disco

under
world

issue #3
january 2009
 NEW YEAR www.discounderworld.com. issue #3 contents. page 3
NEW FUNCTIONS:
f Table of contents, lets you
navigate which pages to read.

f Print publication. Prints one

page to an A4 page. We have put a
PDF on the web site which prints
two to a page, so you get the
double page spreads and save
paper. Best to get it off there.

f Full screen mode, makes

the publication full The Be Seen Zine
size, so the magazine Page 45 page 72 Cover Story:
looks fantastic and is so Robert Charles page 12
easy to read.

Arrows let you turn the page. You In this

f can also use the outside corners

issue:
of each page or the table of
contents.

Agnieszka Parr page 27

Slimeface: page 52

$1,000,000

f Tell a friend: helps you share the

love and let others know about our
awesome offering.
...
What is the definition of art? t o watch
page 38 web sites
uiz/
s space/q
/ m ike’
f Download as a PDF, so you can
read it on the screen, offline.

w h o w on la
s t m onth’
s po l l

Search, lets you search the like:

more
f publication for key words that
interest you. plus
l o t s
 www.discounderworld.com. direct address. page 5

Welcome to
disco
{if you are
seeing this,
W

elcome to a New Year
and a new issue of
disco underworld! We are very
excited about the upcoming year,
Explore. Experience. Evolve. sums
up the things we think are most
important in living the fullest
possible life: Explore your
surroundings, Experience
under
and all the possibilities it holds, and
it’s because a we hope you are all in the same different ideas and ways of thinking,

world video has yet frame of mind, wherever in the
world you may be!
to load}
issue #3 We are welcoming in the New Year,
Have patience my dear. by remembering our philosophy of
Explore. Experience. Evolve.
disco underworld was conceived
as a way to meet people from all
around the world and the things
they love to do, even when we can’t
travel the earth and meet them in
My first attempt at the above video. person.
Titled: The reason why sometimes it is best to work
disco underworld is published by
from the office. Online Insight Limited © copyright
2008. We welcome you sharing the
information in these pages, but
copyright laws apply for
reproducing or using any images or
articles. Contact us for
permission to reproduce:
Editor: Stacey Childs
stacey@discounderworld.com
Sub Editor: Tessa Prebble
and use these to Evolve into the
best possible version of yourself.
This year we will be bringing you a
wide variety of people from all over
the world, starting with this issue,
where we have interviewed four
awesome people, from all walks of
life.
We have also looked into the
definition of art, and the different
ways people of varying backgrounds
describe and define the word. The
result of our probing starts on page
39 and continues on page 81.
Enjoy this issue and Yaye! to
another year!
Stacey Childs

Why {if you are

sometimes it seeing this, Coming up in the next few
is best to it’s because a pages:
video has yet
work from Join our newsletter: email
to load} Web sites to watch
the office. stacey@discounderworld.com
Have patience my dear.
Cover Story: Robert Charles

Quiz

Tessa Prebble
tessa.prebble@gmail.com
Robert Charles
rjc.charlie@gmail.com
Hinemoana Baker
www.hinemoana.clear.net.nz
hinemoana@clear..net.nz
Teresia Teaiwa
teaiwa@xtra.co.nz
Agnieszka Parr
www.mouseonaleash.blogspot
slashdotmad@gmail.com
Leon Green
leongreen1981@gmail.com
http://leongreen.freehostia.
com/photo.html
Our contributors are
where you are.
And if they’re not, then they
should be!
Get in touch if you have
something to contribute to
disco underworld.
Contact Stacey:
stacey@discounderworld.com.
She’s in New Zealand, but oh, the
marvels of the internet...
Mike Woodruff
www.mutinouswombats.blog-
spot.com
Faaiza Munif
www.faaiza.deviantart.com
faaiza_munif@hotmail.com
Sarawut Chutiwongpeti
www.chutiwongpeti.info
utopia1998@gmail.com
Eleanor Gannon
www.jelphoto.co.nz
eleanor@jelphoto.co.nz
Marissa Ramlu
mariss_r@hotmail.com
 www.discounderworld.com. web sites to watch. page 9

YouTube

Web
We know YouTube isn’t a
{if you are very new web site to watch,

sites
but we just had to tell you
seeing this, about a series of ads on
it’s because a
to
there by Kiwi vodka
video has yet {if you are
42
producing company 42 below.

watch to load} seeing this,

Watch this one, titled “cow”,

below it’s because

visit YouTube and type in “42
Have patience my dear. below” to see more, the old
a video has
ones from the days when P.C.
just stood for Personal video yet to load}
Computer, are sure to make
you laugh, but the newer Have patience my dear.
ones, such as “cow”,
“prime minister” and “invisible
www.jpgmag.com ticket” are still a crack up!
yo ne
Ever
Pretty much the new addiction of our editor, jpg is a
magazine community for photographers, and people For
pretending to be photographers (like Stacey). 100 times
better than Flickr, it is interactive, and has a real community
feel. All photographs uploaded have the chance to be
published in their print magazine, as decided by the www.crowdspring.com
community. Built to connect designers and small businesses seeking
anything from logo design through to complete publication
Check out Stacey’s page, (please give her some votes and design. Crowd Spring lets small businesses commission design
props to make her feel good) and make your own: projects, and designers have a crack at earning some $$.
www.jpgmag.com/people/discounderworld For D
esign
For P ers a
hotog nd Sm
raphe all Busin
rs an esses
d Wan
nabes

