Interview with Plastic Jesus
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Plastic Jesus is a Los Angeles based street artist that specialises in bold stencil and installation work, inspired by world news events, society, the urban environment, culture and politics. His work combines humour, irony, criticism and unique opinion to create art that engages on many levels.
Hi Plastic Jesus, today you selected for MoW 2 of your artworks inspired by music. Can you tell MoW why you selected those ? What was the music that inspired those artworks? How did music inspire them?
The pieces I selected - "Don't Paint The Wall" and "Banana" were inspired by classic album covers and graphics. Music has become an integral part of society and culture and I love how some album covers and band graphics have become iconic and immediately recognisable. Even people who have never seen Pink Floyd 'The Wall' album can identify the street art. The same with the Nirvana piece 'Banana' the stoned had become an icon not only for Nirvana's music but also for the culture the band projected.
Is music important to you and your art? If so, Why ?
Music is hugely important to me. In fact music is what led to me becoming an artist. I started playing keyboards in local bands in the 80's I always took my camera along to gigs and rehearsals, I very quickly found people liked my photos and it inspired me to pursue a career in photography and art.
Music is a reflection on society and the mood of the nation. It also become a landmark in history to look back to. If we have a piece of music we can often recall in great detail where we were when we heard and so much more about our life at the time.
If you had to choose between the 2 artworks presented today, which of your artwork would be your favorite ?
"Don't Paint The Wall" would be my favorite
How long does it take you to make an artwork ?
A stencil can take as little as an hour to cut, where as a complex installation can take many weeks to find the materials and make the piece ready to install.
Do you listen to music when you’re working ? If so what kind of music ?
I always have music in the studio. The music I listen to covers a vast range, from Classic rock (Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Rolling Stone) to EDM (electronic dance music) I particularly love Above and Beyond I find their music a great combination of mindless dance and deep meaningful lyrics.
Do you have plans on creating new artworks insipired by music ?
Sure, I find inspiration everywhere, Im sure I will create more music inspired pieces
What is the song you liked the most lately? What album ? What was the last gig you went to ?
The last gig I went to was Above and Beyond at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood. where they played acoustic arrangements of their stuff. The last album I downloaded was the Stereophonics 'Graffiti On A Train" and my most liked song recently is actually a old classic - New Order - True Faith to me this track will always be top of my list.
Are you a musician yourself ? If so can you tell MoW more about your music projects ?
Yes I am a musician I started playing Keyboards ( I built an electronic piano and several synths when I was in my teens), I've recently got back to writing and producing and im learning my way around a couple of roland synths and logic pro software. My music is best described as electronic, possibly Moby inspired or similar to Glitch Mob...
Follow Plastic Jesus here:
www.facebook.com/plasticjesusart
