left behind, ultimately transforming the panel into a piece of abstract art. As a result, the colored wood pieces – which are the core of the

“movement” – offer an opportunity of interdisciplinary exchange. This helps build a platform with other skating communities in similar situations worldwide.

For the realization of this project, grassroots organizations that focus on youth development and skate culture are chosen from all over the world, effectively creating a network of groups that share the same philosophy: to use sports as a tool for community building and individual growth.

“We are all part of a greater whole through our shared passion for skateboarding and art.”

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THE BLOOMING SEEDS “Each flower starts as a seed” www.thebloomingseeds.com This project is an international children’s program that focuses on creating public art classes for younger generations with the aim of stimulating the children’s social consciousness and to encourage them to form new perspectives on society and their community. By creating art together in workshops and in public spaces, they become an active part of their own community and gain awareness of their ability to incite positive changes in their environment.

“Each flower always starts as a seed. The more nurture and dedication it’s given, the more chance it will have to grow into a beautiful flower. The same concept can be applied to human beings: It always starts with one seed. If that seed is stimulated and inspired for the better, it is more likely it will bloom into a compassionate individual.”

HEMISFERIAS LIGADAS “The world through a female perspective” www.hemisferiasligadas.com Working over the last few years as an artist in different socio-cultural fields helped PAU gain experience and learn how to work collaboratively. From these collaborations, a diverse network of female creatives and mindful activists emerged.

To honor the voices of these women and to empower their (and other women’s) ongoing struggle and success in society, WALLFLOWERS created this proejct to tell their stories and visions by organizing common intercultural art projects.

“We want to collect all their beautiful voices - not just to help raise awareness to different issues that many women have to confront every day, but also to show women how they have the power change the world.”

Quietly yet but powerfully, a cross-cultural understanding becomes established through these projects, as the wallflowers begin to break open walls.

Through art, a path is opened, which leads to improving quality of life and establishing trust between people.

The Joy of Life finds a means of expression through creativity. ◆ www.bookastreetartist.com/pau-quintanajornet www.projectwallflowers.com www.pauquintanajornet.com

ARTISTS

illopetals Text by Dion Lucas illopetals is the collaboration of UK artists Leon Sparkes and Deborah Brogden. Part of a multidisciplinary artistic tradition, they combine painting, illustration, graphic design, music and textiles in order to produce their unique work. Both originally street artists, Leon and Deborah met and began to fuse their styles, creating colorful, bold work that explores stories of abstract characters and strange lands. Now based in South Korea, Leon and Deborah are interested in pushing boundaries, conquering challenges and spreading their passion for art on an international level.

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INTERVIEW

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reclaiming public space Interview by Katharina Finke Photos courtesy of Dies Irae A lot of people had mixed feelings about Jerry Seinfeld’s Clio acceptance speech last year. Perhaps the ad execs didn’t take too well to his comment of them having “phony careers and meaningless lives.”

But what he said, whether he said it simply for the sake of ironic comedy or not, is a sad truth of our capitalist existence. We convince ourselves that this is the way the system works and that if we don’t like it, we should consider that the alternatives aren’t so pretty either. But the fact of the matter is that we do buy a bunch of crap we don’t need because there are so many talented people using their energy exclusively to, in Seinfeld’s words, “dupe innocent people out of hard-won earnings to buy useless, low quality, misrepresented items and services”. So, every now and then, we need to be awakened from our moral compromise, at least to ease ourselves of the anxiety of feeling this uncontainable need to buy the new iPhone model the second it comes out, even if our current phone works just fine. And that’s why we increasingly value artists that engage in ad busting or subvertising – a practice that a rising amount of street artists are getting into, which involves ridiculing or parodying corporate and political advertisements in public spaces by intervening directly on the ads themselves. The German street artist known as Dies Irae has come to form part of this scene by transforming corporate ads into political messages. The thirty-year old freelancer has been doing this – with a little help from his friends – for two years now. He recently gained a lot of attention with his “Refugees Welcome” posters in Freital, Germany, which encouraged him to continue doing this kind of work. But, due to its illegal circumstances, he can’t reveal his real identity.

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What is your regular job?

Ideally, I would like to see myself as a fulltime activist.

Realistically, I’m working on a freelance basis and I’m earning money through two things. One is campaigning and giving workshops on political education and other related topics. The second is selling consumer electronics.

This allows me to work for approximately two months and then I have time for activism for three to four months. It’s kind of a balance, which is fine with me.

How did you get involved in ad busting?

When I was studying business and management, I had some marketing classes and I always had this feeling that it’s not right to convince people to buy things they don’t need and possibly didn’t even know exist – hence the role of marketing in the creation of need. I learnt about the practice of ad busting on the Internet started doing it too.

When and why?

That was two years ago. Well, there are many interesting ways to get your message across in order to get people thinking about important issues, such as social injustice, economic inequality and environmental issues. And I found that ad busting is a really good way to do that.

Why did you choose Dies Irae as your pseudonym?

It’s a very powerful sequence in Verdi’s Requiem, which is about the doomsday. When I heard it in a church it gave me the chills. It means “day of anger” and as I feel so angry about so many issues, I chose it for my articulation of it, which is the ad-busting.

So you start ad busting when you feel angry about something?

Yes, usually I see an advertisement, do some research on the issue – for example, bad working conditions in the textile industry – and see what NGOs and critical journalists wrote about it. Then I take the poster, add this information on it, and put it back.

But in Freital you put completely new posters saying, for example, “Refugees welcome”.

That was different, true. My urge to do something against these right-wing people increased so much that I did something even without an already existing advertisement. But I used the power of it. I went to Freital and as it’s a small place I thought putting up around twenty posters would have an impact and it did.

“The new Coca-Cola Greenwashing. With Stevia-Extract.

Now with only 11 cubes of sugar!”

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“The garbage monster”

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What impact did it have?

Good question. As a political activist of course you want to make a significant impact, but it’s hard to tell. Online you can use the number of likes and shares as indicators, but what it changes in reality, you never know.

own public space. They could vote if they want to use certain walls for street art, political messages or simply information that’s useful for them, like opening hours of a public swimming pool or community center, new neighborhood initiatives, etc.

What do you generally want to achieve with ad busting then?

Two things. First, I want to create awareness specific social issues, like working conditions in the clothing industry, climate change, income inequality, lobbyism, animal exploitation and so on. And the other thing I want to achieve is to challenge the meaning of public space in contemporary Western societies.

Do you think advertisers are already using street art for their own interests?

Unfortunately they are. And some companies are also using techniques of ad busting to sell their product. For example, Sony advertised a new phone with a battery that’s supposed to last longer and added cocaine lines on the phone’s screen, as if someone had ‘busted’ the ad.

Why? Public space belongs to the people. I don’t think it's legitimate that corporations and the state are the only entities allowed to shape public space. It’s not a democratic process.

So what do you suggest?

Instead of so many advertisements everywhere, we should be getting people involved in creating their

What do you wish for the future of ad busting?

I encourage more people start doing it in order to express whatever they think deserves to be spoken about, whatever issues they’re concerned about, be it social, economic, political, etc. and articulate these messages in your public space, because it belongs to you. Also, I hope people join the next No-Ad Day, at the end of November (www.noadday.org), an initiative that asks participants to refrain from purchasing goods for a period of 24 hours. ◆

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