So with nothing new to get on today, we thought we would share the packaging to some artwork we recently sent out to a client. We do like to jazz up our packaging because we’ve found it’s less likely to be damaged or stolen when we do it. That’s a pretty sad state of affairs but if it gets the job done then so be it. It also gives the client a nice little surprise when the postie eventually delivers it. Some clients have even been known to frame the packaging for an extra little something for their wall.
Somehow we’ve tumbled into an alternate dimension where id-iom are the only name in the art world and we’ve had to resort to writing inspirational messages to ourselves to try and keep it real. ‘Never forget your roots’ we tell ourselves as we think about dropping the cardboard piece on the streets like we used to do then realise we could make far more with a celebrity auction in LA.
We’ve all seen it happen to celebrities – first they start off humble and happy to be on the national stage but slowly they morph into globe-spanning self-facilitating media nodes. Well, despite our dip into another dimension it’s not happening to us. We remember our Manx roots. For now at least…
We here at id-iom love a good collaboration, we’re doing it pretty much every time we make a piece. We especially like it though when it is with someone else and today we have Background Bob (aka Noah).
We were asked along with a load of other artists to paint on some bits of cardboard that Noah had already done his magic on. All we needed to do was come up with something suitable.
Now all the pieces are up for grabs on Ebay and if that isn’t enough all of the proceeds will support East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Funds. After having a peek at ours why don’t you type in ‘Background Bob in to Ebay and see everyone else’s pieces and if you are feeling particularly fruity you can even throw in a bid or two.
“Noah (aka Background Bob) is 12 years old and has hydrocephalous, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Despite all this he is a very happy, smiley, cheeky young lad who loves to paint.
The project started with background bob painting some abstract backgrounds on cardboard, and then we reached out to artists via social media to come and collaborate with him.
The response was huge! Over the next 4 months we sent out and received back a massive 240+ artworks back from artists from all genres and from all over the world.
We followed up on the success by producing a beautifully put together book containing all the collaborations. So far to date our book has made a whopping £18,000 profit, which has already been donated to Colchester and Ipswich hospitals charity, and in particular towards the children’s ward at Colchester hospital, as a huge thank you for all the support and care Noah has received from them. Our book is also available via ebay, so why not buy the book to accompany your artwork?
The project grew and grew, got huge media coverage including The One Show, BBC Website news, Sunday morning Live, as well as numerous online and local press articles in this country and abroad.
The whole collection was then exhibited at Firstsite gallery in Colchester
You are bidding on a unique original piece of the @background_bob project.
All artworks are original one off pieces. The mediums used vary vastly from spray paint, screen prints, acrylic, oils, collage and even embroidery. There is something for everyone.
All artworks are painted on hand cut recycled cardboard. Due to this, some have wonky edges, creases and tears, which all add to the artwork. The sizes are approx. 20cm x 28cm, which is slightly smaller than A4. All pieces are signed by the collaborating artists either on the front or back. Some backgrounds also have personal messages to background bob on the back
Artwork will be sent securely packed, and signed for.
100% of all proceeds will be going to Colchester and Ipswich hospital charity, so bid high and help us make a real difference. Happy Bidding!!
We will do our best to get your artwork to you as quickly as possible, but please be patient and expect possible delays during these strange times are all experiencing. Stay safe!
Please give us a follow over on Instagram @background_bob as see what we get up to next…”
“I’m surprised that no one’s mentioned yet that the reductive quality of the purity of line seems very disturbing in light of the eloquence of this piece” said the The Instant Art Critique Phrase Generator when I asked it about this work. A truer word has never been spoken. Probably. No one really knows what the spheres are up to anyway so it’s as good a guess as any.
This piece was done in collaboration with the inimitable @background_bob. Cheers for letting us get involved and best of luck with the project!
Now it may not look like it but this little guy knows a thing or two. He has been treading the path to self enlightenment and has finally found the key. Despite that he looks a little deranged and is somewhat reminiscent of Keith Evil ‘King of the Crazy Talk’ he is, in fact, closer to nirvana than you’re ever likely to get. Having said that however he’s lost a few marbles in the process so it’s difficult to know what’ll come of him. Or indeed how long he’ll be king of his own destiny. We wish him the best of luck..
Done as part of a project for @background_bob. Cheers for letting us be a part of it.
It’s been a long while since we’ve delved into the murky world of celebrity quotes. Today we’ve got Coldplay front man Chris Martin with, what I think we can all agree, is a pretty odd quote.
It both shows his awareness of his popularity with a certain segment of the population whilst simultaneously showing disdain for the other part of the population that would like to shake him by the hand – assumably for bringing his music to the world rather than because they have a taser concealed in their palm. Gloves or helmet? What a modern dilemma. Who knows? If I were you Chris I’d go belt and braces and wear them both…
In my mind there’s not much creepier than a disembodied doll’s head staring at you blankly with it’s huge eyes as you walk quietly by minding your own business. So I think if our goal was instil a sense of disquiet in you then perhaps we’ve succeeded.
I’d really love to know our intentions when this was created. Unfortunately we’ll now never know as those reasons have been lost to the mists of time. All we’ve got is this so it’s time to spread the love..
So we have decided to revive a bit of graffiti that was found all over the Isle of Man when we were growing up and bring it to the mean streets of London. FSFO apparently meant ‘Financial Sector F**k Off’ and was daubed on walls in the 80’s purportedly in response to the increasing growth and power of the Island’s burgeoning finance sector. Personally I always preferred the other definition of the acronym- which was that it stood for ‘Free Sex for Onchan’ (which is a small town on the Island) and the idea that sexual liberation was one thing they were willing to fight for. FSFO!
I realise this picture is a little saucy but then again we are going to need it if we are going to win the campaign for ‘Free Sex For Onchan’. It is a simple yet profound piece about sex with Onchan’s new motto emblazoned proudly across the top. In fact that’s given me a thought. Maybe we should have got some rainbow colours on there?…
You’ve heard of Tupac? Well here we’ve got Tenpac. The origins of Tenpac Shakir remain a mystery, even to us, who (assumably) created him.
He was just there one morning after an evening which ended in an agreeable state of inebriation. We felt he was too bad to live but too young to die so we decided the only decent thing to do was leave him on the street to fend for himself. The hanging 10 pack sign is a nice touch that we somehow pulled off pretty well all things considering…
You know those rare occasions when you’re on tip top form and nothing can possibly stand in your way? You may even be in just your underwear like our celebrant.
Well, we thought we’d try and impart that feeling of ‘looking good, feeling good and talking fun stuff’ into as many people as possible with this placement. A bus stop seemed as good a place as any. If it brings just one smile to one face then I figure we’ve won. I can’t imagine this one will last very long in situ however…
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