.CPT

Slow and steady

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:03:00 -0500

Progress has been good this week despite the fact that I have started a very hectic year at university. I have started incorporating all the bits and pieces that were in different InDesign files into one file. Think its on 70 pages with lots more to go. The majority of those pages are filled with text.

Got an interview back from Faith47. Very stoked with that. Instead of spreading myself thinly and trying to get all the outstanding interviews in at once I am focusing on a few artists at a time.

The time this book takes to get finished is basically a function of how long my interviewee’s take to get back to me. Fingers crossed that it won’t be much longer.

Having fun searching through my old photos. Spent some more time...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:24:06 -0500

Having fun searching through my old photos. Spent some more time chasing up interviews today and with some success! Gonna keep on keeping on!

This end of the M3 doesnt really get painted much anymore. The...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:10:59 -0500

This end of the M3 doesnt really get painted much anymore. The buff won the war. I loved seeing the new chromies that would pop up each week on this stretch of road. I believe that is my shadow in the bottom of this flick.

Was taking a look through my old photos and found this Croe...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:35:08 -0500

Was taking a look through my old photos and found this Croe chromie. Dont think it is still there. Croe recounted a hectic situation he found himself in for the book. Stories like his one are perfect as they grab the attention of a graffiti enthusiast and the general public alike.

Got a Christmas present in my inbox. Some words from Dias.

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:45:19 -0500

Got a Christmas present in my inbox. Some words from Dias.

Last month of the year

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:07:00 -0500

Its already December and there is still a lot to do. The temptation is to sit on the beach and let the work slide but I am persevering.

The advantage of finishing the book over the summer is that it seems that alot of painting happens over this period. Its not cold and rainy and writers are on holiday from work so more stuff seems to get done. That means more photos for me!

I have recently bought a new camera. It’s just a compact but the great thing is that it shoots HD video. I am playing with the idea of making some kind of promo video at the time of the launch of the book.

Time to Focus

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:54:00 -0500

My work commitments have ground to a halt so now it is time to focus on the book. I can’t wait till that day that I get the freshly printed book back from the printers.

It’s look like even though I have saved the funds to print the book I am going to start a crowdfunding campaign so that the cost per book can be brought down. So you, the end consumer, can afford the book. I will keep you updated on the crowdfunding idea but it will most likely launch on 1 December.

I think there are alot of misconceptions from the Cape Town graffiti community about what the book will be like. My central focus is to tell the amazing stories which would otherwise be forgotten and also to give a platfrom to those writers who have proven themselves through dedication year after year. I hope the book will be an accurate representation of the Cape Town graffiti without any bias to one particular group or school of thought.

So now it is time to focus on finishing this book and I expect many late nights ahead.

Busy following up the Play1 and Motel7 interviews. I remember...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:18:07 -0500

Busy following up the Play1 and Motel7 interviews. I remember they were in Wk? and 3C crews together. This photo is a Play character in the making for What Kind’s Write4Gold wall.

One of my favourite parts of the book so far is the Enos...

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:38:58 -0500

One of my favourite parts of the book so far is the Enos interview. Enos is one of South Africa’s best train writers, hitting steel all over the world.

Here is a photo of a really old Enos panel that I had sitting on my computer, not a typical Enos by any means but looks like he (or she) had a bit of fun doing it.

Transcribing

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:59:11 -0400

I did an interview with Falko late last year at the Blue Marlin in Observatory. I have been procrastinating with the transcribing of the interview but getting really stuck into it now. I love this quote from the interview:

Matt: “Do you have a significant chase story?”

Falko: “I have two invincible one’s”

To hear these stories you are going to have wait for the book.

The book I am doing will focus on graffiti and not street art....

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:56:11 -0400

The book I am doing will focus on graffiti and not street art. But you may ask, isnt that the same thing? The answer is no.

Graffiti is about writing your name more stylishly, bigger, better and in more places than anyone else. There is an intense focus on typography and letter formation. Street art, as far as I understand it, is about pushing a concept on the steet or giving some kind of message, even if that message is as simple as “I want to make this wall look more colourful”. Obviously like anything there are grey areas in between and many artists crossover between the two.

