October 1, 2004

{ Wear It With Pride - Unplugged }

Expanding on their original concept of limited edition hand-drawn pin-badges, the boys at Wear It With Pride cooked up the Unplugged project- offering up not only one-of-a-kind pin designs, but also original hand drawn artwork from 14 different pervasive artists all tossed into a unique gallery setting. (Take a look at the pics from the reception night linked below to see just exactly how much fun those of us who couldn't make it missed out on.) The show will be up throughout October, housed in the ultra-hip DreamBagsJaguarShoes Gallery (see links for more info on this incredible space.) WIWP is donating a big chunk of the proceeds made from the sale of the artwork to Cancer Research- as if owning an entirely original piece from one of these super-talented artists and designers weren't incentive enough already to want to pick one up, you'll also be supporting an entirely worthwhile cause. They've even made the work available online (again, see below.) The roster of participating artists reads like a Who's Who of emerging and established art and design talents- Dalek, Scary Girl, Tado, Michael Gillette, Insect, Jon Burgerman (whose piece is pictured here), Nu Design, hellobard, The Null, Devilrobots, Anarkitty, The Boy Fitz Hammond, Fons Schiedon, Sick Boy, Sweden Graphics and Yuck. I fired off a few brief questions to WIWP's Darren Firth, concerning the Unplugged project and future plans.... 1. Have you got any product left that will make its way to the online store? All the artwork is now online (see below.) Some biggies have gone already, but some real peaches are still up for grabs!!! So whoever has the spare cash, will be a lucky monkey :-) 2. I know that the badges created for the show were all limited release, but do you have any plans to offer unlimited release badges for participating artists, either now or down the road? All the badges from the unplugged event will be purely one-offs, never to be seen again...that was the point of the exhibition and we're gonna keep it that way. We wanted to create non-mass-produced goods and make them collectable- producing affordable collectable art for those that may not be able to manage the higher end stuff, like me. (And u can wear it. And show the world. How cool is that????) Each pin-badge comes with a signed backing card, just to stamp that collectability a bit further!!!! There will be events in the future where we�re doing essentially the same thing, so more pins will be on the way at some point, but these particular designs were produced only once!!! 3. Exactly how much drink got drunk at this little shindig? A lot :-) Probably by myself and my fellow Sambuki's (new business venture.) But we made a deal with the venue, that if we made a certain amount behind the bar, then we could have the venue for free. By the warm response and kind words we received from the owners afterwards, I think its safe to say we met that and indeed exceed it!!! We�re invited back anytime apparently :-P 4. With Unplugged coming off so well, what's next for WIWP? LOTS AND LOTS. We are currently updating the back-end system. A new name is on the way (well, kinda.) New url, new logo, new sections- including a shop where artists can sell all their bits, from home made plushes to doodles on pizza boxes, artists will be able to post news items. Some other stuff too, I�m sure. As for events, there will be another Unplugged event next year, but I also have a few ideas for exhibitions on a smaller scale before then!! I just need to recover from this one first :-) As always, we're thankful to Wear It With Pride for their continued support of pervasive artwork, their tireless efforts to promote quality art and design, and their unique DIY approach to business. Their success is an inspiration, and they've never let it go to their heads. I raise my glass to them. (Actually, it's a slightly warm 40 oz, but it's the thought that counts.)

     » Online Gallery, Original Pieces Still Available!
     » See pics of the show
     » Wear It With Pride Main Page
     » DreamBagsJaguarShoes Gallery

By Adam in Art | Comments:

Comments

That Darren guy is a little weird...but generally nice.

I hear he's a designer of some sort?

Posted by: Brandon Gheen at October 1, 2004 5:37 PM

Darren authors the most entertaining piss-take e-mails I've ever recieved. He's a bit modest about his art (I think he works mostly in crayon on butcher paper?) but we've been attempting to pin him down for an interview lately, so we can finally sort this out. I'd like to title the interview "Firth Things First", and yes, there will be a picture of a llama involved.

Posted by: Adam at October 1, 2004 6:02 PM