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S W A Y !
HI
V E S T
SEL
Y O U R
DIRECT
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We did ask a couple of liquor
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1) For how many 2) If I was to say 3) If you were to
years had the moon sex would you say: walk in the
risen and the sun (Gender) opening ceremony
set on your face? of the Olympic
(Age) Male games, what
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Female you be walking
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i.e. at home, at work...
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8) What do you like the least?
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 www.discounderworld.com. charlie. page 13

R
obert Charles

Words by Stacey Childs

Robert Charles (or Charlie as he prefers to be called), has been

taking photographs for years. He started in high school, and has
just recently finished a degree focused in photography. For the
past two years, he has also been working part time for a
newspaper, and says he loves the spontaneity and immediacy of
shooting for the media. “I love the pressure of having one chance
at nailing the shot.”

On the next few pages is the story of a project Charlie did for
university, investigating the idea of graffiti as an art form.
 “Because graffiti is obviously illegal if
unauthorized, the space that was used
for the piece had to be approved.”

T
o ensure the project was
legal, Charlie had to find
a wall that could be approved
for use in the photo shoot. The
wall needed to be plain brick
that was not too porous, and
for safety reasons, it also
needed to be away from public
eyes.
Charlie rang around demolition
companies, asking if they had
any buildings that were going
to be knocked down that could
be approved for graffiti. After a
number of rejections a
company offered a wall and the
project had a location.
 www.discounderworld.com. charlie. page 19

“Getting a graffiti artist willing

to be interviewed and
photographed, was more
challenging”, says Charlie.

“I tried everything: friends and

school peers who might know
of any possible tiny lead that I
could follow up; graffiti removal
companies; graffiti artists who
had appeared on gallery walls;
people commissioned by the
council. Everything.”

Every lead seemed promising

until he tried to make contact
with the artists.
“Whenever I contacted an
artist, they would get scared
off or simply ignore my calls
and texts,” he explains. “This
part of the process was the
most frustrating and probably
the most overlooked in my
planning.”

“No artist = no
photographs and a waste
of three months of
researching.”
 www.discounderworld.com. charlie. page 21

Then a colleague and friend led

him to “dFRESH”, who promptly
agreed to be interviewed and
photographed.

“dFRESH” is a break dancer slash

graffiti artist who has grown
up in the culture of both. He
agreed to be photographed and
interviewed because he is not
heavily involved with graffiti
any more (meaning he wasn’t
on the police wanted list).

Charlie interviewed him for over

two and a half hours, during
which he told Charlie about
every element of graffiti and his
involvement with it. He also
explained to Charlie the
difference between graffiti and
tagging.

Coming up in the next few

pages:

Quiz

Opportunity Navigator

Agnieszka Parr
 t e n t i o n s
a r t i s t s in
G r a f fit i
e f a cin g .
r e i n t o d
p r e s s i o n.” - - d F R E SH
T a g g e r sa r e a t i v e ex
“ r s o n a lc
e
are for p

“Tagging is the infant stage of

graffiti. These kids never aspire
to be artists. Their credibility
isn’t based on their ability, it’s
about being seen and claiming
turf: they do the same tag for
years and years. Taggers are
into defacing.”

“Graffiti artists intentions are for

personal creative expression,
with the hopes of admiration.
It’s not about defacing, it’s
about beautification. The more
complex, the more creative and
artistic the piece is, the more
respect and credibility the
artist has. The process is 100
times more intricate than
buying a canvas on frame and
sitting it at home and working
on it as you feel fit.”

-- dFRESH
Charlie has put together
an audio sound slide
from his interview with
dialogue and images
of “dFRESH”. You can
watch it here.

If you think Charlie

deserves a place in The Gold
Edition, and a shot at the
$500, please click here, and
send us an email with his
name in the subject line.

If you don’t want to be

added to our newsletter,
please put “pass” after his
name.

Only one vote will count per

email.
 www.discounderworld.com. Agnieszka Parr. page 27

p p o r t u n i t y N a v i gator
O

If you or someone you know has a unique story to tell,

get in touch with us, we may be interested in
Agnieszka
telling the story in an issue of disco underworld.
Email stacey@discounderworld.com for more information. Parr
If you are an artist who would like to gain exposure
for your work, you can be included in The Be Seen Zine. Words by Stacey Childs
See page 72 to enter.

Maybe you think you could design our front cover?

