Didi interview
Recently Yorkshire Junkies had the opportunity to chat with one of Sheffield's well known artists, Rocket. Now we get another in-depth look into life within the Sheffield graffiti scene, this time from one of Steel City's most prominent female artists, DiDi. This is what she had to say...
As you've no doubt gathered from us chatting, I'm not your stereotypical graffiti artist. I'm a wife, mother and school governor.
And i'm a writer.
What drew you into the whole graffiti world?
I've always drawn, although it wasn't till 7 or so years ago that it changed from being something I'd just do for the kids or mates.
When I was young, graffiti was something that was outside my own world, it felt dangerous. It had a bit of a sinister feel to it.
Life in my early teens, things were really different, we're talking the late 70's here. A time of outrage, social injustice and change; the beginning of the end in my opinion. Things were pretty grey - Thatcher's England and all that. Graffiti mirrored it; harsh, stark and without colour.
But it grabbed me because of this. I can remember sitting on the train pulling into St Pancras - it always slows down to a snails pace, craning my neck to get a better look at these 4 foot high words all along the walls. They'd be on any available wall - the most inaccessible places would still carry someone's words. And these words expressed feelings, or someone's outrage. Someone felt so outraged they had risked spraying it where people could see - it gave them a voice.
A voice was something I never felt I had to be honest. I told you that I went to public school and a bit about what it was like there for me. Every second was purgatory. Well that place took away any confidence I had in my drawing or creativity and for a bit I believed their opinion. I didn't look too much at graffiti or anything artistic - looking back I think that I was in a sort of denial and felt my opinion didn't count. Actually it was like rubbing salt in the wound - who was I kidding that I wasn't interested?
What made you transform from the drawings to actually going out and painting?
It stayed like that for a while actually - quite a long while. Then fate took a hand and I was knocked off a motorbike by an old bugger on Fathers Day 1993.
I don't want to play down the seriousness of the injuries or how horrific it was, but hand on heart, i'm truly glad it happened. By rights I shouldn't even be here. I have had to have shit loads of treatment. The pain at times has been unbearable, and still can be if i'm honest, but it stopped me in my tracks and made me look long and hard at myself. It has changed everything.
It made me start to paint.
First as something to keep myself sane. Then as a substitute for dancing. I'm a Drum & Bass head, a serious Drum & Bass head [laughs].
When it got to the stage that I was on 2 crutches all the time and dancing wasn't an option, i'd take my watercolours and paper into clubs and paint what I saw, heard and felt. I'd paint at 180BPM. Drum & Bass tempo. And people liked it.
Then I met a writer called Such.
And I picked up a can.
It's typical that my involvement with the scene is a bit back to front because it was only then that the people behind the pieces came to life. Mist, Oner, Inch, Des/Such and Kelzo.
They inspired me. I loved the crisp lines and fresh colours. This was different to those pieces I'd seen as a kid; there was an edge to them but the development of the paint especially in the scope of available colours meant that they'd become more sophisticated and complex, adding depth to the message.
Initially I'd paint in the North East on canvases or plywood or anything portable really at free parties. As I wasn't too confident I'd try to copy others style and at every available opportunity I'd check back with Such. It was him really that encouraged me to go my own way. So I did.
It was about this time that I found Rocket's work. Now that man has something else I think. His pieces have a sensitivity and luminance that took my breath away, still do actually. How anyone can say his work is vandalism is beyond me - the man is a genius in my opinion.
Do you feel your work is looked at in a different light due to you being female?
As a female writer in a male dominated scene, i've had nothing but encouragement. I like these people. Obviously, there can be the boy/girl thing going on initially but that's only to be expected I think - it's nature, but I've never had a problem getting through that. I'm not sure why more girls don't paint to be honest, maybe it's because you have to get out there to get your work up, and apart from a few legal walls, you're painting in quite inhospitable places and painting quickly, there's not much time to fiddle about with it. I don't think the nature of graffiti is attractive to females on the whole. It's not small art if that makes sense. It's more physical, using your shoulders rather than your wrists - and it's dirty. You don't wear your high heels out painting; it's not glamorous [laughs].
If I'm honest, I know that being female has it's advantages. It's still unusual to see a girl painting and that attracts attention, your work gets noticed because of that as well as because of the actual content.
Do you have any favourite spots to paint?
I like to paint full stop, but my favourite spots are in old disused industrial places. Ones that no-one cares about anymore. It's like you're giving them life again. I love the contrast between crumbling concrete and rusting fixings and the colour we add. In the decay and neglect of obsolete industry, graffiti somehow gives dignity to these places. Respect to the workers [smile].
They also have interesting textures to paint on; the different contours & compositions make the paint behave differently. I suppose i'm saying that I understand those prehistoric wall painters - except we work on concrete rather than rock.
Do you feel the Internet is taking away the whole "underground" feel away from the scene?
The internet is fundamentally important in my opinion in that it has given us access to each others work. A worldwide gallery. I think it's accelerated the development of styles and expanded the whole concept of what's considered graffiti and what isn't. Boundaries are being pushed all the time - you only have to look at Daim's work to see it in progress. Me? I love it, it's allowed writers to hook up regardless of location - the camaraderie and support blows me away - something that is so lacking in today's world I think.
And what about if you could channge something for the scene? What would it be?
If I could change one thing bout the scene? The preconceptions and prejudices that are held about writers for one. Actually, prejudice and preconception in general. I think you should makeup your own mind about things not follow what others think. I'd like to lose the narrow mindedness that stops this being accepted as art, ok I accept that painting inconsiderately isn't on really but come on, an old ugly unwanted building? The fact that you?re breaking the law is ridiculous; it's not hurting anyone is it? It's not breaking a human law now is it? All that energy and money could be put to better uses in my opinion like stopping the madness in the streets.
Any advice for people reading this who want to start painting?
I'd say to anyone wanting to paint or thinking about it - just do it! There isn't a right or wrong way - you got something to say, say it. But use your brains, you want to be able to paint and to do so you got to stay out of the attention of the establishment because the establishment doesn't seem to have any joy in it's heart. Common sense doesn't prevail in the establishment so you got to stay cute - and paint for the love of it, the feeling of accomplishment; you know what I'm talking about.
Good words. What do you have planned for the future? Are you concentrating on commissions?
I'm hoping to carry on doing what I'm doing to be honest and that the commissions keep coming in [laughs]. And i've found that I like painting with other writers, pooling ideas and learning from them. Look out for a Rocket/DiDi piece as soon as we got time to hook up, i'm honoured.
I paint canvases during Drum & Bass nights, Subdub & Transmission in Leeds are awesome. It's a privilege to be able to paint there. I hope i'm always a part of Drum & Bass, it touches my soul. I actually feel like i'm a bit like a chronicler, recording the vibe for those who aren't fortunate enough to experience it for themselves - there's something special happening there, you only have to see the 'Steppa effect'. Put DJ Steppa behind those decks, people expand; they're energised with positivity, that's what I try to paint. Positivity.
Didi - Sheffield April 2007.