Featuring artists Gene Starship, DSTRBO (Dan Buller) and Tyler Gibney
Upperplayground’s Fifty24SF Gallery
February 7th-29th, 2008
[Drawing from the urban environment, Heavyweight developed a mix-blend of styles & skills accumulated from a free association of intuitive interests - peripheral influences included rare groove album covers, Japanese hyper-pop styles, dub soundscapes, graffiti burns, skate graphics and turntable culture. Heavyweight tapped into a growing artistic community, extending its creative network to include producers, DJs, musicians, filmmakers as well as other artists and designers. What surfaced was a Heavyweight version, street-style campaign of underground parties, music & art shows, posters, flyers and stickers all housed and produced under one roof - forming the main elements of Heavyweight's creative foundation in art and design.]
Hey guys, no time for a serious write up but I wanted to post pictures from the last Upperplayground Fifty24Gallery opening featuring a 10 year retrospective from the guys who collaborate as the art and design collective HVW8. Funnily enough, I was introduced to them completely random the night before through a mutual friend under different pretenses and got the unexpected treat of hanging with these guys on the real before familiarizing myself with their work. I swear, it never ceases to amaze me how small this city can be. Anyways, a little about these guys: Heavyweight Production House originally started in Montreal, Canada in 1998 by Tyler Gibney and Gene Pendon and is currently based in LA with it’s own HVW8 gallery. Their main body of work called the Heavyweight Art Installation is a collection of large 6’x6’ painted canvases which were created live alongside performances by renowned DJs and musicians including Jazzanova, Afrika Bambaataa, Gilles Peterson, Bugz In The Attic, the Herbaliser, Roots Manuva, Osunlade and Jurassic 5 -just to name a few. With the collaborative efforts of Tyler Gibney, Gene Starship and DSTRBO (Dan Buller), the installation itself has toured internationally including cities in North America, Europe and Japan. Wanna know more? Go here.
The show runs til the 29th. Check it out before it's gone...
Gene Starship
Damon, JT, Dan Buller
My friend Mo and Dan
Tyler Gibney
and for all y'alls who need a visual diagram, here ya go...
peace
