character mould art project
character • the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of a person or thing. • a distinguishing feature or attribute, as of an individual, group, or category.
• a fictional person/figure in arts/animation
mould • a shaped hollow container into which a material is poured so that it can set in a particular shape
• a framework around which something is constructed or shaped
to mould a character: 1) to shape or form: a figure moulded out of clay
2) to influence or direct: cultural factors moulding our everyday life
possibly an art project „character mould is an ongoing project, initiated in 2008. Basically it consist of two sculptures in public space that can be played on. The first part is a giant mould for a vinyl-toy inspired character, turned into a landmark. It’s built out of concrete and skateable. It serves as a location for happenings, events or other artistic purposes. A second sculpture was casted out of this mould. Set up next to the bowl, it is a reference to DIY art-toys and serves as a playground for graffiti artists and alike. character mould combines my influences of different subcultures in one setup in a very unique way. The project was built with the help of a group of people with a punk/skateboard-inspired attitude.“ Lilo Krebernik, creator
the draft The creative mastermind behind the whole project is Lilo Krebernik, skateboarder and designer/artist, also know for his signature character deadlemming. To realize the whole idea he had to keep the shape as simple as possible, yet with some features to make the character unique and skateable! It started as a quick draft for an open call titled Podium ’08 for contemporary art. One day in September 2008 a letter arrived, telling Lilo that about 50% of the overall budget will be covered by a grant. There’s always a way to make things happen ‌
H 1.0
B 10.00
H 1.00 R 2.20
R 2.20 B 10.00
R 2.20
R 2.20
L 9.00
*-1.00
L 12.00 -5% *-1.00
L 9.00
R 2.00
R 2.00
L 12.00
*-1.20
R 2.20
-5%
R 2.00
R 2.00
H 1.20
R 2.20
*-1.20
R 2.20
mini-taco (*+0.15)
*+0.00 R 2.20
mini-taco (*+0.15)
Betonbowl H 1.20
*+0.00
Betonbowl
R 2.20
H 1.20
H 1.20
R 2.20
B 7.20
B 7.20
GFK Character
GFK Character
start building and see what happens It took almost two years to finish the project. Permissions, long and cold winters, day jobs and budget would not allow to squeeze everything into a month. But the project is a „work in progress“ thing, and something that evolves. There was the permisson to build everything right next to an existing skatepark, which made things easier when it came to infrastructure. Electricity, water, paved paths to drive there, etc. … it worked out well!
helping hands The budget did not allow to pay a company to build everything necessary. But the project was about DIY – so friends and family were asked for help, and many answered the call, gave input, dropped by to build!
<< rad dad dieter helping out on welding the coping pic>> lilo krebernik
learning by doing Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting easier every day to research how to build a concrete bowl. Thanks to a lot of diy parks and the internet, anyone can get a clue of all things necessary. A lot of spots are there to last, so spent extra time to create a solid construction â&#x20AC;Ś especially in an area where winters are long and cold!
shaping up Working with concrete is one of the things that is fun. It feels like a playground for adults, a giant sandbox to create something that will last. It was also the part that happened really fast, 3 days of work and the bowl was almost ready to rock! If it hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been about building the sculpture â&#x20AC;Ś
<< concrete work the cradle crew did a great job! pic>> lilo krebernik
casting the sculpture After the mould (the bowl) was finished, it was time to figure out a way to cast the lemming. A thin plastic foil, 1.5 tons of a 2-component-material called Jesmonite and some scaffolding â&#x20AC;Ś that was the idea to make it possible. The sculpture was divided into four segments as no one of the team had worked on something like this before, especially not that scale.
lift it and set it up Putting everything in place was a sketchy job, but also very satisfying. To this point there was no proof if it would work. Bit by bit the lemming was lifted, mounted and fixed onto two solid I-beams!
mission accomplished Imagine how weird it was to skate the bowl for the first time, with the big guy watching!
<< first session stefan mertl checking out the site pic>> lilo krebernik
lemming day The tribute to character design, plattform toys, DIY movement and skateboarding needed one more thing: a proper opening event! So invitiations were sent out to friends to bring them over for a session!
create a plattform The official opening of the site was on July 17th, 2010. Thanks to the sponsors who helped to set up a fun event: MTN, Heineken beer, Carhartt and Red Bull contributed to it with drinks, cans and music. The lemming got painted for the first time, unfortunately Lilo had to work with a broken hand (it happend 3 days before the event). It also started to rain right after he had finished with the basic design. Yet a great day to remember!
