Check out the paste-ups of Jennifer from Trinidad and our interview with her. How come that you're into Street Art?
>> I have always been very interested in the urban scene. I grow up in a city and as an active pedestrian I am very much aware of the street dynamics where everything is quite fast and forever changing. One way to connect with this dynamics is becoming part of it and street art seems to me like a funny way to do it; it is a simple and effective way to establish a dialog between your ideas and the environment that brew them.
Please describe your own style in a few words.>> My style is about telling a story, it is based on meaningful themes and daily characters. That's why I like to show expressions, faces and if possible moods. Therefore, stencils suite that pattern very well: I can walk with my camera one day down the road, spot a perfect gesture and turn it into something that I will like to be reminded of just by going around the block where I paint it.
What is your perception of the Street Art - scene in the city where you're living?>> Well, I grow up in a very dense city (Caracas - Venezuela). The dynamics there differ greatly from the city where I am living at the moment (Port of Spain - Trinidad). Here, street art is becoming more noticeable now. When I placed my first tag here it felt like invading virgin territory, but little by little I get to see real nice pieces of work all over. And for some other reason I really enjoy it like that because they are not random sketches but like exclusive pieces that show great skills and creativity.
Are there artists who had (or still have) influence on your art?
>> If I have to mention one (as cliche as it might sound), I will say Banksy. However, just the act of walking down the streets is inspiring to me, the urban atmosphere is so rich from colors to textures to moods to words that all together are enough influence. However, if on top of that you come across stellar images or any kind of urban intervention with impeccable technique it doesn't matter who made it - to me it's about taking the artwork for what it is and learn from it.
What meaning does Urban Art have for you?
>> Urban art for me is the dialog the street dynamics are capable to establish with the citizens, for me urban art tells free awesome stories to whoever is open to listen to them.
Design by Jim Avignon
German DJ Holger Beier will be part of "de mi barrio a tu barrio" - playing a DJ-set in every country and inviting local DJ's and bands to join in.
Holger gained fame as a producer for the "Mexican Institute of Sound" (Instituto Mexicano del Sonido) and from his work in Berlin and São Paulo. Check out the video of one of his gigs last year at Virada Cultural 2010 in São Paulo: The "Sacada Da Virada" featured Holger with a bunch of friends DJing, accompanied by video projections on one of the most spectacular places in the old center of São Paulo.The Sound coming from the DJ Booth is split into various frequencies which are directly connected to the projections. Graphics and mappings are responding to the sound of the Beat.The audience can play with interactive projections on the architecture by using their cellphones - spraypainting SMS Messages in form of PIXAÇOES displayed on a large Scale!Pixação is a unique form of graffiti native to São Paulo. Basically, it's tagging done in a distinctive, cryptic style, mainly on walls and vacant buildings. Many pixação artists compete to paint in high and inaccessible places, using such techniques as free climbing and abseiling to reach the locations. Pixação has inspired and formed many Brazilian street artists, such as Os Gemeos.More information on the project can be found on the website of bungalow agency:
Check out the interview below with Jairo Miranda, paste-up-artist from Costa Rica.
How come that you're into Street Art?>> Everything began like a valve for escape: like a form of personal expression, a visual outcry – but silent. I had to say something on the walls of San José. The first “paste up” I did in the city showed a cricket – an insect that usually makes a lot of noise and therefore catches attention. In these times (2004) you couldn`t see much “paste up” in Costa Rica. There was already a strong graffiti movement at the surroundings of the University of Costa Rica, in central San José and in various neighborhoods – but I still hadn`t seen street art as posters bonded on walls. Inspired by city, society and nature and with the access to technological tools (such as computer, printer, scanner, digital cameras and so on) I went on experimenting with digital images that then would become fragmented prints which I stuck on the walls of the city. I’m glad to see that other Costa Rican artists adopted this technique and made their own paste ups so that today it’s quite common to see all types of posters, photographs and designs stuck on the walls. Please describe your own style in a few words.>> I stick photographs and designs on the surfaces of the city. I digitalize small objects, insects, birds and extracts of newspapers and magazines. I take digital photos of places, things and persons. I then edit these photos with the help of edition software and finally print them on paper. Finally, the action of sticking it on a wall takes place at a spot that fits. Ephemerality is the concept of my work. I document both the process of setting up the art piece as well as its own erosion, caused by time and the forces of nature.
What is your perception of the Street Art - scene in the city where you're living?>> There are many talented artists in Costa Rica – not only in the capital but also in the provinces. The problem is that there is much individualism: nothing unites the different disciplines and initiatives of street art as a strong movement of popular expression. There’s a lack of interest by the media, not much online visibility and missing support by local governments and sponsors. The situation is not all that bad, but could be way better. There are urban festivals in different parts of the country, melting music, dance, acrobatics, graffiti, paste up, and many more – some of them supported by the public sector, others by private companies. That type of art is very attractive for the youth because it offers them a way of saying something, of expressing themselves through art as a medium. It’s a very good way of creating a channel of communication with them.Are there artists who had (or still have) influence on your art?>> During childhood, my main source of inspiration was TV: observing that flow of images and sounds on the screen made me feel a fascination with picture that I still have today. I also remember the sculptures and paintings that illustrated an old bible of my family. Up to today, internet has a strong influence on my work. Prehistoric art with his cave murals, naïve art, renaissance, the impressionists, abstract expressionism, pop art, surrealism, Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Pollock, Warhol, Da Vinci, Rodin, Tapiez, Mondrian, Banksy. The Costa Rican artists Francisco Amiguetti and the sculptor José Sancho. Out of cinema: Fellini and Pedro Almodovar. Out of literature: Gabriel García Marquez, Ernesto Sabato and many others.What meaning does Urban Art have for you?>> Liberty! For me, that’s its purest meaning. Urban art is public, direct, deeply democratic, hyperactive and surprisingly versatile. It made disappear the historic barriers between art and its observer, opposing elite thinking. Urban art escapes from museums, curators and gallery owners. It’s a horizontal art that does not commercialize itself: it neither gets sold nor bought. It finishes up with the idea of art as a commercial luxury object, it is subversive by definition. Because of that, it originates a debate which invites dialogue, participation and reflection, thereby avoiding the aseptic monologue offered by museums and swanky exhibitions. By integrating its elements in highly-frequented public spaces, it surprises its observers. It usually has a striking, seductive message that criticizes society with irony and sarcasm, inviting class struggle, political criticism or simply reflection.
Check out the paste-ups of Jennifer from Trinidad and our interview with her. 
Are there artists who had (or still have) influence on your art? 