Read more on page 80.

an ev en t or op po rt un it y to promote to
If you have
pe op le , co nt ac t st ac ey @discounderworld.com
1000’s of
ou t ho w to pr om ot e it in the pages of disco.
to find

Quick Quiz: 5) Who was the first European

1) What does a woman raise
and hold up in a Pabana?
2) In the film “Pulp Fiction”
Vince Vega and Mia Wallace win
the dance contest by twisting
to which Chuck Berry song?
3) Who had “the face that
launched a thousand ships”?
4) Which record was set when
a vulture was sucked into a jet
engine at 11,500m?
known to have encountered the
cacao plant?
Agnieszka Parr spent the
Answers on page 80. first 23 years of her life
in Poland, and the first 12
of those, like most of the
rest of Eastern Europe,
Coming up in the next few were spent shut away from
the world behind the Berlin
pages:
Wall.
Agnieszka Parr She is now calls New
Zealand home.
What is the defintion of art?
I can see Fiji
“I always had a thing for tables made from
old Singer sewing machines. My grandma
had a Singer and luckily I found one of those
in somebody's garage a few years back. I
dragged it home and restored it. The table
top was covered with several layers of
pastel coloured enamel. I discovered there
was beautiful maple under all the muck,
de-rusted and re-painted the metal parts,
and took off all the unnecessary parts. The
moment of panic came when all the bits
lying on my garage floor were ready to be
reassembled. Somehow I put it back
together without having any parts left over.
Now it is my computer table, part of my
working space and it looks gorgeous.
Funny thing, everyone who sits at the
computer for longer than five minutes,
starts playing with the big sewing pedal
with their feet. It's weirdly relaxing.”
 www.discounderworld.com. Agnieszka Parr. page
“We went from
queuing in
near-empty shops
with food
coupons and
Russian art house
cinema to Barbie
dolls and Playboy
overnight.”
A
gnieszka experienced
the massive
transformation in Poland after
the Berlin wall came down in
1989.
“I was twelve when the Berlin
Wall crumbled to pieces. We
went from queuing in
near-empty shops with food
coupons and Russian art house
cinema, to Barbie dolls and
Playboy overnight.”
She now lives in Christchurch,
and works as a graphic design
tutor, illustrator, freelancer and
mother.
31
“I moved to New Zealand eight
years ago. My whole life was
packed inside the 25kg
luggage limit, I had to start
from scratch. I decided to
finally go with what I really
wanted to do, so I started a
foundation course in arts and
design.”
Poland had nurtured her artistic
interests, but didn’t offer art
and design as a career option.
“Poland has a long history of
brilliant poster designers. The
work is everywhere, right there
on the street. Books I read as a
child were beautifully
illustrated; book jackets were
works of art. I drew, wrote, and
spent way too many hours in
my darkroom, but going to art
school was out of the question.
It wasn’t considered a ‘proper
career’ in my family, just a nice
hobby.”
 www.discounderworld.com. Agnieszka Parr. page 33

In Poland, Agnieszka had begun

“I find studying to become an English
day-to-day teacher. Halfway through her
BA, (to her family's horror) she
life spat the dummy and took a
much year off. During that time she
found part-time work in a
less publishing company and would
find any excuse to hang out
stressful with the graphic designer there.
here.
The move to New Zealand
Maybe happened soon after. To cut
it's all a long story short, Agnieszka
met, fell madly in love with, and
this married a Kiwi. They
decided to try living in his end
of the world for a while.
empty “Eight years later and we are
still here. I find day-to-day life
much less stressful here. Maybe
space it’s all this empty space that
makes people calmer. I love the
landscape too. It’s such a
that cliché I know, but the
mountains are gorgeous, and I
makes love water. The fact that I can
people be on the beach in 20 minutes
whenever I feel like it, is
calmer.” fabulous.”
it's the
moment in
the
restroom.
before a
trial, a
presentation,
a speech.
before a
meeting with
the all
important
client. at
that moment
the lipstick
becomes war
paint. the
calm before
the storm. in
that moment
she prepares
to be fierce.

When it comes to her work,
people are the biggest
inspiration for Agnieszka.
“I'm fascinated by people,
constantly surprised how we
operate, what makes us tick,
how we protect ourselves, why
we make choices we do.
Movies, books, plays, music:
they’re all expressions of, and a
struggle to, figure out what it is
that we are.”
“In New Zealand I find that
people don't really
socialize according to their
‘status’ (education, occupation
etc). In Poland it's much more
‘snobbish’ in that respect, so I
find it refreshing. My friends are
from all sorts of backgrounds
and do different things in life
and everyone gets along, from
creatives to engineers, to
lawyers to stay-at-home mums.”
www.discounderworld.com. Agnieszka Parr. page
Design is the perfect field for
Agnieszka because it brings all
her interests together, and
everything that she has
dabbled in is useful and can be
used.

 and from not limiting yourself
“In Poland it is much
more “snobbish.’”
37
“To me design is the most
versatile, the most challenging
and varied discipline I’ve been
involved in.
The most brilliant
design comes from exploration
to a narrow interpretation of
your brief.”
Agnieszka is looking forward
to traveling again, having not
been out of the country for two
years. She misses the
architecture of old Europe, the
little winding cobblestone paths,
Gothic churches and the vibe of
centuries of history. She hopes
to live in Barcelona, learn
Spanish, study more, open her
own studio and get rich and
famous in the process.
You can see more of her work
at:
www. mouseonaleash.blogspot.com
If you think Agnieszka
deserves a place in The Gold
Edition, and a shot at the
$500, please click here, and
send us an email with her
name in the subject line.
If you don’t want to be
added to our newsletter,
please put “pass” after her
name.
Only one vote will count per
email.
 www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page 39

WHAT
is

the
definition
of
It began with an argument discussion with a friend around the subject of art, and how a
widely agreed upon definition doesn’t seem to have been established.
This led Stacey Childs on a quest to find out the real definition of ‘art’.

