Stencil Wars

STENCIL WARS THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF STAR WARS INSPIRED STREET ART

Detail from: WHAT IF ART RULED THE WORLD Montreal, Canada, 2011. Photo by Chris Grandjean

STENCIL WARS THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF STAR WARS INSPIRED STREET ART

DEATH STAR by FREE HUMANITY 2.6 MILLION JOBS HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE THE STIMULA PACKAGE WAS PASSED. Los Angeles, USA, 2011. Photo by Samantha Geballe

STENCIL WARS

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF STAR WARS INSPIRED STREET ART

Preface Star Wars have been such a big part of my life that they have now become part of my lifestyle. It all started back in 1979 – or perhaps it was 1980 - when I read a comic book called Star Wars: Roulette at a friend’s house. At first, this comic book and the graphic novel adaption of Alien were fighting for my attention; the scary, dark and claustrophobic scenario with the bloodthirsty monster that tore the crew members apart, one by one.

In the end I always came back to the comic with the cover of a shiny gold colored robot holding the princess in its arms.

Many movies have battled for my attention; none of them has had the same effect as the Star Wars movies have. Other pictures have not managed to give me the feeling of being part of something big – something that reaches far beyond the two hours spent in a movie theater. My friends and I played Star Wars when we were kids, we quoted from the movie, we recalled scenes when we compared them to what happened in real life; we read the comics, we bought the toys (I still do!), and we saw the movies countless times.

When my long-time friend, Byvold, and I got the news in 1997 that Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was to premier on May 19th, 1999, and we made a pact that we should be there, at the premier in Los Angeles, and experience the Star Wars mania. Our journey to see Star Wars ended up being a month long travel all over the US to celebrate the movie that

would start a whole new Star Wars era, an era which is still very much present today. The pact included two more Los ­Angeles premieres, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, on May 16th, 2002, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, on May 19th, 2005. During these journeys we realized that we wanted to be a bigger part of this legacy. We wanted to show our respect to one of the greatest pop-cultural phenomenon in our time, and on October 18th, 2010, we released Graff Wars – Graffiti Inspired by the Star Wars Universe. While we were ­researching and contacting artists for Graff Wars, we discovered that Star Wars had not only inspired graffiti artist, the movies had also inspired all kinds of urban artists, and we started collecting material from street art artists and post-graffiti artists as well.

What I love most about this book, and what I realized while we were working on it, was that the artists in this book, and you who have picked it up, are just like me. We all have a common interest in the Star Wars saga that began on May 25th, 1977, and the wonderful universe that George Lucas created more than three decades ago, a universe we still love and find fascinating.

I carry the ticket for the 1999 premiere in Los Angeles in my wallet, next to the picture of my wife…

I hope you will enjoy this book.

Martin Berdahl Aamundsen

JUMP by Scotch San Antonio, USA, 2010. Photo by Scotch

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BOBA FETT by FREE HUMANITY Los Angeles, USA, 2011. Photo by Free Humanity

LANDO OBAMA by FREE HUMANITY Los Angeles, USA, 2011. Photo by Samantha Geballe

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R2D2 - FUNK IS NOT DEAD Nantes, France, 2010.

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RESERVOIR TROOPERS by RYCAR London, UK, 2008. Photo by Martin Hills

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LEGO STORMTROOPER Melbourne, Australia, 2009. Photo by Daniel Staebe

LEGO HAN SOLO Melbourne, Australia, 2009. Photo by Daniel Staebe

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STORMTROOPER by CHIEF Oslo, Norway 2009 . Photo by MartinSTENCIL BerdahlWARS Aamundsen 35

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RELAXING STORMTROOPER by SCOTCH San Antonio, USA, 2006, photo by Scotch

STORM TROOPER BANKERS by SFC18 London, UK, 2010. Photo by Georgie Knight

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WHAT IF ART RULED THE WORLD Montreal, Canada, 2011. Photo by Chris Grandjean

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AT-AT by FREE HUMANITY $650BILLION IN DEFENSE FUNDS & WE STILL DONT HAVE ONE OF THESE! Los Angeles, USA, 2011. Photo by Samantha Geballe

STENCIL WARS THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF STAR WARS INSPIRED STREET ART

STENCIL WARS THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF STAR WARS INSPIRED STREET ART