<< paint session lilo rolling paint with a broken hand pic>> kathi macheiner
FS ollie >> stefan mertl floating over the small hip pic>> kathi macheiner
the lemming bowl The project was called „character mould“ from the very beginning, but the concrete mould soon got referred to as „lemming bowl“ …
hall of fame Some people complain thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not enough legal walls for street artists to paint on. Some complain there shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any at all. The lemming sculpture is some sort of a 3D-legalwall, anyone can go and paint on it, but better bring a big ladder!
a curated project Part of the concept is to bring artists and paint. One crew that dropped by came on invitation, Lilo reached out to a friend/artist from Vienna. Knarf (Lumpenpack) really stepped up, brought Shida from Australia with him as well as his crewmate from Salzburg: Meersau. And together they colllaborated and repainted the lemming in the spring of 2012!
collaborations rock People were really pleased with the outcome, so were the artists. Four different styles blended into one final piece â&#x20AC;Ś And the lemming was still visible! Shida payed tribute to the initial version, painting a amazing skull/mask!
<< lemming mask shida, knard, meersau & deadlemming pic>> lorenz masser
drive and motivation The whole project is an ongoing art project, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about Lilo, or his lemming. Even if it might be a pretty bold landmark and a statement, he sees this as something to encourage others to go out and create!
<< fs grind lilo grinding towards the ear pic>> mac krebernik
again and again And every now and then you need to go back, start from scratch and do it again! The best one can do is keep going!
sixxa x deadlemming Kathi and Lilo, that’s two decades of love, trust and inspiration. They think alike on most things, act different on many. When they have time to collaborate on a project, it helps both to bring their a-game! Everyone was stoked when Kathi came up with the sketch for a lemming „in a tiger costume“ … … and together they pulled it off in a nice way!
kids rock >> lilo and mac showing the kids how to skate a bowl! pic>> lorenz masser
a day in the park A lot of artists these days try to combine their lifestyle with family, of course itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different way to work â&#x20AC;Ś 3 kids change your priorites. Sometimes you wish you could do a project like this in a big, urban environment. Imagine a 30ft sculpture, located on a big square in New York or London. But setting up a project like this in a small town is a big plus, you have time to work on it and bring your kids to the site!
<< in a tiger costume the finished paint job by kathi & lilo pic>> lilo krebernik
skate session Sometimes you create a thing thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really beautiful, but hardly anyone sees it. So no matter what you do, make sure to create images that help to remember the moment. It was one of these days when things would work out, Lilo had his brother and friends skating with him, while a local photographer dropped by to capture every trick.
fs grind >> lilo warming up for a photo session with friends! pic>> lorenz masser
fs rock/fs grind >> the krebernik brothers skating doubles, just for fun! pic>> lorenz masser
pivot to fakie >> mac krebernik locks in pic>> lorenz masser
<< boneless to tail lilo floating over the lemmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ear pic>> lorenz masser
handplant >> a signature move to show off liloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tattoo pic>> lorenz masser
<< the family lilo, kathi and the kids pic>> lorenz masser
credits I’d like to thank everyone who helped to make this project possible, especially:
Podium ’08/Land Salzburg, Josef Tagwercher & Stadtgemeinde Radstadt, Absolut Park, Kathi Macheiner, Mac Krebernik, Dieter Krebernik, Nick Rawcliffe, Stefan Mertl, Alex Kapfinger, Alex „Slashy“ Lutz, Hannes Sautner, Roli Schwaninger, Christian Lang, Georg Wiegel, Christian Aus, Philipp Jenewein, Rübe Maleczek, Seppi Harml, Lorenz Masser and anyone I possibly forgot … Published by: Lilo Krebernik Kienmayergasse 22 1140 Wien Austria hello@0717.at
Character Mould – art project printed on recycled paper! @2014 Lilo Krebernik All rights reserved! Any use of materials in this publication, including but not limited to the modification, reproduction, distribution, republication, display or transmission of the content, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited!
character mould is a permanent skateable, paintable installation in public space, created by Lilo Krebernik and the adhocrates collective
@2014 Lilo Krebernik All rights reserved!