T
he quest began with my something visual, but then
definition of art, which
then led to a mini psychotic
episode to work out why my
definition was wrong. It went
something like this:
“Hmmmm. Art… well it is
something visual, which I
admire because I couldn’t
reproduce it myself. Which is a
very personal definition of art.
Something I may not like may
be something someone else
likes and regards as art.” (Silent
thinking over the point I have
just raised with myself)…
after a bit… “But what about
the term ‘con artist’, which
means that someone is a
swindler who exploits the
confidence of his victims, here
art maybe loosely termed as a
specialised skill, whether visual
or not.”
Coming up in the next few
After a little more thought I
decided to concentrate on the
kind of art that produces
realised that some music,
cocktail mixing and perfumery
may be considered art, so I had
to broaden my definition there.
I then decided to concentrate
on art which is a product of
admiration by some, not
necessarily all, but then
thought back to the con
artist, who probably is admired
by other cons, and if he isn’t,
then he isn’t a con “artist” at
all. Hmpfh.
Right, so the relationship
between both my definitions
was that they involved
someone being skilled enough
at something to have the
outcome described as art.
pages:
I can see Fiji
Slimeface
Mike’s Space
www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page 41
But does it matter who does So could a poo in a blanket be
the describing? called art, or is that just a
ridiculous suggestion? If so,
Yes, I think so. then where do ridiculous
suggestions stop, and real art
Picasso could have wrapped a start? And who says something
turd up in a blanket, called it is “art”?
art, and someone would have
paid real money for it. Hell, if
no one was going to put in an
offer, I would put up a few
dollars.
On the other hand, I could
make a piece of turd wrapped
in a blanket. But I bet no one
would buy it.
 www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page 43

I propose that there is a huge involved and think the product

social aspect to this “art” idea. is worthy of being called art.
For example, dada, the That then makes the producer
movement started in the artist and the product the
Switzerland during the First art, whatever that product may
World War. Although some be. The act of describing
Eleanor Gannon, see would term it a “cultural something as art is enough to
more of her work on movement”, as it was a make it “art” (whatever that
page 75 of the Be response against the outbreak may be).
Seen Zine of war, it is still a style of art.
Dada was anti-war, anti-reason Time to go to Wikipedia.
and anti the logic of the
bourgeois capitalist society the Continued on page 81.
dada-ists blamed for starting
the war. The output of the
cultural movement was
“artistic” material, such as
poetry, performance and the
work of perhaps the most
famous artist from the time,
Marcel DuChamp.

DuChamp took everyday

objects such as a urinal and a
bicycle wheel, mounted them
and presented them as art.
These things are worth tons
right now, and people are
willing to pay for them and call
them art. Due to the
anti-bourgeois movement of
the time, for something to be
termed “art” it had to challenge
the bourgeois ideals and reject
their standards of art.

So I’m getting closer to a

definition: One person other
than the producer must be
 www.discounderworld.com. i can see fiji. page 45

Hearing Fiji
words by Hinemoana Baker
S
uva City, Fiji, a spring
night. We cruise
through the darkening, steamy
streets, past the McDonalds’
sign with ‘bula’ written in bright
yellow plastic, slowing at
several zebra crossings on
campus while Teresia smiles a
warm greeting to friends and
colleagues ambling over to the
celebration she and her friend
Larry have organised. The
greetings turn to laughter and
Hinemoana Baker,
music producer and
writer, and
Teresia Teaiwa, poet
and academic, have
just collaborated to
make a CD “I can
see Fiji”.
Hinemoana writes
about their journey.
car-window catchups: Bula bula!
When did you get here? Io! So
good to see you!
It’s fairly typical of Teresia
Teaiwa that she had planned
to launch her latest literary
treasure in her homeland of Fiji
without realising till the last
moment that she didn’t have
a thing to wear. I had packed a
dress for her – one she’d never
seen but I knew she’d look
www.discounderworld.com. i can see fiji. page
At the launch of the CD. From left Des Mallon, Teresia Teaiwa and
Hinemoana Baker.
stunning in. One of those 70s’
wrap-around numbers – pale
blue, with teal and gold designs
that reminded me of Birds of
Paradise. When she tried it on,
sure enough, she was rocking it.
“Oh isn’t that beautiful,” said her
grandmother Hestlene. “God
bless us all.”
Teresia’s not so concerned
about image. But since we
47
started work on her album, I
Can See Fiji: Poetry and Sound,
she’s rediscovered a passion for
sound.
The album features not only her
poems, but excerpts of field
recordings she’s made while
walking through her adopted
hometown of Wellington
including conversations with her
son and a Department of
Conservation worker during a
 www.discounderworld.com. i can see fiji. page 49

tree-planting on Mana Island; a

shouted cell-phone call; and the
beep of pedestrian
crossing signals which warps
into the tick-tocking, rumbling
and cymbal-crashing brilliance
of Des Mallon’s percussion. I
have trouble describing the
genre myself – and I produced
it. We agree to call the genre of
the album ‘theatre for the ear’.
Another friend says it reminds
her of one of those
old-fashioned radio plays.

