Friday, August 2, 2013

Better late than never...

Interview: CRUSH CITY

| September 11, 2012
Words by Robbie Henry
MM: How long has Crush City been around? Who was the driving force behind its establishment?
CC: Just over two years. We are passionate writers/artists with a love for modern mediums [sic].
MM: Who makes up the Crush City team?
CC: Jason 247 – Priesty (the all-time great) and Cassie Crush, also the support from friends and family behind the scenes.
MM: How did the tattoo shop come into play? Has it been a part of the store from day one?CC: Crush City tattoo is run by close friends/Bline family, [and] also passionate artists all operating under the one banner. The guys have a great team/environment down at the new studio, with some amazing artwork.
MM: What else do you offer aspiring writers, besides paint/art supplies?
CC: Knowledge and solid experience in the field, tips, inspiration, even a bit of counselling. It’s not just writers we cater to, it’s actually artists/tradespeople of all ages.
MM: I recently found the mural Crush City put up in Stones Corner. Roughly how many cans of paint would be required for a job like that, and long did it take to finish? Do you use anything else besides aerosol paint to create something on that scale?CC: All aerosol plus teamwork and persistence. A lot of paint, acrylic buff undercoat, and at least 200 cans, 2 weeks solid (little bit of an exaggeration, sorry boss), [a] massive scissor lift, fluoro vests, the works, and of course balls of steel…Even the council helped by putting up some witches hats, great effort all ’round..
MM: I recently came across two water towers, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them, but they’re are two large concrete cylinders with a series of “pieces” by a number of artists stretching all the way around the bottom of both of them. One thing I noticed while checking them out, they’re all dated around ’09. Is a high level of respect held for the writers up there, or is it simply a case of nobody knows about the spot anymore?
CC: I haven’t personally ventured there for many years, there are many creative outlets around the city, I guess. Artists just need to take advantage of places like that, respect the artwork, and try keep it sacred.
MM: Would it be frowned upon to paint over something like that?
CC: Most definitely. There has to be a level of respect when writers put time and effort into work, illegal or legal…Hang on, are you talking about actually painting the towers, or painting over the graff?
MM: From eye level, there is literally no free space left to put up a fresh piece, and a lot of what is there has been capped by the rudest looking tags you could think of. In this scenario, do you still try to respect what is there and paint above it, or do you move on from the past and replace it with something fresh?
CC: There are many factors relating to this that I could go on about for days – politics, politics – but really you should respect those that were there before you, regardless. I don’t wanna sound old and bitter, I’m all for positive change, [but] if a “toy” goes over an “old-school king’s” piece, then of course it’s f****d up, but it happens; it’s graffiti and part of the game, there is always one individual that doesn’t get it…It’s good in Melbourne or Sydney especially with the calibre of pieces that get done these days, a lot of older pieces still ride. There has to be an element of respect! (Don’t make me sing it!) I know of one particular case in Brisbane an old famous piece from around ’86 got painted over by some intermediate chromie in the late ’90’s then magically reappeared in 2010 in the exact same spot to the exact same scale, now that’s something fresh!
MM: How do established writers feel when they see their work “capped” by half-assed tags?
CC: It’s part of the cycle. I guess some peoples’ egos hurt more than others, but fight fire with fire I believe. It really depends on the situation…Replace it with something better, you know, keep it moving and alive…why just do a dozen pieces [and] then sit back on ya throne relaxing?
MM: Crush City has a close affiliation with the guys from Ironlak, how did both parties come to be working together? What do you guys do together? What can we expect from the relationship as it grows?CC: Brisbane just needed a serious paint shop to accommodate for the growing number of artists, and we have had long-term support for the product so it was bound to happen, it should of happened sooner. We’ve had Sirm, Sofles, Reals, Linz and Tues all present painting live in the flesh. Tremone and Jake Biz have blessed the backyard, even the Loop Troop from Sweden, [and] demonstrations with Kes, Disne, Dkues, who knows what’s next, it’s Ironlak country…
MM: Does Crush City offer emerging artists the opportunity to watch and learn from guys of that calibre when they are in store doing their thing? Are they happy to let the younger crowd stand around and watch them paint?CC: You’d have to be lucky to catch someone painting the CCU-Mk2 over the weekend, haha. When we hold events, it’s most definitely all ages, anyone is free to come down to watch, chill, get loose or mingle, it’s always a pretty good vibe. [I've] got a few more ideas for things like that in the future.
MM: Who are your favorite Brisbane writers and why – past and/or present?CC: Hams, hands down; Bline through and through; other than that, I don’t want to name any names [as] there are too many. Many artists have inspired me in different ways. Brisbane has produced so many good writers over the years. The level of skill and direction writers are pushing lately, whether it’s tech like dazzling effects or simple retro styles straight out of the ’70’s, always keeps me interested on so many different levels.
MM: What projects (murals, events, competitions etc) do you have lined up for the future?CC: Of course, we still have the end2end project going, [and] competitions, workshops weekend stunts, maybe some stuff with Velvet Couch, Scribe or Ironlak, but bottom line is we’re determined to consistently keep the paint stocks up. Stay tuned…We are here to help positive growth and keep the ball rolling for Brisbane City.

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