I believe that Cape Town’s most commited “wall painters” have mostly been graffiti artists and not street artists, hence the focus of this book. Even if street art is not my focus, it is still fun to look at.

This picture is of a mural in Woodstock by Black Koki as part of the I Art Woodstock mural project curated A Word of Art.

The Funding Obstacle

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:45:05 -0400

I always thought the difficulty with writing a book was to find a publisher. I have this image in my head of writers like JK Rowling being refused by a submissions department of a some publishing house.I dont believe finding a publisher is the biggest obstacle. The obstacle is finding funding.

I am lucky that I have managed to save every extra penny and can fund the book myself. But this has two problems: it puts me under financial risk if the book doesnt sell and more importantly I dont have the funds to do a large print run so the unit cost is very high (which makes it more difficult to sell).

I have been hoping an angel investor will drop out the sky and contribute R50000 to fund the book but realistically I will not get that lucky. But there is hope! And that hope comes in the form of crowd funding, through kickstarter. Each person can pledge a small amout and in return could receive a copy of the book signed by one of the artists interviewed. Sounds to me like a win-win situation.

If you have tried crowd funding before let me know, and if you think crowd funding is a good idea for this book also let me know.

This photo wont make it into the book but I would love to hear...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:31:08 -0400

This photo wont make it into the book but I would love to hear to story of why the pieces were stopped halfway. Most likely some loud mouth local councillor trying to enforce the graffiti bylaw.

The flick was taken with a Samsung Galaxy SII, pretty impressive for a camera phone.

Did a Cell C job where I had to get three photographers from...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:00:17 -0400

Did a Cell C job where I had to get three photographers from different SA cities to take photos of graffiti or street art with a samsung camera phone. This was Lerato’s shot of Searle Street.

Searle Street has been such an important part of the Cape Town scene. I went to my first jam there which Wealz had organised. Think that was in about 2004/2005. Most recently, Shelflife and I organised the Artliftment Park Jam there and the pieces you see in this photo are from there. Glad to see it hasnt been touched much since April.

Progress

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:24:59 -0400

Hello fellow graffiti enthusiasts.

Currently, 90 pages of 150 have been finished and there is more than enough content to fill the other 60 pages. These pages include interviews with the likes of Dek3, Deus and many others.

I am very busy at the moment but my time free’s up towards the end of the year so I am confident it will be finished before we hit 2012. The major obstacle, as with any project, is funding. I am able to fund the book myself as a last resort but if I find funding many more books can be printed in the first edition and the cost per book is reduced considerably. This will make it cheaper for you.

If you know anyone who would be interested in funding the book please contact me on submitptt@gmail.com . Please note I am not looking for charity… they would receive income from the sales of the books.

Thanks

Laying out begins!

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:43:14 -0400

After initially hiring a designer to do the layout for me, he had other commitments and had to leave the project. So I was left with a dilemma: Find another designer or do the layout myself? I decided on the latter.

So a new PC was bought, InDesign loaded and tonight it all started. I am keeping it extremely simple and rather formulaic. I began by laying out the Dek3 interview (yes sir, DEK3!!!!) , then moved onto the Coe and Jest texts. 18 pages done!

Booom.

Here is an old Dek3 photo I had hiding on my computer to those who have forgotten the bombing legend.

Call for submissions

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:15:00 -0400

So you are a Cape Town writer and you have heard that we are doing the ultimate book on Cape Town graffiti. Paint fades but a book will last forever. How can you get involved?

The majority of the book focuses on interviews with selected writers. Most of these interviews have been done already.

There is going to be a separate section in the book for stories from any other writers. No matter if you are toy or you have been going solid for 10 years, graffiti puts you in some pretty crazy situations. Its these stories which we want to hear. To bring the story to life we would also like you to include a photo with the story.

We want your best graffiti story and a relevant photograph.

Submissions can be posted to the following address:

P O Box 15233

VLAEBERG

8018

You can also email submissions to submitptt@gmail.com

* Photos must be a high res as possible.