“I really enjoyed being directed

by you,” Teresia says, when
I email her with questions for
this interview. She’s back in
Suva, working on a book about
Fijian women in the military –
Tere is a mild-mannered scholar
and lecturer by day. She’s also
a published writer and
performance poet.

Coming up in the next few

pages:

Slimeface

Mike’s Space

The Be Seen Zine


I Can See Fiji marks Tere’s
second poetic album. Her first,
Terenesia, was a collaborative
work with renowned Samoan
novelist Sia Figiel. Even with
this prior experience in the
studio, some of my requests
and suggestions were still a
surprise.
t iv e a r t is t ic m omen
y m o s t p r o d u c
“M
f fl u e n c y in o t her la
ck o
ends and my la
“I’d never been directed to
perform my poems in
particular ways,” she explains.
“It was really freeing, to leave
behind the original meanings of
certain poems and recite them
imagining brand new contexts.
I loved how reading a poem as
a shopping list could make the
words resonate so differently,
and more effectively; how
reading a love poem as a
response to a tsunami gave it
more depth.”
“My most productive artistic
moments,” Teresia says, “have
been at the place where my
fluency in English ends and my
lack of fluency in other
languages begins.”
I think this also applies to the
production and sound design
for me. As a musician, I’ve
produced my own albums, but
I’ve never worked in this way –
modifying and palpating
another artist’s material into
something “other”.
t s , h a v e b e e n at th
n g u a g e s b e g
As the launch begins, the crowd
quiets to a silence
punctuated only by a gecko’s
clacking soundtrack. Teresia
has brought Des and me over
from Aotearoa to perform at
the launch – and it seems from
the audience’s reaction that
the live version of the tracks is
getting a similar spellbound
reaction as the CD does. We
re-create the spirit of the
album on stage with a drumkit,
a koauau (Māori flute), even a
Banaban song. Tere’s dad is
from Banaba – Ocean Island – in
Kiribati. He twinkles proudly
from the back row, watching
her hands bring the words alive.
Have a listen to their CD at:
www.myspace.com/hinemoana-
baker
www.discounderworld.com. i can see fiji. page
e p la c e w h e r e my
in s.”
THREE LITTLE KNOWN THINGS
ABOUT FIJI By Teresia.
1. The media is always casting
social and political problems
in Fiji as a product of tensions
and fundamental cultural
differences between the
indigenous Fijians and
Indo-Fijians. But Fiji has a rich
diversity of ethnicities that also
includes Rotumans (the other
indigenous Fijians),
Europeans, Chinese, Solomon
Islanders, I-Kiribati and
Banabans, Tuvaluans, Samoans,
Tongans.
2. In the late 19th century and
early 20th century there had
been a serious proposal put
forward to join Fiji to New
Zealand in a kind of
“Federation”...!
51
fl u e n c y in E n g lish
3. A number of indigenous
Fijians and Indo-Fijians served in
NZ forces during WWI and WWII,
and New Zealand had oversight
over the Fiji Military Forces
after WWII until Fiji gained
independence from Great
Britain in 1970.
If you think “I can see
Fiji” deserves a place in
The Gold Edition, and a shot
at the $500, please click
here, and send us an email
with the name in the subject
line.
If you don’t want to be
added to our newsletter,
please put “pass” after the
name.
Only one vote will count per
email.
 www.discounderworld.com. slimeface. page 53

e fa c e
S l i m
Words by Stacey Childs

Slimeface (whose real name is

incidentally Paul) is a 52 year
old long haul trucker who has
been trucking across America
for over 30 years. He created
the name “Slimeface”, because
he felt no one could call him
anything worse than that
around the poker table.
 www.discounderworld.com. slimeface. page 55

S


limeface’s passion for
trucking was sparked
at 10 years of age. His next-
door neighbour was a truckie,
and Slimeface was fascinated
by his truck, and would listen
for him coming home each
night. Slimeface loved watching
him fit his big truck and trailer
into the tiny front yard and
would dream of one day driving
a big truck like his.

His dream came true straight

after high school in 1974, and
apart from a few jaunts into
other jobs, he has now been
driving his entire adult life. He
says: “I love what I do and can't
imagine doing anything else.”

