Aap! - Alternative Advertising Possibilities

Aap!Global is a big fan of street art. Spencer Eakin takes great pictures of graffiti, street art and other items around the world.

Today we spoke to Spencer on Art, Street Art, Advertising, Global Differences and More… Read the interview below:

Aap: Tell us who you are
Spencer: I am married, vegetarian, a skateboarder, straight edge & part time traveler. I take photos as a hobby and do not leave home without my camera.

Aap: You stated in your email to me : “As a graffiti artist I always tried to get spots that were never done before, but get seen everyday.”
Why were you interested in being seen?
Most (but not all) youth experiment with alchohol, drugs and/or smoking. I had three vices: Skateboarding, Music & Graffiti.

Do you still tag?
No

Why did you switch to shooting pictures of tags?
Just to clearify. A tag is just quickly writing ones name. I take photos of graffiti. If somebody writes their name on a mailbox, that is a tag. If another person fills a packpack full of cans and sneaks out to the local freight train lay up, they are going to do a piece.

Where was the motivation as an artist/graffiti tagger coming from?
As a young teen I watch the film Style Wars on PBS and was hooked.

What do you think the similarities between graffiti around the world is?
Kids just want to create & express themselves thru vandalism. The street is thier canvas. There is also the thrill of not getting caught.

Is the motivation for tagging the same in the States as in Europe as in Japan as in elsewhere?
I believe it is. There is different styles, but is the same.

What made you want to track all the Space Invaders? Just for fun?
I first noticed Space Invaders in Tokyo in mid 2001 and started taking photos of them. The first one I saw and took a photo of was gone a week later. That is what hooked me on capturing them before they were gone. Then I came back to Los Angeles and started noticing them here. About two years ago, somebody started going around Los Angeles destroying them. Once I realized that was happening, I went out of my have to find as many as I could before they were gone. Since then I have been back to Japan many times to visit family and spot more of the Tokyo Space Invaders. I have also been to Paris where Space Invader is based.

Who are you favorite street artists?
How long do you have? TWIST, QP, Phil Frost, Kami, Sasu, Space Invader, Revs, Esow, JR, Banksy, Duece Seven, Daim, Colossus of Roads, Revok, The London Police, Mers, Matokie Slaughter, Delta, TheMac, Fafi, Pars Kid, Bigfoot, Zedz, Nylon, Plantrees, D*Face, Os Gemeos, Kress, Revok, Eine, Espo, Giant One, ZYS, Mode2, Jace, Broke and many others.

Do you think Street Art has evolved with the Internet?
It has in the sense that brought street art to people aren’t living in the midst of it.

With the ability for the internet and pictures to serve as a medium for critique?
This is good and bad. I find that if a person has beef with a certian artist, they will go around sites like FLICKR bashing the artist in the comment sections. The good thing, artists are able to trade info and hook each other up when traveling. It is also a safe place for people to look at street art.

What do you think about the intersection between art, graffiti and commercialism?
With art and commercialism I do not have a problem with any of it. With graffiti and other forms for street art, I do. It is because it is ours.

You told me you’re working on a book - do you have a preview to share?
Unfortunately I do not. It is too early in the process. The book will be about street art.

What do you think of the branding of taggers - like Banksy, Colossus of Roads, etc?
Do you mean calling these artists taggers? I think calling Banksy and Colossus of Roads taggers is wrong. This is there life. Banksy is thought provoking and political. Colossus of Roads is a retired railroad employee (I believe he is in his 60’s) with at least 10,000 freight trains to his credit. Each of which has different statement underneath his classic moniker.

Thanks Spencer.

I am off to see an old friend and go benching. Benching is a term used for going and watch freight trains go by while sitting on a bench and looking at the graffiti. Hard to do here is So Cal. We actually walk the line of parked freights.

See more of Spencer’s Photos

Outside of our office is a beautiful massive 40 floor wall scape that was just waiting to be covered with artwork. Using common vintage overhead projectors, a set of EVD 400V lamps, and artwork transparencies we were able to project large format graphics to create a fun, professional wall scape.

Want to see it person - visit the corner of Kearny / Pine in San Francisco on week nights.

Aap!Steps - Escalator Step Advertising featured in Adrants.

Read the coverage

Up Against It is a public art competition. The winning entry will be seen by up to 2,000 commuters daily on a wall over 60m2. The competition is open to all types of creative and artistic expression. The entries will be judged on your response to the words “Closer than you think”.

