MC3 | Brooklyn Street Art

Living Walls : Albany Roundup

September 19, 2011 Albany, Artists, new york, On the Street

RECAP – BSA and Living Walls : Albany

This weekend in Albany very important Street Art presentations were made at the New York State Museum during “Living Walls: Albany”, including one from Street Art duo Broken Crow, pictured here in custom made aluminum foil head gear that reflected light rays all around the Clark Auditorium.

Mike has the remote for the Powerpoint show in his right antenna. Broken Crow at the New York State Museum. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

There were so many moving parts in this large and easy going cultural festival this weekend, and we were really happy to meet so many people in the street, at the Marketplace encampment, in St. Joseph’s Church, at the tile factory, and during our keynote lecture at the New York State Museum Saturday. Thanks to Samson Contompasis for asking BSA to partner with him for LWAlbany and a quick shout out to other local partners James Shultis at Grand Street Community Arts, Sivan Shimoni, the staff at NYS Museum, and local blogger KC Orcutt at KeepAlbanyBoring.com along with photographers Andrew Franciosa, Bob Anderson, MC3, Frank Whitney, and Ken Jacobie. Also big ups to Monica Compana, who c0-spearheaded Living Walls Atlanta, which we covered a lot when it began last year. For all the locals mentioned, they are just the tip of the iceberg of a large committed creative and professional community in the Upstate New York region who helped to pull this thing off with almost zero dollars and tons of planning and hustling. For the first year, it is/was a major achievement.

Broken Crow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Of course our main focus is always the Street Artists and the creative spirit that is alive and well on the streets so it was a total honor to see the artists and see brand new stuff going up, like the last one before catching a train last night – Broken Crow’s ram under a bridge. There are still some pieces being finished by NohJColey, Clown Soldier, Doodles, and one we missed from Michael DeFeo. Also coming up should be Hellbent and possibly some other artists this fall, so we’ll get back to you on that. Not all these pics are from Living Walls : Albany by the way — when you are combing the streets you find all kinds of stuff you didn’t expect.

Check out all BSA coverage on the archive page here.

Broken Crow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

White Cocoa (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Doodles at work on his wall. He explained to BSA that it will eventually contain 5 frames of a figure gradually being crushed under a backpack, which he will shake himself from and run into the wild. It’s meant to symbolize the fears and problems that can accumulate in life and our need to shake the “baggage” if possible. — and some more esoteric descriptors that we can tell you about if you want to know. Stay tuned for the finished piece. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Doodles at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Doodles wall in progress (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cake, Infinity (photo © Jaime Rojo)

(photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder next to an old Radical! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Clown Soldier (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Michael DeFeo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Radical (photo © Jaime Rojo)

N’DA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Take your own tour this fall with the Living Walls : Albany MAP

Overunder and Broken Crow at “Living Walls : Albany”

September 16, 2011 Artists

Words by KC Orcutt

Images by Andrew Franciosa and MC3

Overunder is a firecracker. From my initial participation in witnessing the Living Walls unfold in Albany, he has been nothing but a friendly and tireless ball of creative energy (in the best way possible) showing me parts of the city I grew up in that I didn’t even know existed on Google maps of places he’s been exploring. As a first time visitor adapting to the town, we joked about him about being able to give directions better than I, myself, could as a local.

Overunder (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Overunder has work installed currently at the Marketplace Gallery and his pieces have been sprinkled throughout Albany, such as one gem tucked away in the South End sharing a building with Broken Crow. His portraits are as engaging as the quirky characteristics of each building or wall themselves, picking up on elements of the city (such as painting people that he’s met during his stay here) and his attention to detail in his work brings out new characteristic aspects of walls that otherwise would have continued to blend in unnoticed with the city’s surroundings.

Overunder’s pieces are as conversational as the artist himself and his work has breathed fresh air into these community spaces. Just judging off of our several conversations over the past week, I’d say it’s a safe bet to make that he has more tricks up his sleeve and more work will surface as the weekend draws closer.

Overunder (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Overunder (photo © MC3)

Broken Crow (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Street Artist ROA and a Dead Squirrel for Living Walls : Albany

September 16, 2011 Albany, Artists, Events, new york, On the Street

Words by KC Orcutt

Photos by MC3 and Andrew Franciosa

Within moments of ROA’s arrival on site to his designated building for “Living Walls : Albany,” he spotted a recently departed squirrel, took it as a sign and it became quite clear what he was going to do next.

The squirrel population in Albany is (somewhat) jokingly of a “different” breed – they are as tough as they are territorial, while still somehow managing a natural presence and a non-intrusive interactivity with passer-bys. Squirrels are everywhere in Albany, making it a more-than-fitting subject for ROA’s large-scale contribution to the Living Walls project.

Cosmically or maybe even comically enough, as ROA was working up in the lift adding detail to the animal laying on its back, a man associated with the building’s owner shared an anecdote of how a couple years back a pesky squirrel’s nest almost resulted in the same building burning down, with firefighters called to the scene and all.

During ROA’s time creating the piece, people stopped by to inquire more about the wall and what was going on, with many lingering on the “why a squirrel” question.

“People are bored with simple messages,” said ROA “they want something deeper.”

With the inspiration of the piece still laying off to the side, ROA entertained the public’s curiosities with a grin saying, “Its for you to figure out if it’s dead or alive and the meaning behind it. It’s a very simple message – just a squirrel on it’s back,” as another onlooker proudly repeated his take on ROA’s work in succession, “that symbolizes something!”

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