Interview with new Jacksonville street art crew: Urbismus
01/28/08 • Posted in: Art, Downtown Jacksonville, Street Art by Joey Marchy
For people who don’t know what is Urbismus? Are you a crew/collective? Is this your first street art project in Jacksonville?
Urbismus (lat. city mice/urban rats) is mainly a collaborative of 2 artists, but we use help and input from a number of others. This is our first street art project in Jacksonville. We consider it an installation specifically designed to bring awareness to certain troubling issues concerning DT (Downtown) Jax: the vast number of empty, unused buildings.
To me, the style of your current work seems heavily influenced by another prominent international street artist Swoon. Was her style a big influence or does it come from somewhere else?
Swoon’s work is definitely a big influence (along with Judith Supine’s), but most people draw parallels with Banksy which although extremely flattering, doesn’t compare in our opinion. We purposely didn’t want to make a strong political or controversial statement (not yet) for this particular installation. We noticed that although starved of street life, downtown is being closely watched. While many buildings are boarded up and slowly crumbling, graffiti, stickers and posters are removed quickly, so we’re curious to see what the reaction will be to our noncontroversial, colorful, almost pretty figures.
Describe your technique. I think a lot of people would like to know how you get from the idea to getting it up on the wall.
The figures are digital photo renderings, separated in 3 colors, then silkscreened on newsprint. They are glued to the walls using homemade wheatpaste, a cooked mixture of wheat flour, white flour and water. Unlike spray paint, wheatpasting is not permanent (although when dried thoroughly, it can last a long time). We feel that the beauty of street pasteup is its’ changing life cycle. Affected by the weather and the elements it can slowly morph into unexpected, wonderful imagery.
What do you think about the current state of street art in Jacksonville?
As for the general art scene, there seems to be a pretty large artist community but just like the city itself, it’s spread out and lacking a centralized location wordy of a scene. We find street art practically nonexistent.
Do you have any words of wisdom for the masses?
We want to encourage more artists to consider wheatpasting or any form of street art. This sterile city is in a desperate need of any sign of human life on it’s streets.
Note: if you are an artist and I ever feature pictures of your work, hit me up if you are interested in doing an interview. Also Urbismus is featured on the cover of this week’s EU Jacksonvillle weekly
I think I started seeing those last Saturday and I keep seeing more throughout downtown. For their first street art project I think they have done an excellent job. A little to photoshoppy for my taste but still great work.
I can’t wait to see more.
I’ve been seeing these spread around downtown for
the last week and wonderin’ who was behind it. I love
it - it’s nice to see some color downtown!
I love these. Downtown/riverside/san marco streets are now the best art gallery around. They make me want to do my own wheat-paste fliyering.
i love it. i think it really looks cool. it’s cool these people have been given a voice. i agree with them on the wheatpasting thing. i like it better then spraypaint. it not being permanent. if i only had one issue and it’s not that big. i wish the people were put up ground level so it didn’t look like they were floating. someone else actually told me this before, i just agree. other then that awesome work.
hmm. matt and katie and i were discussing these last week, wondering who did them. they are great! it was funny, because matt said that we should check urban jacksonville, because he was sure that there would be info on here!
I definitely think the subject matter is whats keeping these things up so long. It is easy for people recognize what they are. When you try and post up, lets say…a gas mask or Mr smith perhaps, things that are not so easily explained, people rip them up with violently!!! haha. Even if they are meant to be threatening at all. nice work though, the oversize screen print is rare.
im liking it. Wait til ya see what im up too…..ill keep ya posted.-B.
I totally agree with the artists that this city looks devoid of life even if it is anything but. E.g. I was at Jack Rabbits last weekend, Sun, and my friend and I were the only people left in the house at the end. The last band wasn’t even that bad. Maybe, I don’t know, 15 people on and off throughout the night. And it’s the same EVERY time I go to concert in this g word town. Not that music is the same as street art, but one can safely be said to follow the other-more music or inversely more arts, more people of like thinking visit, more music/arts etc.
Anyways I just moved here from the west coast and I will reserve final judgment of Jacksonville until after Built to spill, which is almost like a hometown band.
These are the best I’ve seen in Jacksonville in the last few decades. The adhesive used is a plus for being both eco friendly and a sign something new needs to be put up.
Too bad City Hall wouldn’t buy in to creating ’street turf’ policy to protect the artists’ expressions…abandoned or vacant buildings…it’d be pretty cool.
Uhh, are you clowns aware that this sort of vandalism is illegal? I would love to have the lot of you arrested. Care to name any names? I have also attempted to remove your “art” and preserve the “art” into an appropriate vessel (the garbage can) but it is glued on so darn well.
well you’re fun!
I think the best street art works because it’s both illegal and beautiful. If it can be thought-provoking and personal at the same time…damn. That’s nice. Nothing makes a Jacksonville-lover happier than someone making art about her city. On it’s freakin’ face, no less. Like hanging a “kick me” sign on your best friend’s back (only those friends with a good sense of humor of course), and sharing a laugh.
@LeeHS, names are never divulged to protect the innocent.
It is interesting because it improves the
buildings that is applied to (arguably)
and begs the question why is this illegal and
letting a building deteriorate not? I am both humbled
and motivated by this project.
Imagine the dialogue if all the subjects were african
american. Would they all be taken down by now?
Discuss.
Been following your blog for a few weeks and I really dig it. Thought you might appreciate this page that intersects virtual street art, locative art [as in the novel Spook Country by William Gibson], and his comments on the web. http://tinyurl.com/38drcc
Good Stuff Urbismus!!! Yall cats keep bombing the city with your work.!!! Take your piece of the pie and your peace of jax history.
l.o.l. to LeeHS. Did you ever take a second to think that maybe it is art and it is beautiful and it’s adding to the beauty of our city? You may find this “vandalism” offensive but what i find offensive is the people that always have to find something to complain about–it’s the same thing that happened with the mural in Neptune Beach on that Night Moves building–was it really hurting anyone? No. but because it went against what was expected or accepted or possibly legal people complained, never taking into consideration the beauty of the piece of art. Of course i understand the need for laws but come on–seriously are you that mad about it or are you just someone that is complaining to complain? Enjoy life and the unexpected beauty that comes with it.