How to enter:

1. Go to www.upagainstit.com to find out more.
2. Click ‘Enter the Competition’ and download the wall template, this is a guide for laying out your design.
3. Fill in the online application and upload your entry, alternatively send you artwork with the application form to: Up Against It, c/o Raw Nerve, B209 Faircharm Studios, Creekside, London SE8 3DX
4. Tell everyone you know to vote for you (every vote counts).
5. The top 20 entries voted by the public will then be judged by an influential panel of artists and designers. The winning entry will be displayed on the ‘Up Against It’ wall in Deptford, London.

Aap!Steps provide advertisers the opportunity to brand existing escalator steps without structural or machine modification.

(San Francisco - California) - Aap!Global- an alternative advertising technology developer today announced the launch of Aap!Steps, a new innovative media solution that allows advertisers and marketers to apply graphics directly to existing escalator steps without the need for machine or structure replacement or modification.

Product director for Aap!Global, Robert Patterson notes, “Aap!Steps, helps our company solidify our position as a leader in ambient media, offering advertisers unique, targeted engagements with individuals - more importantly it extends creative canvas for artwork, branding and other media.�?

Aap!Steps extends Aap!Global’s product offerings for branding escalators from handrails, banisters, side panels to now also include steps. The product offers high resolution, scrolling art work that can be enjoyed from afar or close-up.

Aap!Steps can be installed on common grooved escalator steps without structural adjustment or machine alteration. Aap!Global has developed a unique patent pending application system to speed installation - Daizo Taiko, an Aap!Global installer after an installation in Fukuoka noted, “The application process is simple and easy - its amazing that we can place the artwork in less than 2 minutes per standard step.�?

Developed after months of trials, Aap!Global uses custom composited adhesive technologies, unique high resolution print technologies and eco-friendly materials and installation procedures. The product features anti-static, anti-graffiti and anti-slip qualities to improve escalator safety and rider enjoyment.

Chris Seta of Aap!Global notes “We’re excited to launch this product on a global scale. Without the need of replacing existing steps, this makes a perfect addition to Aap!Rails and our line of other escalator handrail advertising products. We’re looking forward to global distribution of this product through our current and future media partners.�?

About Aap!Global
Aap!Global specializes in creating and managing high recall, high impact advertising spaces worldwide. Some of its patented advertising platforms include MetroVISTA - subway tunnel advertising, Aap!Rails - Escalator Handrail Advertising, Aap!Stripes - Floor Graphic Technology, Aap!Steps - Escalator Step Advertising, Aap!Motion - Pedestrian Motion Panels and a variety of other out-of-home, internet and mobile technologies that help client brands reach consumers in relevant, surprising and unconventional ways.

Aap!Global is a division of the Aedeas Group - a global concept development firm.

Aap!Global is presenting @ Pecha Kucha - San Francisco August 29th on the topic of Legal Graffiti and New Media!

Come meet with us and others to talk about design, art, entrepreneurship and innovation.

New to Pecha Kucha?

Pecha Kucha (pronounced peh-chak-cha) was started in Tokyo, Japan in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture, as a way to attract people to SuperDeluxe, an event space they had set up in Roppongi.

A Pecha Kucha night is an event format in which presenters show a slideshow of 20 images, each of which is shown for 20 seconds — giving a total presentation time of 6 minutes 40 seconds. Each event usually has 14 presenters. Presenters (and much of the audience) are usually from the design, architecture, photography, art and creative fields.

The event format has been replicated in 42 other cities, including New York, London, Mexico City and Shanghai. Events are usually limited to one each month per city.

More info @ http://www.pecha-kucha.org/

Our Venezuelan partners, Kinetic Solutions, the premier alternative out of home media company in the region shared with us their successful implementation of a campaign using parking stripe advertising.

We’re please to announce that in the coming months we’re launching in a new market with our Venezuelan friends and partners - Kinetic Solutions.

From MetroVISTA to Aap!Motion we’re expanding our reach in South America by partnering with Venezuela’s premier alternative out of home media company serving some of South America’s largest media buyers!

Look for our work around the region!

We welcome continued coverage on the Sao Paulo Billboard Ban and the effect it has on out of home media. The balanced video covers the topic from multiple angles.

“São Paulo’s conservative Mayor, Gilberto Kassab, put into effect the “Clean City Law” this month, outlawing nearly all forms of outdoor advertising. Interviews with lead singer of Brazilian band, Nação Zumbi, Mayor Kassab, city officials, and advertising industry.”

Read more Winners and Losers in the Sao Paulo Billboard Ban

We’ve very excited about a new set of post print technologies we hope to apply across our film technologies.

Take a look at our new upcoming anti-graffiti treatment that enables markings whether by permanent marker, paint, dirt, oil, or grease to be easily wiped off.

Perfect for Aap!Stripes, Aap!Rails and other high performance, outdoor media.