CRACK FOR YOUR EYES

The great London Street art Design (LSD) crew did it again! Part 5 is now available for download or viewable online at Issuu. This magazine counts 500 pages filled with urban goodness for the eyes. Interviews with Indigo, Inkfish, Michael de Feo, Chaz and a whole lot more. You don´t want to sleep on this one because it´s enough reading pleasure untill part 6 is here to bless us again.

The Italian Morcky Troubles has been calling Amsterdam his hometown since 2002 and it seems he has been hitting the streets ever since he arrived. Many people in Amsterdam might know his speakers drawn on every corner. There’s a lot more you can know him from though:  Together with Rocco Pezzella he founded the creative studio TwoThings and he is co-founder of the Mikosa art magazine.

Not too long ago Morcky’s book Day & Night got published. This 160 pages black and white book is all about what he does best: Drawing. The book is covered with illustrations from front to back. Besides some credits there is no letter to be found. The book offers a beautiful illustrated look into the mind of the artist, and life in general. If you’re a fan of Morcky’s drawings, this book is a must have. Cop it @ Buzzworks. Pic from ABC.

Now this makes for a nice little present! The street art stencil book is a book with 20 different stencils from artists like HUSH, C215, Blek le Rat, M-City and Jef Aerosol. The stencils are usable and accompanied by pictures from the stencils in use by actual artists. Check all the info out right here.

Every once in a while gems that we thought were long lost (or never knew that they existed in the first place) get uncovered.  ‘Early New York Subway Graffiti’ by Keith Baugh is one of these gems and I’ve had the honor to get a signed copy of this in my mailbox. Time for a review!

Yes, I am ashamed. It must be like a year ago I received the amazing book ‘Untitled II – The Beautiful renaissance’ after reviewing  part 1 (Untitled – Street art in the counter culture) . I wanted to do a huge review on the book, uncovering all the details and explaining why it’s the most amazing and witty street art book for sale up to date. In fact, I wanted to do such a huge review that it still didn’t happened. So yes, that’s what I’m ashamed.

Instead of the 4 pages review I fantasized about, I’ll give you something short and powerful about this masterpiece.

A while ago we received a nice e-mail from the multi-talent Keith Baugh. Keith is both a painter as a photographer from t he UK. His trips to NY in the 70's made a huge impression on him. He took loads of pictures and eventually decided to make a book of the early subway graffiti he encountered. I can tell you all about the book, but Keith himself knows how to tell you much better:

During visits to the ‘Big Apple’ in the early 1970s I travelled uptown to the badlands of Harlem and the South Bronx to photograph the astounding graffiti writing that carpet-bombed the carriages of the New York Metropolitan Transit Subway.  Seeing this powerful artwork from the elevated tracks in daylight was an unforgettable visual experience. The spray-paint colour was rich, fresh and bright in the strong sunlight and recent attempts to clear the windows with solvent gave off a strong acrid smell that mingled with the warm metallic blast from the over-heated braking system.To my European eye this was an incredibly strong cultural phenomenon with the constant stream of writing on the passing trains providing an exotic visual mix of beat poetry, bebop, abstract expressionism, jive, pop art, jazz and Puerto-Rican funk... 'Chico / Chico / Super Strut / Hondo / Sin / King / Silver Tips / Lil Hawk / Blade / Stoney Dice / All Jive / Stay High / Sky / Ale One / Soul Gag / Death / Kill / Mico / Mico... and on and on.

On returning to England, I carefully filed the photographic transparencies away and more or less forgot about them for 35 years!!

If you didn't already knew, now you know. London Street art Design 4 - Unauthorized heroes is out and once again free for all to download or view in Issuu. It's amazing that in this short period it's already the 4th time they came up with a brilliant, packed magazine that is free for all. Including features with Wu Tang's Cilvaringz, the legend Can Two and many other great interviews. The list of pages is endless and it should keep u busy the coming months! Big up to the LSD team for yet another great mag.

Looking sweet: The weapon of choice magazine! The infamous gallery in Bristol has released their third magazine with some wicked old school subway art, flying fortress and many more interesting pics and articles. Check it out

Looks promising! I just came across some pictures by wojofoto of the release of the book. I think I want to have this in my collection as well! According to the website: "The title ALL CITY WRITERS describes a vast research project on the writing movement, focussing particularly on the process of its exportation from New York to the whole of Europe during the 80s. International crews, fanzine networks, inter-rail travelling are, among others, key chapters in which writers have become protagonists.

The whole project developed from the consideration that many of the stories that writers experience are just lost in time. Other than the pictures of their pieces, the adventures, and sensations a writer lives through often just disappear like so many other bits of oral culture. For that reason, ALL CITY WRITTERS contains the largest contribution of texts ever published in this field.". Read more here

And the best wishes to the LSD Massives! These guys make it obvious there's something more going on then just a few dudes painting on the streets. Check the recap of 2009 and enjoy all the wonderfull things done that year. Let's make 2010 even more amazing. Join the movement!