How did RSCLS come about and the driving force behind the crew?
RSCLS was founded in 2007, to propagate random acts of artistic nonsense and mischief. Fast-forward to now, RSCLS is represented by ZERO, ANTZ, CLOGTWO, SHEEP, SKL0, TRASEONE, SPAZ, INKTEN, NEO, MIM, AND SHERYO, each an embodiment of a true rascal: a person who does something you disapprove of, but somehow you still like, even love.
We are driven by a lot of things, to sum it up: GET UP, GO BIG, AND NEVER GO HOME. People who insist that graffiti is dead in Singapore easily misconstrue these. It isn’t dead, but we do things differently. We’ve learned to just create our own opportunities, for ourselves and for other local and regional crews.
Tell us more about Solidarity 21? Was it intentional that it coincides with the whole ‘Pink Dot’ event.
Solidarity21 is an initiative by RSCLS to unite and establish graffiti and street art as a form of artistic practice in the region. On the surface it is a paint jam, however it is what that goes on during collaboration that really puts the value in the final production: that both crews are able to understand the nuances of both cultures, acknowledge the good points, and embrace their differences. We want to make the Southeast Asian graffiti and street art community massive and united. RSCLS is the artist, SOLIDARITY21 is the movement. And no, it wasn’t intentional to coincide with Pink Dot.
Were there any restrictions or problems leading up and during the event?
As with any undertaking where unique individuals work together, yes. This was the first time we did this and as a group being competitive against our own selves, we were determined to make things run better in the future. We were blessed to have the support of the government, family, and friends. There were minor hiccups, logistics mainly, but the real challenge was to get an army of rag tag individuals to run like a well-oiled machine. We did get around it eventually.
It was crazy working with KST, they were ‘hella’ fun but at the same time seriously dedicated. They have truly inspired us, not to sound too ‘fruity’, we do miss them a lot.
If there was anything we could ask for, we hoped more of our supporters would join the fun. Chalk it up to the down sides of social networking. In all honesty, we needed more than just keyboard supporters. That’s why we say, ‘without your support, we’ll do it anyway’. –Not to sound cocky, but just to declare our conviction.
Any events to look out for in the next quarter from the crew?
Definitely. The crew will be flying to Manila to get schooled by the KST boys and to hustle like everyone else–towards the end of July as the second half of the SG-PH exchange. We will be brewing something towards the end of the year, as well as an all-female graffiti and street art festival. We still don’t how to do it. But we will do it.
Tell us more about the KST crew? How it came about, the people behind it, etc. Any meaning behind ‘Katipunan’?
Long story short, KST got their name from the revolutionary crew that fought for the Philippines’ freedom during Spanish colonial times – the Katipunan. KST is a graffiti crew from the Philippines, established late 2006. Members include NUNO, DRONE, CHI, EKIS, KNOCKOUT, BULB, GRAVER, DARKO, KIDRAGON, PEEK, DIRTY, OKTO, EGG FIASCO, PAYTER, RESTOR, UNGGA, UDON, GNJR, and ZERO. Spread out across the globe, they’re starting their own revolution of graffiti dominance. “Katipunan”, roughly translated, means “crew” – united in graffiti, brothers in paint.
Any mixed emotions in ‘structured’ graffiti jams we have here and the spontaneous graffiti ‘bombings’ over in Manila.
None at all. We have graffiti jams in the Philippines as well. It’s all part of the healthy diet of graffiti. You can’t bomb all the spots you want, especially if it’s a huge wall with tough security. In these cases, there’s nothing wrong in doing it legally – just as long as you don’t make a habit out of it. Bombing is and will always still be the heart of graffiti. Getting-up is what it’s all about.
The term ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’, was this the case for Solidarity21 when so many talents converge together for a mural.
It depends. Like in any team sport, you can have as many superstars you want, but if their chemistry is non-existent, they can easily be crushed by a weaker, but more well-oiled team. In our case, graffiti productions are all about collaborations. We were lucky to be paired up with RSCLS – a crew that not only are technically-sound in their craft, but super chill and laid-back to work with. Productions are supposed to be fun, and the end product speaks for itself.
Words from SPAZ
Pictures, courtesy of RSCLS
Learn more about them on
www.facebook.com/RSCLS
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