May 2009: Figurehead Experiment in Willimantic

A few weeks ago, I posted on Klub 19's Figurehead Night in Lodz, Poland. This event coincidentally occurred on the night of Figurehead's Sticker Expo in Willimantic, Conn. Thanks to the wonders of MySpace, the two independent parties were able to connect and share photos after the fact. Here's what happened at the Sticker Expo:

“Hey, sorry if it's too late, but here is some stuff on the Figurehead Sticker Expo. For a few months before our sticker expo, we had an open call for stickers and any other kind of ‘street art’. Work poured in from all over. We had stickers from as far away as South America and Italy.”
“We had five local indie bands playing the whole night. As you can see from the photos, we had two big tables full of free stickers. We also set up some tables with copies of The Figurehead for people to draw on. Later on, we taped up all the drawings people made. We also left a big stack of blank USPS labels on this table.”
“It’s cool that Klub 19 set up a Figurehead theme night because we had no idea! Since learning of what they did in Lodz, Poland, we will attempt to set up several simultaneous Figurehead themed parties all over the world sometime next year. If anyone would like to help us meet our goals, they can contact us though our MySpace page.”
“Thanks! Again, sorry for the delay; we have been way too busy lately!”
It's great to hear you're so busy, guys! It's never too late for a follow-up. Thanks so much! I wish I could've made it to the expo, but I'm definitely in favor of a world-wide Figurehead fandango. I was also thrilled to find a photo of my stickers! I don't do much sticking myself, but I love passing them out to friends. Glad to see they found a good home! I also noticed that some people were remixing them and making their own. Fabulous! If you made your own Illicit Exhibitions sticker, I would be honored if you'd send me a photo. Great idea, guys!

Also, can we talk about this for a second? THANK YOU to Mike and the whole crew over at the Kronikle. You're fabulous!

May 2009: Klub 19 in Lodz, Poland

I featured The Figurehead Experiment in one of my first posts. I first spotted a Figurehead sticker on the town mailbox. After a bit of digging, I stumbled upon their MySpace page. Much to my surprise, I wasn't the only who knew about them. The Figurehead's global presence is pretty unbelievable. I love how this event coincidentally took place on the same night as the Figurehead Sticker Expo. Bogus a.k.a. Bondelux a.k.a. Be writes:

“Everything happened because I love street art. I work at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Poland, and I teach graphic design. What more can I say? The idea of FHeads is just great! I wanted to show how people from different parts of the world can share ideas and collaborate to make something really interesting. Watching the project evolve was just fantastic and participating in it was also awesome. It was so much fun! I told Klub XIX about it and they decided to join the party. The aim of the club is to support young artists; it’s a place where people can get a drink and have fun. My friends and I love it.”
“I printed the stickers myself. Some people just loved them and spent a lot of time sticking them all over. I planed to make the event bigger but the final result was only what I could do. For some people, its difficult to understand the concept and they ask me the questions. ‘Why do you promote the strange heads of some stranger who you don’t even know?’ I think these questions are hilarious.”
“We also gave out stickers at other events around Poland. The Fashion Week in Poland just finished. We played music there, shared stickers, and exhibited our clothes. My girlfriend is a fashion designer who recently graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, so the New Fashion Brand was her project.”
“Once, I had a similar idea of sharing different art projects with the other people. But The Figurehead Experiment is even better because everyone is invited. They just let the idea flow freely through the Internet and the galaxy. I found ‘the heads’ at DaFont or another font site. As a graphic designer, I like to know who designed the fonts that I like and use. That is how I traced the project. The other great thing about the project is that it’s non-profit. Everyone can participate in it for free and nowadays, that’s not so common. I hope that many people will pick up on the concept.”
“I also have to say thanks to one of my friends. He is an artist and he created the street art movement in Poland from the early 80's. He is quite well known in Poland and he created Wspolnota Leeezec ( Lyyying Community). Love, Be.”

Thanks so much, guys! What a great serendipitous event. Is anyone else planning a Figurehead party in the near future?

April 2009: Berlin

I met my friend Rio two years ago in Barcelona. At the time, I was traveling alone and he was with his friend Paul. We were all assigned the same hostel room, so we ended up spending some time together. That night, we shared delicious vegetarian food and wandered Las Ramblas for hours. In the morning, I left early for the Barcelona Marathon and they returned to Germany. 

As I planned my trip to London this year, I dropped Rio a line to coordinate a visit. The result couldn't have been more perfect. His parents fed and housed me even though they'd never met me. Rio introduced me to his friends and gave me an extensive tour of Berlin. Obviously, this tour contained a lot of street art.
The amount of graffiti and street art in Berlin is almost oppressive. Since the cost of living is fairly inexpensive compared to other European cities, countless artists call Berlin home. It seems like everyone is putting their works up in the streets. 

From big names like Os Gemeos to local artists like Bürek, the scene ranges from pieces and throwups to wheatpastes, stickers, and stencils.

To thank him for his hospitality, I brought Rio an assortment of stickers from home, we stuck a few up as we roamed the city. Stickers by The Figurehead Experiment, The Cronk Burger, Ektin, Biafra, and Buy It now all have a home in Berlin.I hope Rio sends more photos when he uses the rest of the stickers. He's an absolutely amazing photographer; check out his stuff here. Although I don't know when I'll see him again, I certainly hope our paths will cross. Who knew a chance encounter could lead to such a good time?