The year is 2035. The place is London. Brexit has come and gone. Rogue stormtroopers now roam the streets. They’re armed and looking for food – just like the rest of us. They said there would be ‘adequate food supplies’ in the case of a ‘no deal’ brexit. They lied. The future is coming…
Cheers
id-iom
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Filed under art, cutout, funny, mixed media
With no discernible use for the first one of these I cut I thought ‘these look cool, I think I’ll do some more’ so set about doing exactly that. They’re all mini lasercuts of our Phil Collins ‘No Context Required’ pieces and feature out of context Phil Collins quotes combined with various other bits of frippery – logo’s, celebrities and the like. What exactly they are for or indeed can be used for I’m not entirely sure but as doodah’s go they’re sure pretty. I’ve thought about painting them but they’re entirely too small for such shenanigans so they are what they are. They can be grasped comfortably in one hand. That much can definitely be said about them. Beyond that I’m not so sure.
Cheers
id-iom
If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know that our ‘Phil Collins – No Context Required’ pieces have burgeoned into something of an ongoing series and they aren’t finished just yet. The initial aim was to present Phil Collins quotes in new and unusual ways in order to try and exorcise him from my thoughts but now it seems I simply can’t help myself.
Today’s piece juxtaposes a post-workout Darth Vader with Phil’s quote about a public separation and hiding in hotel lobbies. I like the way Darth seems like he’s a bit fed up with it all and the quote could be about him. The internet was not very forthcoming about who Phil was actually speaking about in this quote and as he’s been married a few times it’s tricky to be sure.
Once you’ve liberally sprinkled a few pilfered logos in and adorned it with a spanky blue & white background then you’re good to go with another successful ‘No context required’ piece. It’s laser engraved on wood then hand painted and stands proud at 39 x 26cm. Drop us a line if you’re interested…
Cheers
id-iom
There I was having a flick through today’s print copy of Time Out and what do I find at the bottom of one of the first pages you come across? This little beauty. A nice little feature on some of the pop culture based subversions that we’ve been depositing in our local shops. Surely that means fame and fortune will be knocking on our door some time soon. Oh wait, who’s that ringing my bell….
No, it was just the neighbour demanding I turn the music down. I could barely hear him shouting over the smooth sounds of Nana Mouskouri. He really needs to calm down a bit.
Cheers
id-iom
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Filed under art, culture jamming, fake ad, funny, products, review, street art, subvertising
With the modest success of a few of our supermarket subversions recently my brain seems to have jumped onto the whole fake ad/culture jamming bandwagon and now it seems I can’t go to the shop without coming up with some new form of contrived nonsense. And today’s offering is a pretty good case in point.
A long time ago in a galaxy far away I was strutting the aisles of my local supermarket trying to locate something they undoubtedly didn’t have when my eye chances upon the full fat milk with the blue lid. And that was all I needed to connect blue and milk and come up with the blue milk from Star Wars called bantha milk. We even see Luke Skywalker pour himself a glass in Star Wars whilst he’s living with his aunt and uncle at their moisture farm in Tatooine.
That was all I needed in the way of a plan so went home and set to work. A couple of parsecs later and I had my label good to go – complete with interview with their sand person dairy farmer on Tatooine. All that was then required was a bottle of milk, some blue food dye and a fake price label and I was good to go.
I can already see the print and TV advertising that would go alongside this new miracle food with a tag line along the lines of “With a few glasses of semi-skimmed bantha in you a day you’ll be strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark in no time.” In fact, that’s given me an idea…
Cheers
id-iom
Filed under art, culture jamming, digital, fake ad, funny, Graffiti, products, street art, subvertising
Ding dong merrily on high, in heaven the tills are ringing! It’s a new day, we’re a step closer to Christmas and we’ve got even more stuff on Ebay…
Star Wars Episode 7: Vader’s Big Idea
Star Wars: Episode 6 – The Return of the Jedi saw Darth Vader die. Or did it? In fact, he lived on as a cloned version of himself and after retreating back to wherever it is Dark Lords of the Sith go to make their nefarious plans he’s back with a new approach to taking over the galaxy. In Episode 7 Vader’s back with a new shiny pimping costume and a decidedly different approach to galactic domination. Rather than an army of tough-guy clone troopers he’s decided to get himself an army made up of sexy stormtroopers (cloned from his own dead mother!) that he’s willing to hire out to whoever has the most intergalactic credits to pay. Expect to see cards similar to these in a phone box near you some time soon… It’s a single layer screen print on A3 paper and is signed on reverse. Here’s the Ebay link.