But truck driving isn’t the only

thing Slimeface is passionate
about. He is also a talented
photographer, who first started
taking photos with a digital
camera only three years ago.
He takes photos as he travels,
by setting the camera up in the
passenger seat, and snapping
as he drives. As dangerous as
this sounds, he assures us it is
legit, as he presets the camera
and doesn’t use the view finder,
he just clicks as he goes along.
“It’s no more difficult than
drinking a cup of coffee!”
“All Summer Long”
This shot was taken in California, on a road known as the
“Grapevine”, a major route between Northern and Southern
California.

It was taken out the passenger's window of Slimeface’s

18-wheeler.
 www.discounderworld.com. slimeface. page 59

Slimeface is currently living in

Florida and travelling between
there and California, pulling a
tanker full of food products like
milk, cream, liquid eggs, yeast
and juice. He drives an average
of 700 miles (1120km) each
day. “It doesn't leave much
time for sightseeing but I take
advantage of every opportunity
to take pictures of the places
and people I come across.”

“Cheyenne”
“This stretch of highway lasts 400 miles
and covers some of the most beautiful
but treacherous terrain I travel.”
 The thing Slimeface loves most
about his job is the people he
meets. “Everyone I photograph
becomes a friend,” he says.

He also loves the freedom and

independence of life on the
road, but says it can be hard
being separated from his
family for long periods of time.
It is normal to be away for four
to five weeks at a time, and
the divorcé rate for long haul
truckers is higher than average.
“Luckily, I have been blessed
with a special woman. It takes
an understanding family to
make this occupation a
success.”

“Smoke”
”Northern Nevada was shut down in several
locations due to smoke from the recent
fires. I was happy to be hauling cream and
not gasoline!”
“Face the Promise”, Michigan.

You can find out more about him here:

slimeface2007@yahoo.com
www.slimeface.com
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/Slimeface
http://www.youtube.com/user/Slimeface2008

If you think Slimeface

deserves a place in The Gold
Edition, and a shot at the
$500, please click here, and
send us an email with his
name in the subject line.

If you don’t want to be

added to our newsletter,
please put “pass” after his
name.

Only one vote will count per

email.
 www.discounderworld.com. mike’s space. page 65

Mike’s Space: What is Art?

Words and pictures by Mike Woodruff

B


efore I begin to talk
about art, let’s talk
about water for a second.

Water isn’t made. It isn’t

created. It just is. It may take
several different forms: steam
billowing out of a whistling tea
kettle, little droplets on the
underside of fern leaves, tiny
plastic cubicles frozen in the
refrigerator. The simple,
fascinating fact remains that
the amount of water on this
planet today, is the same
amount from way back when
Tyrannosaurs lapped up pond
water in prehistoric Montana.
I have this theory that ideas are
the same as water. They don’t
appear out of thin air. They
aren’t created out of nothing.
The same basic elements for
every idea and every creation,
have always been there.
Maybe now I can begin talking
about my definition of art.

For me, art is not as simple as
creating something unique. It
isn’t even creating something
out of something else. Art goes
one step further. Art, in the
higher sense of the word,
requires that you say
something with your creation.
Let me explain.
My artistic talents started to
bloom in grade school. I filled
sketch book after sketch book
with pictures of nunchucks,
broad swords, Sonic the
Hedgehog, guns, and Sonic
the Hedgehog killing another
Sonic the Hedgehog with broad
swords, guns and nunchucks.
Fourth grade carnage shaded in
clumsy No. 2’s and maybe the
start of something grand, but
at this early stage, not quite
art. I was just creating
something out of something
else.
My love of art continued past
high school classes filled with
flower petal inkblots and into
college, where I minored in
studio art. My experiences can
be summed up best by one
particular class.
www.discounderworld.com. mike’s space. page
In painting, I did a still life
project. The professor asked
everyone to pick something of
sentimental value and paint it in
exact detail. Most
everyone picked a family
heirloom or something vividly
symbolic. I forgot about the
assignment until the day we
started, scrounged around in
my apartment for something I
thought would be interesting to
paint, and went to turpentine
town. Two weeks later, my 4’
by 4’ oil painting of Mr. Potato
Head ravaging the city of
Seattle received rave reviews at
the final critique.
67
“Wonderful”, they said.
“Hilarious.”
“Awesome!”
“Um…what does it mean?”
The hell if I know. I just needed
something cool to paint.
And that right there, was the
crux of my collegiate forays
into fine art. Painting brought
me a lot of satisfaction, but for
me, it never went beyond Mr.
Potato Head. I never felt like I
was doing anything more than
making something that looked
cool.

After college, I picked up
photography. I enjoyed the
instant access to imagery,
capturing those magical
moments that existed for a
few brief seconds, maybe less,
where the ordinary was
transformed into the
extraordinary. Paths I’d
walked a thousand times
before suddenly took on new
light. The spontaneity and the
possibility of so many
different images produced by
a few simple clicks of my index
finger, and a few swipes of my
thumb, entranced me.
While I often felt the
tangible power of
communication through images,
I never felt that those
“Capturing those
magical moments
that existed for a
few brief seconds,
maybe less, where
the ordinary was
transformed into
the extraordinary.”
communications were entirely
and completely my own. In a
technological medium built on
mirrors and glass, was I ever
really saying anything for
myself? Or was I just reflecting
something in a new way?
Pictures are worth a lot of
words. Maybe not a thousand,
though. That’s quite a high
number, and with economic use
of them, I can say much more
in a few pages than I ever could
in one photo. So far, in a word
count just under that
measuring stick, I’ve discussed
dinosaurs, ninja weapons,
plastic toys masquerading as
Godzilla, the definition of art…
and I still have three hundred
words to go.

