Tag Archives: INSA

Street art Shoreditch, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, London Street Art, London street Art Tours, London mural festival, LMF20, INSA, Gifiti, Gif-iti, animation

INSA Animated Mural For London Mural Festival

Spraying walls was the name of the game throughout September for the London Mural Festival. Shoreditch Street Art Tours is going to bring you coverage of the highlights soon but first off, here is one of the absolute standouts, an animated wall by INSA.

Old school graff writer INSA has been creating “Gif-iti” walls on the Shoreditch streets since 2011.  The one which probably brought greatest recognition was cops perpetually chasing eachother in the Cycle of Endless Futility, a tour favourite from its creatiom in 2014 to its sad loss to mural adverts in 2018.

Street art Shoreditch, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, London Street Art, London street Art Tours, London mural festival, LMF20, INSA, Gifiti, Gif-iti, animation

The Cycle Of Futility, Redchurch St 2014

INSA’s contribution to London Mural Festival #LMF20 consists of 8 strips each with an animation frame, the images segue along the wall.  As a static painting this could almost be a contemporary stained glass window.

It comes alive with INSA’s Gif-iti viewer, you can download that HERE, or go to the App store on your Phone, search “INSA’s Gif-iti Viewer”.  Don’t worry this app is legit, not spam!   Point the viewer at the image above on another device and Bob’s your uncle, the image comes to life!

Street art Shoreditch, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, London Street Art, London street Art Tours, London mural festival, LMF20, INSA, Gifiti, Gif-iti, animation

INSA, London Mural Festival 2020

If you can’t recreate the effect, check out this recording made using the Gifiti Viewer in front of the wall.

The critical question with any piece of street art is what are we looking at, what does it mean?  What I am seeing is someone throwing something, the action looks reminiscent of a protester hurling a Molotov.  Could that tousled blonde mop be anyone other current UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson?   What is being thrown is something of a mash up between the stripes in a piece of toothpaste and…the old Tory party logo.  At time of writing the Tory party is having its annual conference – online.  There’s a Boris Riot going on.

You may see something different and INSA’s concept may be different from all our theories, that’s art.

Street art Shoreditch, Shoreditch Street Art Tours, London Street Art, London street Art Tours, London mural festival, LMF20, INSA, Gifiti, Gif-iti, animation virtual street art tour,

Tory Party Logo

You can also recreate The Cycle Of Futility experience pointing your viewer at the image above.

London Mural Festival turned out to be quite epic, stay tuned for further coverage in the near future on the Shoreditch Street Art Tours blog.

Links:

INSA website

INSA Gif-iti website

photos and video: Dave Stuart


Very Nearly Almost Issue 28 Features Shoreditch Street Artists

Issue 28 of the cool Street Art zine Very Nearly Almost comes out this week. Cover artist for Edition 28 is world reknown tattoo artist, graffiti writer, skater, Rebel8 Tee Shirt designer and all round cool dude Mike Giant. The limited edition version of this issue has just been previewed and looks tat-tastic. It’s not just a screen printed cover, it’s a “MIKE GIANT LTD EDITION SCREENPRINTED BOX SET” ..wooooooooo.

Mike Giant Limited Edition Box

Mike Giant Limited Edition Box

A refreshingly candid interview with Nick Walker doesn’t gloss over his wobble and fall from stardom’s elevator after the spectacular success of some of his work in Bonhams’ notorious 2008 auction (covered here on Graffoto).

London, Shoreditch, Street art, art, tattoos, interviews, Nick Walker,

Nick Walker, Shoreditch, 2007, photo NoLionsInEngland

VNA have managed to pull together every single member of Da Mental Vapors crew from France for a group interview. This must have been a high risk gambit, those in the know may recall what happened a few years ago when London’s then top street art crew gathered in a room at VNA’s invitation! Say no more.

The launch celebration couldn’t be held at a better place, we are looking forward to popping in to the Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia Road in Shoreditch. Nelly Duff is one of the most important galleries in the street art scene and one of our favourite London hang outs. Nelly Duff’s roster of artist includes primary and secondary market works from so many of our favourites including Aida,Banksy, Cept, Cyclops, D*Face, Dave The Chimp, Dr D, Elbow Toe, Gaia, Highraff, Jo Peel, Jorge Gerada,Mighty Mo, Miss Van, Pure Evil, Sweet Toof, Nick Walker….etc etc many of whom grace the walls of the Shoreditch Street Art Tours. Host Mr Cassius Duff has an extraordinary eye for enduring quality so if you need a gallery that has its finger on the pulse and does not make mistakes, you’ll find some great art in Nelly Duff’s gallery

In 2012 Nelly Duff hosted the grittiest and most compelling one night street art event for the past many years in a derelict car park under a council block, well worth checking out the photos and write up of Banger Art on Graffoto.   That sensational evening was the first time we came across the intricate, vintage looking illustrations of Dan Hillier, another artist with a great interview in VNA Issue 28.

Dan Hillier at Banger Art, 2012; photo NoLionsInEngland

Dan Hillier at Banger Art, 2012; photo NoLionsInEngland

The augmented reality Gif-iti work of INSA has been lighting up the Shoreditch Street Art Tour for the past month and it is great to see INSA discussing his past in the “Diggin In The Crates” feature where artists dig out their old photographs from the attic.  (In the Dan Hillier photo above, clock Will Barras, gripping subject of Issue 27’s “Diggin In The Crates” feature)

INSA: The Cycle Of Futility, Shoredoitch, 2014; photo NoLionsInEngland

INSA: The Cycle Of Futility, Shoredoitch, 2014; photo NoLionsInEngland

So, there is a great magazine packed full of great interviews, the chance of a very cool limited edition cover version, some superb art on display in a cool gallery and did we mention beer sponsored by Sixpoint Brewery?

 

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VNA28 featuring #MikeGiant / @giantrebel8 / @rebel8, pictures from #Birdman /@birdmanphotos AND #JamesSharrock @jamessharrock_photo, contributions from #NoWay / @omfgnoway, Damo / @damovna, t-world’s Eddie ‘Goddammit’ Zammit / @eddiezammit, new #GIFFITI from #INSA @insa_gram, artwork from #SMUG @smugone, #Nunca /@nunca_art, #DanHillier / @mrdanhillier, #NickWalker @apishangel, #AlexanderMitchell & Backwoods / @a_h_mitchell @backwoods_gallery, #ChadMuska / @themuska, Berlin’s #1UPcrew /@1up_crew_official, DMV (Da Mental Vapors) / @sowat_dmv @bomk_dmv @jaw_dmv @bruskdmv #INTI @inti_cl and images from the streets by Nadine Emans / @nemans, #ClaudeCrommelin, @hookedblog, #NoLionsInEngland 1XRUN’s Mike Popso and more!!!

All photos courtesy Very Nearly Almost mag except NoLionsInEngland where noted


INSA “The Cycle Of Futility”

Street artist INSA has explored the far off boundaries of technology with his latest hi-tech work in Shoreditch.

Source: Insa Tumblr

“The Cycle Of Futility” exploits Augmented Reality technology. You download a free App onto your iPhone, point the at the wall and the powers of augmented reality replace the static real-art on the walls with the whirling animated gif on your phone. Wow!

London, Street Art, Shoreditch Street Art, INSA, gif,animation,augmetned reality,

The Cycle Of Futility, INSA, 2014

The Cycle of Futility features the full spectrum of ages from life’s beginnings to skulls representing death while the in-between is represented by the unrelenting assault of authority. Perhaps we can take some pleasure from the fact that the police endlessly chase but never catch anything.

For more background and info, check the full report on Graffoto