Tammy in a tank
This piece was inspired by a larger version we painted live at a small show we had a while back . It’s clearly a cat in a tank but her dark motives are obscured behind a cute fluffy visage but don’t be fooled. Surely the fact that she’s in a tank means her intentions aren’t entirely honourable. This is entirely made using the magic of stencils and spraypaint and is a glorious A2 in size. I for one welcome our new feline overlords… Here’s the Ebay link.
Cheers
id-iom
Filed under art, Demolition Sale!, Painting, products, screenprint, stencil
Someone got in touch with us asking if we’d done any Star Wars related imagery on the street for possible inclusion in a book on the topic. Since then I’ve watched ‘Revenge of the Sith‘ for the first time and was quite relieved after the horror of Jar Jar Binks that George Lucas can actually still make a decent film. So with renewed vigour and a little more faith in the whole Star Wars franchise I made a quick check of the id-iom archives and we managed to locate a few bits that could potentially be of use and then set to work putting them up and getting some snaps.
Nobody understands me
R2D2 has a problem. Nobody can really understand him. They all pretend they do just to keep him happy but his tweets and whistles are completely unintelligible and they only keep him round because he knows how to make a decent mojito…
Don't be a puppet for the Empire!
Graffiti on cardboard found in a clonetrooper training area on Kamino. Despite an intensive search the culprit was never found… The search continues.
Join the Empire and see the Galaxy
An enlistment/propaganda poster from the walls of a drinking establishment in Coruscant.
Galactic Foreign Policy
A cheeky bit of political graffiti from the mean streets of Tatooine. Stick it to the Man!
Cheers
id-iom
Filed under art, Cardboard, Graffiti, stencil, street art, Wheatpaste
We just got a mammoth load of stuff back from the framers so I thought I’d give it a little airing on the internet for your perusal. I think all pieces are up for sale if anyone is interested. Just let us know. First up we have DUCK! in a lovely little box frame. We haven’t had glass put on the wooden or slate bits as they are just so tactile and don’t really need to be hidden behind glass.
After thinking about Donald’s famously explosive temper i did a little research and found out that (amongst other things) that his birthday is Friday the 13th! Once i had found that little gem out the idea pretty much formed itself. This is most definitely a film i’d love to see made although i’m reckoning it will take a pretty big turn in Disney’s fortunes before they start pumping out the animated horror films…
Oh, if only id-iom worked for Disney!
Title: Disney’s DUCK!
Media: Hand-cut stencils and spraypaint on found wooden board
Size: 50 x 60cm
This time it’s Pinocchio that receives the id-iom treatment. I had thought ‘BLUE – A life in the movies’ to be a biopic of the life of Pinocchio charting his early rise to fame following the Blue Fairy bringing him to life, a tragic lost period in his late teens and his monumental return to (adult) movies following a minor bit of body modification at the hands of a highly skilled Italian woodcarver.
I’ve clearly got an overactive imagination as i had Pinocchio’s life all worked out…
After being a child star for Disney and enjoying all the trappings that would have come with it I imagined that Pinocchio would have had a few years of coke fuelled paranoia living in Hollywood whilst failing to get role after role as he was too typecast and the fact that “there isn’t all that much demand for sentient puppets anymore” – apart from maybe some seriously demeaning kid’s TV work. After a failed comeback on Big Brother or some similar reality TV show he’d slowly slip off the world’s media radar and spiral into a few years of failed relationships, drug abuse, debt and anonymity. Then, after a debauched weekend with an old friend they finally come up with what, even at the time, seems like a ridiculous and outlandish idea – that Pinocchio should take advantage of his old friend’s contacts, get a nose job and then start making some serious money again. He’s just desperate enough to give it a try and so one week after his return from Italy (where he’s been for surgery) he makes his triumphant come back to movies – this time of the pornographic variety. His rapid ascent to the zenith of the adult entertainment industry takes everyone by surprise and before he knows it he’s churning out porno’s at a prodigious rate and his star is once again in ascendancy. Before long he is a bonafide celebrity again and even Ron Jeremy concedes that he’s certainly ‘Got wood!’
