Raw Ink Magazine – November 2013

MAGAZINE

.COM

ISSUE 25, NOVEMBER 2013

BRISBANE | GOLD COAST | TWEED COAST

---------------------------------------------------------------------------THE RAW INK TEAM

ROXY COPPEN

Graphic designer and editor roxy@rawinkmagazine.com www.roxycoppen.com

RUTH DUNN

Journalist ruth@rawinkmagazine.com

LIANA TURNER

Journalist and photographer liana@rawinkmagazine.com www.liana-anitra.tumblr.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------COVER GRAPHIC BY

JENNA COVERLY www.jennacoverly.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/rawinkmagazine

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Hello Readers, Roxy would like to apologise for the lateness of this issue, she’s been busy finishing uni and has been trying to find the time in amongst exams and assignments!

Thank you for patiently waiting!

If you know of any creative events happening in your local area, or would like to contribute to the magazine, feel free to send us an email to: roxy@rawinkmagazine.com Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on our Twitter-tweets.

We’ll see you next month.

TWITTER www.twitter.com/rawinkmagazine

From,

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THE RAW INK TEAM xx

CONTENTS 4

‘SUBTERRANEAN’ Ruth Dunn

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‘Elliott Wheeler’ Liana Turner

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‘The Ape – Patrick Bourke’ Liana Turner

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‘Chit Chat Corner with Jonny Arnold’ Ruth Dunn

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‘Pataphysics’ Liana Turner

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SUBT

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TERRANEAN

ruth dunn

If someone was to sum your art practice up in one short paragraph, what would they say?

DAVE: I would say, its alternative, underground, emotive and reflective of a street level style that responds to something else from something that you wouldn’t get educated from mainstream media. I would say I’m force feeding you an energy that lives elsewhere.

on. We all bring something unique to the table so I feel very positive about it.

AWEN: I was invited by Dave to be a part of the exhibition and I am a big fan of Dave’s work, Tommy is so mysterious about what he does, which I dig. I was excited to be a part of his show as the Subterranean theme, it fit’s so well with the work I have been creating all year.

TOMMY: Depends on who the certain someone is firstly, so let’s leave that one to the critics. Haha.

Can you tell me about the collaborative effort behind Subterranean?

AWEN: I have a lot of difficulty explaining my work and my practice with words, that’s why I express my poetry in a visual way, through my art. A writer friend of mine described my work as microcosms of a human experience, which I think was a poignant way to describe it.

DAVE: It started with Tommy and Myself to collaborate and produce some work that was inherent of both our styles. We shared each others canvas’ and did a percentage of each others works to maybe lead to trying to hire out a space and hold a mini exhibition to get some sort of exposure.

How did the idea for the subterranean exhibition come about?

TOMMY:The collaborative effort is very defined in my opinion. You can defiantly see the styles churning into one another and fighting for space. It reminds me of the undergrowth in rain-forests where they compete for sunlight.

DAVE: From what I remember, the idea of subterranean came from finding a synonym for my RISE theme I had with all my work. RISE can stand for anything. Its can be a Rise in someone’s self esteem and lift of self doubt. So it can be referred to personal struggle to a social or collective of people rising from whatever.

AWEN: The process of putting together a show is a form of collaboration between artists, we are all riding the same wave when preparing for a show.

TOMMY: It came about quite naturally, I felt the need to collaborate with other artists so approached Dave initially, he seemed to like the idea and had some of his own add

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What have been the best aspects of your collaboration?

DAVE: Compromising each others efforts in purpose to produce works that instill our styles but still respect each other as an artist.

TOMMY: The best thing alone would defiantly be to work with such great people. I feel that this experience has given me the inspiration to continue to push myself to new heights

DAVE: Heavy colours, isolation, hope.

AWEN: Although Dave, Tommy and I haven’t collaborated on works that will be displayed in the show, we did paint pieces on the front of my share house, in West End, which anyone can see any time when out exploring for street art.

