DALSTON SUPERSTORE PRESENTS: WE SCRATCH ART’"

DALSTON SUPERSTORE PRESENTS: WE SCRATCH ART’"
117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB

For it’s third exhibition the Dalston SuperStore brings to you a sensory fête from the 2 pioneers of the Scratch Art: Kassim Bay and Dino De La Vega.

It is not a duo you can put a label on and put into a box, apart from a light box maybe.

The history of their practice stems form graffiti art but has become vast and varied in it’s development; this research has brought them to an interesting head and a scratchadelic body of work. On surface level the work could easily be read simply as typography, graphic art and a style of graffiti. But on closer inspection the work is a contrast of a delicate process and fragile materials representing imagery of pop and subversive culture. Transcending the usual street based art work and becoming deeper and richer in it’s monochromatic play with light, sight and touch.

The artists have a deep interest in the senses and how they are used, or not used in the cases of the physically challenged. This lead to the investigation and use of braille in their practice ,which then gave birth to the element of relief in their work and the process of taking away to create something new. The work serves to stimulate the senses involving sight and touch, and on viewing it you can’t help but feel the presence of each pieces sound track, derived from the context in which the subject is taken.

"We Scratch Art" involves many interesting elements into their practice, fundamentally the fame shy artists work is humorous and conceptual, but firstly made to be experienced and enjoyed.
Come and see these mysterious masterpieces who’s construction process is a top secret, and witness how the work was born from the street but would now be just as suited to some modern urban interior; and don’t expect Graffiti!

Official MySpace

Scractadelia Art

Banksy 'Glazed + Confused' Print Lottery

Spiral Tribe - LSD Writers

Spiral Tribe - Old, Old Skool

'Key members of Spiral Tribe will be contributing regularly to LSD and adding yet another twist to our DNA'

Interview in Guardian Newspaper (July) Here

Spiral Tribe Photos by Ray Neary

Kings of Concrete - Ireland 2009

Lo-Down from Kings of Concrete...Organisers

Skateboarding, Blading, BMXing and breakdancing are all evolving urban sports that have established themselves as favoured youth activities on every continent across the globe. For a variety of reasons this faction of youth culture has remained largely unsupported and underdeveloped in Ireland. For too long we have had to find street spots off our own bat just to participate in the sports we are most passionate about. These spots typically have been unofficial and illegal. All too often security have removed skaters abruptly calling to a halt an otherwise perfect day. Subsequently we have had to become more resourceful and find new and interesting places to play. Most of these sites were privately owned buildings, centres of commerce and government offices. As we identified new spots the security grew in both presence and voracity.

Dark days for Irish youth culture ensued! If the security didn't prevent skateboarding the permanent skate stopping architecture did and to top it all off insurance for Irish skate parks has been near impossible to secure. Thankfully those dark days will soon be behind us. Due to the efforts of progressive politicians, active skate lobbyists (check out our links page) and some modern thinking in local authorities there has been a revolutionary breakthrough elevating the status of these activities to their rightful place in Irelands alternative sports portfolio. In 2006 the Irish government allocated E2million to develop 21 concrete skate parks around the country. These facilities will allow skaters / bladers / BMX'ers to develop and fine tune their skills. It will foster up and coming talent and give people the opportunity to become as good as their contemporaries anywhere in the world.

Kings of concrete is a celebration of this recent transformation. We hope to help build and sustain a platform to promote the wonderful variety of activities available for youth culture in Ireland today such as skating, inline blading, BMX, break dancing and graffiti amongst others.

Kings of Concrete MySpace

Kings of Concrete - Ireland

Kings Of Concrete 2008 (video)