Poster Competition (Enter Now)

Art Belows latest poster challenge is in collaboration with Rooms Magazine.

We are challenging artists and designers to come up with a poster design that has the appearance of an advertisement. The winning poster design will be displayed with Art Below as a (1 m x 1.5m) poster in a major London Underground station for 2 weeks this October.

Rooms Magazine will also run a feature on the winning artist and their underground poster in the December 2011 issue. The winning entry will be a joint selection by Art Below and Rooms Magazine. Selected entries and runners up will be displayed online.

Please send your work as low res jpgs to artchallenge@artbelow.org.uk

Deadline for submissions 30th September.

Note: there is no fee to enter or take part.

Check www.artbelow.org.uk for more details

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INDIDGINUS – SOFA SURFER ALBUM OUT NOW

Wicked new chilled out global dubstep grooves from South African based producer Indidginus and a host of collaborators hits the streets...........

Heaving bass ends and sunshine soaked tropical grooves whirl through filthy urban drops and gloriously unexpected tribal influences as Indidginus surfs global sofas whipping together a furious fusion of collaborators, riddims, flavas, twinkling soul and genre unspecific, digital passion. An album in the classic sense – themed yet utterly diverse – Indidginus blends world music and flashes of deep left field into fascinatingly unexplored territory as glittering basslines wrap themselves round haunting, heartfelt vocals, playing the all embracing off the down n dirty as a succession of liquid, intercontinental , trans dimensional melodies float across the synthesis.

Tracks as diverse as the psy breaks, Balkan laced trance of Madam Blertas Carnival with OOOD melt into the heartstrings of Lost Coast featuring Shamen guitarist Colin Angus who is a million miles away from the dubious pop of his former band and dripping with all the emotion of the blues. Suns of Arqa lay down the ethereal vocals on Out of the Dark before the heavy dancehall vibes kick to the fore with Wobble and Buzz featuring Raggasoldier, ruffin up the pace and the calypso, arabian flavours of Mercy Me (eat. EJ Von Lyrik, Steve Newman and Fletcher sail away on a pacific breeze

An intriguing album from someone definitely to keep an eye on as the he continues surfing those sofas and swapping the cushions round as he goes. Fantastic stuff.

Get the album here

http://indidginus.bandcamp.com/album/sofa-surfer

And check out these 2 FREE downloads he’s giving away to celebrate the release of the album over the weekend

http://soundcloud.com/indidginus/indidginus-hold-your-vision

http://soundcloud.com/indidginus/indidginus-and-tripswitch-1

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Street Artist Otto Schade - Shine Group Show 27th July - 21st Aug

LSD Magazine comrade and prolific street artist Otto Schade forms part of a joint show in good ole Folkstone Kent, UK. 

Adam Siemieńczyk writes this about Otto...

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LSD Magazine Interviewed Otto in Past Issue
Below is Latest Issue

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New York's BKC (Bustin Knee Caps) Crew coming to LSD Magazine Soon

Brass Knuckle Crew (old graffiti crew from the late 1970s) recently had a stickie show in New York., meanwhile here's a few words from New York Writers Rid.1. & Jice.1... We plan on interviewing the crew for a future edition

 

'We got started in the mid to late 70'S. We had fun during the train days and now have gotten into the sticker game. The sticker crew is BKC (Bustin Knee Caps) which doesn't discriminate. Our goal is to become global. This gallery show was to help promote & show society that art comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes.  People where amazed that such talent could be done on such a small scale. The gallery event was planned for 1 day, but with a great turn out, all forms of artwork, colors and sizes, the gallery gave us a 4 week showing.  The stickers were placed on 1/2" thick foam boards that had been done in various art forms (sprayed, markers, inks,) whatever we felt like doing as a background.  Then the stickies were stuck on using a high tack (removable) 2 sided industrial tape, this way if  you are an art collector, you could have the boards as artwork and remove the stickies to collect, or whatever you felt like doing.'

Thanks to friends of LSD @ Low Life Gallery
Cleverland, Ohio, USA

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Carpet Bombing in Westminster (20 / 20) K-Guy WANTED

LSD Magazine caught up with K-Guy in a secret bunker located in Afghanistan, sorry, Hackney, and the artist was pretty angry at the time. We wanted to print everything he said but felt we'd probably make the watch list and here at LSD the only bombs we share any affiliations would be Love Bombs and we shouldn't forget about our Weapons of Mass Creations. Starting to think we wont post this at all!!!  Carpeting Bombing its not big and its not clever!!!


' I was so enraged yesterday when our glorious Prime Minister came out with those immortal words "20/20 Hindsight" that I decided to get off my backside and do a little carpet (tile) bombing around Westminster this morning. I get sick and tired with politicians and people in power, firstly using media friendly buzz phrases to deflect from the truth and secondly, sweeping things under the carpet.  With a last minute dash to B&Q for some carpet tiles, a quick stencil cut and and early rise this morning, here's my response.'

