Paris
The galactic, funkadelic rap sprayer Paris, presents a style that picks up flavours from a range of different influences and life experiences. He communicates these in various different medias. His work is an interesting journey through natural forms mixed with make believe futuristic technology and chemically induced, dream like hieroglyphics. Involved with the early rave scene he's talks to us about how this had an impact on his life, his work and the state of creativity at the time.
CD_
For those that haven’t seen your work, could you describe it to us and where you draw your inspiration from ?
P_
-"Psychotropic Wildstyle of the 5th Dimension"...
The best current description for my work is maybe this....
Pan-dimensional Wildstyle / The attainment of a inner conscious alphabet.... / Semi tectonic Symbolism and ways to decipher the myriad time sequences etched onto the catacomb tunnels or railway terminals... / Pyroclastic Letter Flows , molten alphabet- psychedelic source work , the attainment of higher levels of psychic communication/////////....
My inspiration draws strongly from the current movement in "style writing", what you could describe as the avant guard of Aerosol Art today..(..it remains at present no-name...and probably all the better for it...)
...my love of Classical European Painting... (Spraycan Art from the "Sonic Style Era"...where a fissure erupted across the Atlantic and Highly evolved American Graffiti flowed freely into to the DNA of European Graffiti....Manifesting itself in every major Capital (between 1983-1989)...slowly spreading by word of mouth to the outer Burroughs and hinterlands, through the mediums of ,Music, Film, cassette tapes, VHS Videos , photo-trading and later Black & White Xerox "Zines"
CD_
How would you describe the forms in which your letters take in your pieces ?
P_
Nowadays my letters are almost a secondary consideration...., at least the "name"is, ...the ego...I use letters as a starting point, the foundation stones to build higher levels of style.
There are rock forms in there, sinuous vines and the entrails of the natural world, a lot of psychadelic source material, tripped out cartoon characters, melting into armoured logo types of an imaginary corporation that might never excist....fake news.
My letters have now become almost secondary in the greater scheme of things.., the style fabric / framework their built on is still important, I guess their evolving into alien hybrids of their former selves , letters of a firth dimensional parallel staircase style...its 2018 now after all, we got to move things up a gear or two
CD_
Where would you say your galactic influences come from ?
P_
I used to think that by watching Sci-fi movies and incorporating that style, it would make my work futuristic...
But it dawned on me recently that the concept of future or "Futuristic-ness" is now becoming a redundant concept..a thing of the past!...
There will be no flying cars by 2019....but a dystopic inertia is defiantly settling in. (Dark)
I guess what weve got is a "crappy" version of the future we where promised...
Like during the Communist era, I mean many of the structures built during the Communist age stand as bold symbols of a Great Socialist future, a great future vision..., but the reality was much different....escape had to be from within, to look inwards, to explore the corridors of the mind, inward motivation and creative freedom.
I think thats where I'm going with this, and I think thats where the Galactic influences come from now, not the from the farthest reaches of space , but the vast constellations and Galaxys which lie within the human mind. Aren't we made of star dust anyway?.
CD_
Would you say that the music you listen to inspires your work in any way ?
P_
Yes Heavily....and Films also, and even regular TV, I need background noise to help me sharpen my focus and get into the flow whilst drawing / painting. My musical reference points are really varied, keeps things dynamic......
CD_
Do you think the early rave scene had much of an impact on the state of creativity at the time ?
P_
Yes in a huge way, .
I think it had a lot of parallels with the 60's Counter Cultural Revolution, The Music, The gatherings, The drugs (opening the doors of perception), the artwork on Record Sleeves, the light shows, the advances in Music Technology (808) , everything crossed over and influenced each other.
A lot of what I saw and experienced then still inspires me today.
CD_
What do you remember taking from these raves ?
P_
It felt like all of this incredible energy had always been there, this nocturnal world, the tribal one-ness , taken to higher levels , interconnectedness, unity.
I remember having a trip the first time I went to a rave (Purple Ohm) and my levels of consciousness just kept expanding...., I can recall seeing chinese dragons unfurl in multitudes across a dance floor, interlaced with a tapestry of footprints, sports brand semiotics...The dancefloor heaved, like a cartoon keyboard ...as you entered the room a wall of heat enveloped you, infused with eucalyptus vapours, the ceiling poured with sweat and nobody cared, people danced on every available surface, and the DJ held sway, guiding them on, ever higher....
Rhythm is Rhythm
CD_
How important do you think your environment and surroundings are to your creative output ?
P_
Incredebly important, were reacting to all that is around us on so many more levels than were aware of.
I'm much happier these days to be painting a location that is in the middle of nowhere , perhaps where nature has all but taken it back, away from traffic and tourists.
CD_
Are there times where you are faced with creative blocks ? If so how do you combat these ?
P_
I combat creative blocks by changing tack, do something else for a bit, read a book, watch a film, go for a walk, then come back to it.
I learnt a lot from David Lynch and the way he works.
CD_
What were the core themes explored in your 'Universal Magnetic' pieces ?
P_
Universal Magnetic was kind of a drawing excersice, it was one part of a much bigger project.
I had created a series of digital collages that combined all my current influences at the time.
Using these collages as drawing studies I then developed the ideas and themes within through watercolour and pen compositions.
These where created in groups, all relating to each other, I was quite happy with the finished results and they where exhibited at "Kobi & Teal".
I've now moved on to bigger works on canvass & Installation.
CD_
What artist do you think are really pushing the boundaries? Wether this be in art or music.
P_
Those that are striving to elevate art / music /cosciouseness to new levels, theres too many to mention, here are just a few that spring to mind...its like some fucked up shopping list...
David Lynch
Thee oh sees
Boiler Room
Horphe
Pablo Tomek
Ekoe
Jonti
Gasius
Skygaze
Baran bo Odar
Petro
Eggs
Perfume Genius
Guess
NTS Radio
Mudwig
Jantje Friese
Xenz
Saeio (RIP)
Dandelion Gum
Cony
Skubb
Samiyam
Tobacco
Phew
Rammellzee
CD_
Have you got any projects coming up that you can tell us about ?
P_
I'm really working to expand the Theoretical and Contextual framework that defines my work.
In later stages I hope to expand upon the new movement as a whole....
I'm not getting tired of painting walls , but I feel like theres still more out there that that needs to be explored, theres so many more angles and routes that lead from the writing phenomenon.
How it opperates, and how it continues to do so in relation to mainstream society, how the global forces that brought this abundance of subcultural collectivity are now acting as currents moving in vastly different directions.
I've got something special happening in Tokyo this Summer , so it would be great to do more work in Japan.
Big thanks to Paris for taking the time to do the interview. You can check out more of his work HERE