TOMMY: Privatisation, Commercialism and Stupidity to name a few I guess.

How do each of you tackle the subject ‘Subterranean’ in this exhibition?

Aside from the things we have already discussed, what else can we expect from this exhibition?

DAVE: I always tried to work with subject matter of struggle. Its a good topic for powerful imagery and content. Its the type of subject that grabs you by the shirt and demands your attention.

TOMMY: Good question... I armed my soldiers with marine blues and bright yellows the battle won in the opening.

AWEN: For me, Subterranean is about those times when things that happen in life, pull you deep underwater. It’s in those times, of exploring the deepest, darkest aspect of our emotional natures, that we discover the brightest treasures, that we can’t always see when in the light.

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What are some of the themes you explore under the main subject?

AWEN: Love, grief, healing, strength, resilience, optimism, mystery, wisdom, and awesome deep sea creatures.

DAVE: For the first time, I’m introducing a lot of different mediums under the subject of subterranean. Shirts to canvas. A good mixture of art verse application. Used material to the traditional canvas work.

TOMMY: November to December at the Green Door Cafe Gallery in Stones Corner Brisbane Australia. You can experience it for yourself. Dedicated artists collaborating for all to spectate at be apart off.

AWEN: Subterranean is like an emergence from the underground. Artists who rarely show their work in a Gallery environment are displaying together. It’s a rare glimpse into the world of artists that have a unique painting process born from painting on the streets. The interaction of the public with the work’s, will be the most exciting thing to us about the exhibition.

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E L L I O T T // LIANA TURNER As a composer and producer, Elliott Wheeler has been involved in his fair share of musical projects. After being a huge part of the Great Gatsby soundtrack and taking on The Ship Song Project for Sydney Opera House, he’s released his debut solo album. The Long Time features Wheeler alongside some of the many talented musicians he has worked with over the years.

After releasing your debut album The Long Time, how’s the response been? It’s been really positive, which has been really nice.

Your worked on Baz Lurhmann’s appropriation of The Great Gatsby; what was that like? It was an incredible experience.

It was everything I could hope to do as a composer. Baz is an incredible force to work with. There were so many facets of music involved.

For the film, you worked with artists like Jay Z and Lana Del Ray. Is it unique to see such a modern collection of musicians working on a film like this, considering its 1920s context? One of the things we do is try to draw upon contemporary music, to 8

draw in the younger audiences with sounds they can associate with emotionally. There’s these cutting edge parties with 1920s jazz; incorporating artists like Jay Z allowed us to create a contemporary version. That was really wonderful.

Was it exciting to be collaborating with such big names? Absolutely. A lot of my work was done remotely, but Baz worked really closely with everyone. He’s such a fantastic communicator. He commands such respect in regards to the way everyone involved gives him this huge level of control.

Would you say you were really big on collaboration in the production of The Long Time? I find collaboration can be incredibly freeing. When you create a melody, you can hear what a singer is capable of doing with their voice. Collaboration leads you down all these different paths and I’m really

/WHEELER lucky to have worked with so many fantastic musicians.

This album has been described as an “aural testing plate”, with combinations of jazz, classical, pop and rock. Does this just reflect the open and diverse approach you have with music? I think it’s one of the things that’s reflective of my screen work. I use so many different styles – but I try to keep some kind of coherence. There’s definitely a common aesthetic. I think that combination of styles is the foundation of my music. It’s not one particular style. I do love writing instrumental music. I think partly because it’s my debut, I had to spend a bit of time working out what my “sound” is, knowing that sound will come out eventually.

Musically, would you say your single “Baker Man” is somewhat representative of the whole album? I think Baker Man is a very good indication. There’s me singing, and the cohesive beats with orchestral and jazz elements.

The “Baker Man” film clip was created by the award-winning animator, Marieka Walsh.

How do you feel she was able to portray your

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idea of the song? It was fantastic. The whole narrative of the video was her idea, with the underwater theme. It was wonderful to have her involved, with different ideas of the song.

