Sunday 13 December 2009

'Beautiful Losers'.


This was recommended to me by friends, a film called Beautiful Losers which is a 2007 documentary feature film by director Aaron Rose and co-directed by Joshua Leonard. It was produced by Sidetrack Films. Actually a book before a film...


The film focuses on the careers and work of a collective group of artists who since the 1990s began a movement in the art world using D.I.Y, aesthetics from skateboarding, graffiti and underground music such as punk rock and hip-hop. The artists discussed and interviewed in the film include Cheryl Dunn, Shepard Fairey, Geoff McFetridge, Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Steven 'Espo' Powers, Aaron Rose, Ed Templeton.

The film, a series of interviews with these artists explains their reasoning behind their "do-it-yourself" style of street art. As some of these artists discuss their growth in popular artistic culture they explain how becoming renown and admired in the art world was something that never occurred to them from their various roots in street culture, or simply creating art for themselves. As many of the artists began to be recognizable and sought after they discuss their series of commercial success: creating advertisements for popular products, designing products themselves, working in film and being hired to paint and create artwork in well known locations. The personal feelings and convictions of some of the artists and how creating work for corporations compares to their beginnings in street culture is also discussed.


It was a really useful film to watch and made me think about the importance of working within your local community and a where you've come from, playing an important part within your work. 

Its very inspirational and also makes you think about how we as artists actually produce our work? I liked the idea of the artist saying that peoples thoughts are that you have to work in a certain way to make it as an artist, but that he doesn't he works as he did and has fun as a child would do. He comments on how there is no point forcing work, you just let something happen. Nothing you can do is wrong, it just progresses. This is something that lays heavy in my mind, as it's something that I do think about a lot.

It is a film that I feel I will watch many a times, for every reason, inspiration, innovation and to relax myself about where my future lies within the design world.

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