The point is simple: In skillful
hands, a thousand words can
create a million ideas. That’s
what does it for me, it feels like
I have created something out
of nothing. With words I feel
like I am saying something.
Durr… you are probably
thinking. “With words you can
say something? No way”… That
may be stating the obvious,
since words are always a means
“Every artist finds of saying something. For me,
though, I find enjoyment in
expression through finding special, unique ways of
different avenues. using words to express ideas
that no one else has thought of
Words are my turf.” before.
Coming up in the next few
The definition of art cont.
www.discounderworld.com. mike’s space. page
And I have. I spent the last
three years writing a book. I
used approximately 90,000
words to tell the story of an
orphan living on the streets of
Los Angeles who survives the
apocalypse only to be orphaned
once again in an abandoned
America. It’s about a lot of
things, but mostly, it’s about
the dual-sided nature of
mistakes and destiny, and how
one is never quite complete
without the other. It most
definitely says something, and
it does so in a way that is
completely mine.
pages:
The Be Seen Zine
Last issue’s favourite
71
Every artist finds
expression through different
avenues. Words are my turf,
the ocean in which I swim.
Photography is my brief flight
into a different sort of
expression, but some strange
sense of gravity always pulls
me back down into the waves
of words. If I were ever beached
on the shores of, say,
interpretative dancing, plenty
could be said about that
disaster by using economic
sentiments such as LOL and
WTF!?.
Be glad I swim where I do.
Mike Woodruff lives in Los
Angeles. When not writing, he
enjoys playing basketball and
throwing rocks at unsuspecting
brown bears. He also likes to eat
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. You can find
him on the internet at
www.mutinouswombats.blogspot.
com.
Read last month’s Mike’s Space
here.

be seen
zine
Created to give every
artist exposure to people
who appreciate a good piece
of art when they see it.
Be in the next one:
The Be Seen Zine, introducing you to a wider range of styles and
arty types. Proudly brought to you by Online INsight.
{Faaiza Munif: Graphic Design and Illustration} www.faaiza.deviantart.com
Faaiza Munif
is 21 years old and currently on a Name: Faaiza Munif
break from University, which means
working and relaxing when she can. Style: Graphic design and Illustration
Her parents are Fijian Indian, but
she was born and bred in New
Website: www.faaiza.deviantart.com
Zealand. Her seventh form art Email: faaiza_munif@hotmail.com
teacher introduced her to
Photoshop, and that is how she got
into design.
She describes her art as quirky, and
experiments with things like
feminity and illustration.
She has just finished creating a
publication for potential new
design students. It featured quotes
and advice from the current
students and tutors and is aimed at
motivating new students to join the
design course.
The inspiration for the publication
came from her younger sister who
was investigating into which
design school to go to. Most schools
only showed the finished work of
students, but her sister felt it was
important to meet and hear from
the current students, to see what it
was really like.
Next year Faaiza will be entering her
fourth year at University, and in the
future hopes to be living in
Australia, working on a variety of
projects in commercial design, with
a few personal projects on the side.
Her photograph above was taken by
her friend Derek Cook, the
photograph won bronze at this
years Infocus photography
competition.


{Sarawut Chutiwongpeti: Mixed Media Installation} www.chutiwongpeti.info {Eleanor Gannon: Evocative and Unique} www.jelphoto.co.nz

Name: Sarawut Chutiwongpeti Name: Eleanor Gannon

Style: Mixed Media Installation Style: Evocative and Unique

Website: www.chutiwongpeti.info Website: www.jelphoto.co.nz

Email: utopia1998@gmail.com Email: eleanor@jelphoto.co.nz

The Be Seen Zine, introducing you to a wider range of styles and

arty types. Proudly brought to you by Online INsight.


{Marissa Ramlu: Elegant Cut and Paste} {Sarah Decker: Nature and Wildlife}

Name: Marissa Ramlu Name: Sarah Decker

Style: Elegant Cut and Paste Style: Nature and Wildlife

Email: mariss_r@hotmail.com Website: www.deckers.viewbook.com/

portfolio/sarah_decker_photography
Email: sarah.lynn.decker@gmail.com

The Be Seen Zine, introducing you to a wider range of styles and

arty types. Proudly brought to you by Online INsight.


{Leon Green: Urban Surrealist} http://leongreen.freehostia.com/photo.html

Name: Leon Green

Style: Urban Surrealist

Email: leongreen1981@gmail.com

Website: http://leongreen.freehostia.
com/photo.html

The Be Seen Zine, introducing you to a wider range of styles and

arty types. Proudly brought to you by Online INsight.
 www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page 81

WHAT
is
Have a crack at designing
our front cover, and we will
thank you publicly for your
the
effort. We may even use definition
it on a future issue, which
then means you will have of
a choice story to tell your
friends, and lots of people
will see your design. Email
stacey@discounderworld.
com to find out more.