I’m thrilled by the result. She captured my mood and tone wonderfully, and picked up on a culmination of other elements. She created the feeling that it’s from a different era; that’s something I’m constantly trying to do.

You produced and arranged the music for the Ship Song Project for the Sydney Opera House in 2011. What was it like to recreate an iconic Nick Cave song in this way? That was an amazing project to be involved with.

It was very special to be trusted with that part. I’m an avid Nick Cave fan; it was very humbling. It was a big responsibility to do justice to the Opera House, as well as the song which is loved by so many people.

It was wonderful working together with the other artists. Everyone was extremely generous with their time. It was very rewarding. It took over a year start to finish - I had to work out a map to make them all work in their own styles. It was challenging working opera into a pop track.

Wheeler is currently working on the new Strictly Ballroom musical, which he says will be at a standard of anything you’d expect from a Baz Lurhmann production.

Wheeler’s debut album The Long Time is available now.

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The Ape Patrick Bourke Liana Turner

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Just before the release of their debut album, we had a chat to bassist and pianist for The Ape, Patrick Bourke. The Ape’s sound has been fittingly described as a primitively, filthy fun form of rock. With a combination of Australian song master Tex Perkins, Gus Agars of The Dark Horses, Raul Sanches of Magic Dirt and Patrick Bourke, this supergroup has all the right ingredients in the perfect measures.

How do you feel about the release of your debut album and its supporting tour? I feel pretty good about that. It’s always a nice feeling to put the work in and see something good come out of it. There’s been quite a delay since we wrote the songs, but I’m still excited.

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What’s The Ape’s music like compared to all of your previous musical work? I think it’s pretty similar. We’ve all played in rock and roll bands before, and played together here and there – but there’s always different dynamics, and when it’s with friends, it’s really enjoyable.It’s like our music has a new life of its own.

Your music’s been described as “filthy, primitive rock”; would you agree? It’s pretty primitive, yeah! With The Ape, we wanted it to be fun. We didn’t want to take it too seriously.

Have you had a chance to road-test the new material and band dynamics? We

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played at Darwin Festival, and a few shows in Melbourne. It’s good to road test new material to get used to it. It was great fun, and everyone reacted pretty instantly. The music is just instantly likeable; it’s not too dense.

How did you all meet? I’ve known Gus for years, for quite a long time. Tex and Gus were in The Dark Horses together, and we just met Raul around the tracks.

How would you describe your live shows? It’s loud, and it’s fun.

The Ape’s debut self-titled album is available for sale now.

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ruth dunn

chit chat corner w i t h

Jonny rnold A

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This month I caught up with an artist visiting all the way from the UK! Johnny Arnold is a mixed media artist who enjoys working with discarded and vintage material. He has his first solo show in Brisbane this month at Artis Pura Woolloongabba.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. When did you choose to pursue art?

I’ve always been a drawer for as long as I can remember, and I never really lost the habit. When I was a teen I fell into graffiti and street art. I decided when I lost my job a few years ago I was going to sell my art…do something with it.

What are the main themes you have been exploring in your art recently?

I’ve been mixing different techniques (watercolour, aerosol)… trying to experiment with mixes that aren’t used by a lot of other people and trying to focus more on my work on the street.

The theme is always beauty. The theme never changes; it’s always the image or the idea of something beautiful…often slightly melancholy.

You say on your artist page that you are always looking for the perfect image. What are some aspects a perfect image would have?

The perfect image could be anything from a city skyline to a beautiful face, depending on how I see it or feel at the time.

Do you think it is possible to find the perfect image?

No... there’s always going to be bigger and better. By finding the perfect image I mean always pushing your art, trying to do better, fresher work I find it interesting that you like to use discarded and vintage items amidst your search for perfection. Why do you enjoy using these materials so much?

I originally started painting on cardboard. This kind of came from being skint all the time and just using a lot of what was around me. I’m using more paper these days but can’t seem to break the habit of using old stuff. Oh, and it’s great to recycle.