SEE THE SECRET WEBSITE HERE (Mirrored in 12 Countries)

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SHOK 1 – CENSORED IN CHINA

SHOK 1 – CENSORED IN CHINA

Having blazed a searing trail in China for the last few years, Shok 1 was invited back this month to be presented with a suitably sized slice of blank wall and asked by the authorities and an architectural firm alike to pour his energy and imagination into it. Whatever our preconceptions of Chinese attitudes to free expression, nothing in his previous experience of painting in China had prepared him for the brewing storm of all powerful mediocrity that was about to engulf his latest work. As the final precision touches were applied, the word dropped down from the labyrinthine corridors of bureaucratic control  - the work was unacceptable to official sensibilities and would be destroyed within days.

Now the obvious reaction would be – well look – it’s red and there’s a bloody metal noose on it – this is China after all – what did he expect?

And that would be to entirely miss the point – apart from the fact that he’s been painting metal nooses for a decade, and the symbolism of red in China goes way beyond any recent relationship with communism, if you want a pliable artist to produce ‘nice’ work for the local dignitaries to stand in front of and congratulate themselves on their cultural munificence – ya don’t fucking get a purist like Shok in to do it.

Equally though – Shok’s far too long in the tooth and way too complex an artist to clodhop down the courting controversy for its own sake road – the themes and symbolism of the picture themselves are entirely irrelevant to the principle in play here. You get an artist over who you have done some level of research on before setting the process in motion, hand him a giant wall and assure him of his creative freedom, then the second he’s finished – blithely inform him of its imminent destruction. Speaking of themes and symbolism – heart shaped noose anyone - talk about the painting prophesising and keeping up a running commentary on it’s fate.

It’s unacceptable to hide behind the – ‘This is China – obviously gonna censor it innit’ argument. Art simply cannot be stuffed kicking and screaming into whatever design a power structure may want it to fit – what was the logic here – let’s get an uncompromising artist to paint in our country cos that’ll show how open we are – oh shit he’s not compromising – better strip it away before anyone notices.’

Censorship is censorship – thanks to the camera being potentially mightier than the censor’s pen in today’s world – the photos are out – and by helping circulate the photos and getting the imagery and the story behind it out – we can help dissolve the power of censorship away make a mockery of this clumsy bid for suppression. A week ago – this painting – no matter how you read it was evidence of how far China has come – today – it’s evidence of how far China hasn’t come and the imagery itself has taken on an altogether darker significance.

We have huge respect for Shok here at LSD – please read our detailed and in depth interview with him in Issue 7

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Live on Stage - Stunning Photography Exhibition 11-26th August

2 photographers, 40 years, 60 musicians,
countless genres of music.

 

Photographers Ellen Doherty and Keith Baugh link up to exhibit an eclectic collection of images that capture the passion and soul of the musician in performance. Spanning four decades and featuring over 60 artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, PJ Harvey, MF DOOM, Mos Def and Amazulu, this stunning visual treat leads you straight to the front at the ultimate festival of music.  The exhibition debuts at the London West Bank Gallery, 133-137 Westbourne Grove, London W11, with a private view on the 11th August 2011, and then runs for two weeks until the 26th, ending with a closing party and carnival warm-up. The photographers are planning to tour the show internationally throughout the rest of the year.  Keith and Ellen first met 10 years ago when Keith was teaching art at the school Ellen attended. They reconnected in 2010 when Keith released his highly acclaimed photography book, ‘Early New York Subway Graffiti 1973 – 1975’. Realising a shared love of music and live photography, they planted the seed of an idea of working together to exhibit their work: a combined four decade insight into the world of the rock music photographer, capturing passionate performances, icons of the future, encapsulating moments of time and music.


The exhibition displays photographs created on film and digital mediums, and features never before seen images of Bob Marley performing to school children in Peckham at the invitation of Keith in 1972. Also featured are a series of rare photographs of Bob Dylan dating from the 1970s.  Much of Ellen’s work focuses on the underground electronic artists currently touring, and includes a selection of hip-hop icons such as KRS-One, Mos Def and Kurtis Blow. She shoots in small venues and huge stages alike, and captures stars on the rise as well as established artists.    The artists passionately believe that both music and art should be accessible to all, and have designed the show to feature highly affordable works to give everyone the opportunity to take home iconic photographic prints of their favourite musician.   ‘Live on Stage: From Dylan to Dubstep’ is an insight into the excitement of shooting from the press pit - the star in the spotlight and the roar of the crowd. It is a visual journey from the days of Dylan going electric, to the soundsystem culture feeding of Marley’s dubplates that in turn lead to the evolution of bass culture and dubstep movement of the 2000s.

CHECK OUT THE SITES FOR MORE INFO

Keith Baugh

Ellen Doherty

FACEBOOK PAGE

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