I could keep going on and I’m sure i could actually come up with a decent script for this film (the visuals and adwork are clearly already done). I’d love it to be some kind of animatronic and/or animated tour de force. Basically i’m pretty sure it won’t be long till i’m working in Hollywood…
Keen eyed readers will (i’m sure) have immediately noted the use of part of the Electric Blue logo for the title of film (for those few uneducated readers that don’t know Electric Blue was a soft core porn show that was made in the UK and was shown on the Playboy channel in the 80′s) and therefore also the use of the Playboy bunny logo on Pinocchio’s top. The ‘Got wood?’ tagline was perhaps my favourite touch though as surely all the creatives in Hollywood couldn’t have come up with anything better for this film! As with DUCK! and Oswald the Unlucky Rabbit I would love to see this film get made…
Title: Disney’s ‘Blue – My life in the movies’ starring Pinocchio
Media: Hand cut stencils and spraypaint on found wooden board
Size: 57 cm x 21 cm
When i was growing up i think hide and seek used to be my favourite game (other than just generally destroying stuff). After looking it up on wikipedia it would appear that we used to play a variant of the original game and i’m pretty sure we used to call it ‘Buzz Off’ (although i only have my shaky memory to depend on for that!)
I’m determined to bring this game back as i’m convinced it will still be fun to play – especially if you have had a drink or two! I reckon that Health & Safety would probably have something to say about it although i definitely wouldn’t be the one to tell them…
Title: Ready or not, here i come!
Media: Screenprint, spraypaint and stencils
Size: 46 x 31 cm slate
I’m bored of trying to come up with pithy little comments to write to go along with our pictures.
No I’m not! I really quite enjoy it actually… I’m sure we’ve all become a little bored when we find ourselves in the unenviable position this young lady has managed to get herself into. Really, women these days what are they like? Mine barely knows how to tuck my microphone in properly!
Looking at this kind of thing can not only make you go blind but can also have you up before the Personnel department if you’re not careful whilst at work. I know because it happened to me. Happy viewing…
Title: I’m bored of vying for your love
Media: Ink, spray paint, newspaper, watercolour, glitter and paint pen
Size: A2 paper
There I was in Nanjing doing some work in my capacity as international archaeologist adventurer when i happened across an important archaeological artifact that sheds some light on Victorian international relations. It’s a small fragment of the original Treaty of Nanking that was presented to the Chinese by the British after the treaty was ratified by Queen Victoria and Doaguang Emperor in 1842. This was, of course, back when the British Empire was really something to behold and British foreign policy was perhaps a trifle more aggressive.
As befits my part-time international adventuring job (sadly it pays better than art) I hastened the fragment out of the country at the first opportunity from under the noses of the curious authorities (therein lies another tale for another time). Nonetheless it is an interesting curio with a certain historical value that should fetch a handsome sum from some museum or other. I believe Queen Victoria had thought it amusing to get the treaty ‘set in stone’ so they would get the message that little bit more clearly. I have had to censor this for public consumption however. How simply delightful all the same!
Title: Treaty of Nanking fragment
Media: Stencils and spraypaint on slate
Size: 24 x 50cm approx
First off, I realise a gorilla is not, strictly speaking, a monkey but I think you should get the message. I’ve had too many temp jobs in my time not to feel like this sometimes… In fact, quite a lot of the time!
Title: Office monkey
Media: Acrylic, spraypaint and marker pen
Size: A2 paper
What can i say about Martin? He looks adorable but his heart is black as jet! He just loves to kill alien scum with his high powered laser! What more could a boy want?
As a side note – glow in the dark paint this has been liberally used on this picture so the stars shine at night!
Title: Martin the Space Cadet
Media: Handcut stencils, spraypaint (including glow in the dark paint) and paint pen
Paper size: 59 x 31 cm
Type 2 Nation (US version)Like Su-Bo, Dibo’s will soon be everywhere. I was reading the other day that it is predicted that diabetes will affect half of all Americans by the end of the decade. Now that is going to be more than 150 million people and will annually cost around 10% (about $500 billion) of their entire healthcare budget. Now surely with all this over-eating and lack of exercise even their superheroes are eventually going to succumb. With this in mind I’ve depicted an overweight Superman (he can still just about fly though due to our sun that powers him) taking an overweight lady to the nearest hospital so she can be surgically removed from the telephone box in which she has accidentally been trapped.This is the new ehanced version of Type 2 Nation featuring some lovely clouds and a dose of glow in the dark paint emanating from the sun. We all know how Superman loves our yellow sun!