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What brings you to Brisbane?

I have my first solo show here in Brisbane at Artis Pura in Woolloongabba on November 5, so I came to do some art for that and to work with some artists that I have met in London and on Facebook.

How have you been spending time while you have been here?

I have done a few live painting events and I have been busy doing some big walls on the street with local artists (Cherie Strong, Barek, Dkups). I also spent some time working in the studios of local artist Barek… and a lot of time working with artist Cherie Strong, collaborating and developing our joint art name “Slightly Bruised Fruit’. So as always, just painting and drawing and having fun… Australian people are great!

What are the differences and similarities between the street art world here and in the UK? I noticed that there are a lot more stencil artists in the UK. Aussies have an arty culture… so seem to be more open to street art I’ve noticed since being here.

What is coming up for you in the near future?

My solo show opens here in Brisbane on the 5th of November at Artis Pura and runs for a month.

I have a solo show in January in London with Brisbane artist Cherie Strong under our collab name ‘Slightly Bruised Fruit’ which I’m really excited about as Cherie is great to work with…and hopefully lots more work on the streets planned, both here and in the UK. So watch this space!!

To see more of Johnny’s art head to Facebook or instagram: www.facebook.com/jonny.arnold.9 www.facebook.com/pages/Art-ByJonny-Arnold/178390508932736?hc_ location=timeline instagram: @jonnyred5

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pataphys

liana

Melbourne emcee Pat Marks – aka Pataphysics – has just released IED (or “Improvised Explosive Device”, a perfect EP to follow up the soulful guerrilla hip hop vibe of his 2012 debut album Subversive.

How do you see IED in relation to your debut album? It’s definitely similar content-wise, but some of my approaches were different to the last album.

This EP has been described as reflective of your energetic and diverse live shows; do you agree? Yeah, absolutely. heaps of the tracks on the EP came out through my live shows.

With this EP I was joined by Project nRt, You’re already the frontman, vocalist and trumpet player, but you recorded, mixed and produced IED yourself. How did that influence the end product? I like to be hands on as an artist.

When someone else is mixing and producing, it just can’t sound the way it does in my head. Most accurate way to bring that to realisation, because you can just tweak little things as you go. It’s easier, cheaper, quicker.

Still, you seem to enjoy collaborating with other musicians. I always love collaborating with other artists. It’s one of my favourite aspects of music, I like that it can change all the time.

When you’re working with other live musicians, they can tweak 22

things, change things on the fly. That’s something that’s really helped my writing process.

What have been your biggest influences? Growing up, I had a lot of musical influences. I picked up different styles from friends and family – hip hop, blues, rock and jazz. One of the biggest influences for my music is having that interest in different music styles. Even if it’s just picking up a different harmonic idea, or using different compositions. My family was a huge influence.

We used to have big family jams. I love fun, good music you can groove to. The music that makes you feel something is what I like the most.

You incorporate the Sri Lankan language into your lyrics; how significant is that for you? When I went back to Sri Lanka, I picked up some of the language. The longer I stay away, the worse it gets. That isn’t as important to me as the music. It’s important, but not a defining feature by any means.

What influences you lyrically? Heaps of stuff influences me lyrically. There are so many great emcees in Melbourne. There’s also this great emcee from LA called Bamboo. There’s heaps around, always inspiring me.

How does living in Melbourne shape your musical practice? Living in Melbourne has been a great help, rather than being in a rural area, where it’s really hard to make music.

sics

aturner

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There’s great venues. Some venues are closing down, but there’s still a lot of support for the industry. I mean, don’t buy a house in a music district if you don’t like live music! Regardless, the Melbourne music scene sets a good standard for your own music. You don’t get complacent. You realise you have to go and make more music. Sure, not every song will make it, but it’s a sort of quality control.

You worked on the soundtrack for the SBS Series Legally Brown; what was that like? It was so good to write songs just for that show. I’d had my music used on TV before, but they actually asked me to write music specifically for that. It was a cool experience to work on that.

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