Continued from page 43

Coming up in the next few
pages:
The definition of art cont.
Ways we can get to know each
other better
Last issue’s favourite
Wikipedia says:
“Art is the process or product of
deliberately and creatively arranging
elements in a way that appeals to the
senses or emotions. In its narrow sense,
the word art most often refers specifically
to the visual arts, including media such as
painting, sculpture, and printmaking.
Answers to the Quick However, ‘the arts’ may also encompass a
diverse range of human activities,
Quiz on page 26.
creations, and modes of expression,
including music and literature.”
1) Her Skirt
Good definition Wikipedia although I am
2) “You never can
tell”.
still convinced that to be classified as art
it needs to be acknowledged by more
3) Helen of Troy than the producer.
4) Record for the
Leo Tolstoy throws another spanner into
highest flying bird. the works by identifying art as a use of
5) Christopher indirect means to communicate from one
person to another.
Columbus
This adds an interesting element to the
idea. Communication is a given. Art is
created to say something. Whether that
message be loud and clear or the
opposite, art still says something. How it
says something is varied, but if art wasn’t
meant to communicate then it would not
exist. So art means something (which
goes back to the Wikipedia definition)
although communication comes in many
forms. Think also of my earlier idea that
art is personal; if only one person is
being communicated with (the art maker),
is it still art? Leo Tolsoy probably wouldn’t
think so. I have a sneaky suspicion I would
disagree, which blows my theory about art
needing to be acknowledged by more than
the producer to smitherines.
Having come full circle, I decide to ask my
audience and associates. The ideas I got
in return confirmed that everybody had
different ideas of art:

revealed
 www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page 83

‘bow chik-ca reow reow...’ o f things:

i o n s i d e
he communicat
Three ways we can get to know each other a little better: There was t
“Art is anything that
“Art is a form of makes you think, that
has a meaning, whether
expression.”
or not it's functional.”

The personal:
Join us on Introduce “Art is something I used
to be able to define
yourself to us “An expression of one's
personality”
before I got an
education.”
and let us know “Art is a definition of you,
it comes from you. It is
what you think what you think and
believe in.” “Art is the result of

of disco: Be creation, its beauty lies

@disco
either in its physical

creative, we “Art is an outlet for all the

appearance to the
beholder or of the

love email but

things in us which cannot

under
feelings and motivation
be rationalized, that led the creator to

we also love
pigeonholed or clearly create.”
labeled.”

world video and

audio ;)
And
art
as a huma
n cond
itio
n:

“Art is all the questions

Join our newsletter
email stacey@discounderworld.com
“Art is expression and is
the opposite of nature
which is expressionless.
Although both will often
be appreciated in the
same terms. An easy
test for the presence of
art is to look for people.
If you see one, there be
art!”
we're left with, after all “It's a way for us to
is supposedly learned record our existence,
make a mark, it's the
and explained. It's what,
next to science, moves sophisticated ‘X was
here’ scratched on a park
the human race forward.”
bench.”
“Art is a culturally learnt activity that
recognises and reorganises patterns,
and conforms or challenges the
viewer.”
 85
disco
www.discounderworld.com. what is the definition of art? page

under
world

d ly publishe
ou d
p r

by
is

With all these great ideas, the old
adage “Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder”, came to mind. Maybe “Art is in
the eye of the onlooker” could be a good
definition?
Another thing I think is important is the
idea of change and fluidity. The traditional
ideas of art: painting and drawing, have
been expanded over time as humans find
new ways to express themselves through
dance, photography, graphic
Contact them first for all your digital publishing needs. design and eventually computers. What
was once a physically tangible idea can
They will collaborate with you, or create for you, from start to finish, now exist purely in cyber space, on the
anything from digital media kits, travel brochures and annual reports computer screen, or in the case of
improvisational dancing, one second. Art is
to regular publications such as magazines and newspapers for you to
no longer material or tangible, but is fluid
share with the world. and ever-changing, personal and
objective.
Visit www.online-insight.com and request an
obligation free quote.
So what conclusions have I reached at the
end of all this rambling? (It was quite an
interesting topic to research and write
about, I hope you enjoyed reading it also).
Conclusions:
Art is personal.
Art is a human condition.
Art is fluid.
Art is made to communicate.
Art means different things to
different people.
In the words of Leon Green, (a reader of
disco) “lets not try to tie down a
definitive explanation; it’s more fun to
make it up as we go.”
 www.discounderworld.com. last issue’s favourite. page 86

Your favourite from last issue, and the person to be

included in the Gold Edition at the end of next year
is:

JAMES BARNETT

He wins: A spot in The Gold Edition 2009, a print

publication which follows up on your favourite people
from the year before, and provides you with interviews
and spreads of other cool cats from around the globe.

You can read his article from last month’s issue here.

Thanks for reading this

issue of disco underworld!!

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