Name: Type 2 Nation – U.S version
Media: Stencils and spraypaint (including glow in the dark!) on slate
Size: 24 x 50cm approx
As with most of our pictures i would have a hard time explaining how or why they come into being.
Well, what can i tell you about this little number? It is a diptych, it is an experiment in colour (or lack of) and it is based on a picture of a Chinese girl. Beyond that it’s difficult to say. Perhaps I was listening to ‘Go West’ by the Pet Shop Boys and decided unconsciously to create a picture that was the antithesis of their lyrics. Perhaps I thought the girl in the original picture was mystifying and enigmatic and just needed to paint her. Perhaps I just wanted to get the paints out and get messy. Who could possibly say? Not me. Anyway, i’m just rambling on again – so it’s best I leave now and you can make up your own mind…
Title: Facing East (monochrome & polychrome)
Media: Acylic, ink, oil pastel, spraypaint, charcoal and paint pen
Size: A2
It can be quite fun painting pretty ladies and this was no exception. I’m not really sure (as ever) where the inspiration for these pieces comes from but it’s nice to stay busy. Who knows what’s next on the agenda…
Title: Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em
Media: Acylic, ink, spraypaint, charcoal and paint pen
Size: A2
War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again! – so sang Edwin Starr in 1970 on the anti-Vietnam song ‘War’ (which, i was interested to learn was originally recorded by The Temptations but not released as they didn’t want to alienate their more conservative fans). Whilst i have a lot of respect for our armed forces and the work they do it is generally political forces which dictate what they do and when – and this can sometimes lead to questionable decisions being made regarding their deployment. That’s all i really want to say on the issue as i think this piece largely speaks for itself…
Title: F*@k this for a game of soldiers
Media: Screenprint, acrylic, acrylic and spraypaint
Size: 46 x 30 cm
I knew i had this one nailed when my friend came up with the title. Little did he know it at the time (as he was talking about something else entirely) but he had just helped me put this one to bed. I love it when a plan comes together…
Title: She’s like a new wave heroin electronica tune on 12 inch vinyl limited edition
Media: Watercolour, pastel, ink and paint pen
Size: A2
I’m trying to work out where our motivation for certain pieces comes from and to be honest i’m not entirely sure. Our muse doesn’t really give explanations as to why we should do what we do so we just try to get on with it.
Title: Peek-a-Boo
Media: Acylic, ink, oil pastel, spraypaint and paint pen
Size: A2
Star Wars: Episode 6 – The Return of the Jedi saw Darth Vader die. Or did it? In fact, he lived on as a cloned version of himself and after retreating to wherever it is Dark Lords of the Sith go to make their nefarious plans he’s back with a new approach to taking over the galaxy.
In Episode 7 Vader’s back with a new shiny pimping costume and a decidedly different approach to galactic domination. Rather than an army of tough-guy clone troopers he’s decided to get himself an army made up of sexy stormtroopers (cloned from his own dead mother!) that he’s willing to hire out to whoever has the most intergalactic credits to pay. Expect to see cards similar to these in a phone box near you some time soon…
Cheers
id-iom
Title: Star Wars: Episode 7 – Vader’s Big Idea
Media: Screenprint and acrylic paint
Size: 10 x 15cm (postcard size)
Available from our Big Cartel store for £5
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Filed under art, funny, Graffiti, Painting, screenprint
This picture was done as a gift for a good friend. Wanna hear the story that inspired it?? Well, here it goes:
There I was with Old Ben just having a quiet drink in a scruffy South London boozer and minding my business when some foreign tough nut walks past and manages to knock the drink out of my hand. After saying something to me i couldn’t understand (I couldn’t even work out what language he was speaking) the man he was with comes over and says that his friend doesn’t like me. And that he doesn’t like me either.
I’m sure they were chatting nonsense but this guy reckons they were wanted men who were not to be trifled with so i promised him i’d be more careful. But that wasn’t enough and he has to go and escalate the situation by shouting death threats at me. At this point Old Ben steps in and tries to chill the situation by saying i’m not worth bothering with – but that isn’t enough for Mr Tough Guy. Realising what is going to happen next i try to move carefully back as things are just about to turn ugly. The rest, as they say, is history…
It’s all true. I swear it!
Cheers
id-iom
Title: Old Ben strikes again
Media: Screen print, watercolour, acrylic, ink and paint pen
Size: A3 paper
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Filed under art, funny, Painting, screenprint
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