Chewz locked up

http://www.thelondonvandal.com/posts/chewz-jailed-for-21-months

[ Article from www.thelondonvandel.com ] 24 year-old London based graffiti writer Chewz, known particularly for his hollow chrome throw-ups, has plead guilty to 22 charges of criminal damage (as well as one charge of burglary and one of common assault) and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. While we will not post his mugshot or “name and shame” the young man, we can report that he has been sentenced to 21 months in prison, as well as being given a five year ASBO (which states that he must not carry paint, marker pens or glass-cutting equipment anywhere in England and Wales, and that he is expressly banned from non-public areas of the railway network). The British Transport Police caught up with Chewz after a tag he was convicted for in 2002 began to reappear in South London. When officers re-investigated him, they found evidence on his Facebook page that suggested that he was also responsible for the Chewz graffiti. He was arrested, and found to be in possession of large amounts of graffiti paraphernalia (which could be anything from magazines, to markers or pens), and was bailed to return, but he never did return to court when he was due to in August, choosing to going on the run. Eventually, in November, the BTP caught up with Chewz and he was charged, including nine offenses that are supposed to have happened while he was on bail. The court heard that Chewz damaged Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square during the November 2010 student riots and that he attacked 17 trains at the Grove Park depot on May this year. They were shown evidence from Chewz’ home linking him to the tag, as well as images on his phone and Facebook, and even a tag in the dust on top of his TV. Chewz plead guilty to the charges, which the prosecution claimed amounted to £69,000 worth of damage. As often happens with these cases, some have been suspicious of this figure, which suggests that it cost £4,000 to clear up two pieces of graffiti on the trackside near London Bridge, and just over £2,000 to clean South West Trains carriages at Waterloo. Trackside walls between Charing Cross and Waterloo East apparently cost £3,000 to clean. Perhaps there is an argument to be made that graffiti on a train window affects health and safety, because people can’t see out of the train, but if it honestly costs £4000 to paint over a trackside piece, why not just leave it? The tracksides near Finsbury Park station don’t seem to get buffed, and it doesn’t seem to bother anyone. BTP spokespeople have made the usual comment, that graffiti is not harmless, because the costs of the removal get passed onto the fare paying passenger. A clever approach to the issue, designed to get members of the public on-side. Steve Taylor, Duncan, Nathanswan, Nshillingford, Peble Head, Di’s Free Range, Cocabeenslinky, Nothing8339 and 404 took these photos. Thanks to R for the news.

Original markings of The Lewisham Natureman

Here is my ongoing collection of mobile phone pics of the Lewi Natureman tags from around the borough. Started 2005 [ongoing]. Some of the scores date back to earliest 1993 but there are reports of LNM tags dating back as early as '88. I am still looking for my own photos taken back in the day![when i was still single figures.]
i stuck all the photographs in a blank book but then took them out a few years later when i was a young teenager and wanted to use the book as an emo diary. They are one of my most sort after treasures and i will find them one day.

Jack Thurgar's photostream on Flickr.

Old Charactors of Lewisham [article]

Old Characters of Lewisham [article] I used to watch these with open mouthed wonder when i was young. They used to turn round on the hour, one by one.

The Mole man of Hackney http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/aug/08/communities.uknews

To the legend of The Lewisham Natureman.

Train bridge, Cressingham Road, Lewisham, SE13. A street mural depicting a white stag spirit, an incarnation of The Lewisham Natureman. The stag appears to be howling at the moon or perhaps calling out into the night, through the portal in the wall.

Eksman and Herbzie [ Cyndicut 97.8 / 1998 ]

Two of Jungles and DnB's legendary mc's, tearing it up on Pirate Cyndicut Fm, dj logons show.

Strange Codes

The Backwards Music Station was found on various frequencies on the short wave band until about 2004 with the transmissions apparently coming from both the United States and England. There are debates whether the station is some complex form of communication known as LINCOMPEX from a 'Number Station' or whether it's simply feedback from Naval transmitters. Despite the debate, the sounds are still rather unearthly.

Black Magic

This is from the video description posted by 'jonrev' on Youtube :

" On a late-November evening in 1987, two Chicago television stations were victims of a broadcast signal takeover.

After an earlier hijack attempt on WGN-9 during the 9:00 News , a broadcast on WTTW-11 of the Doctor Who episode "Horror of Fang Rock" would be interrupted by a man wearing a Max Headroom mask. The crazed person uttered mostly gibberish and bashed the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries, before he dropped his pants and was spanked by what appears to be a child. 90-seconds later, the program returned to normal. To this day, he remains at large.

This is a subtitled version of the original footage added as a courtesy due to the low audio quality of the recording. This is a rather old version, eventually I will add new annotations in response to how some of the audio was interpreted.

EDIT:
Thanks to a new video with the audio cleaned up, I've found out that he is indeed saying "I still see the X". And the person with the flyswatter is the one who said "Bend over Bitch". "

Steel Injection - London tube graffiti 1990 - 1994

171 Bus at 8.30 AM, May 2006 [phone footage]

Tracing the Water Cycle [a Live Ritual] - excerpt phone footage

Tracing the Water Cycle (A Live Ritual), is a live experiment in which the audience is invited to private room that will act as a periscope for exploring the outworld.
Jack Thurgar and his sophisticated map recycles a rich imaginary from different sources: re-contextualization of found footage, recordings and new fictions.
The installation will put together an impossible sequence in a form of live collage; from the open scene (sequence from the very first home-video from the artist) this intricate flow of water will travel in time and space, and while Jack Thurgar will be guiding us in the dark room, his alter-ego the explorer Solomon Wild will show us his personal recordings throughout his global wanderings.

- Lucia Rivero, 'Smashing Time Show' 2011

The ritual works as a loop. As the conductor, I channel the water through the analogue equipment, which is placed in a circle on the floor. Using a timer for precision, I turn on or 'open' each piece of equipment, connecting them to create a path for the water to form a magic circuit. As the water threads its way through the machines I orchestrate its twists and turns until it reaches its ultimate conclusion.

- Jack Thurgar, 2011

This to my knowledge, is the only existing footage of the live ritual. The whole piece lasts around 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the footage starts a few minutes in [as the plug in the bath is pulled] and misses the last five magical mins.
If anyone has other footage of this magical event, please do get in contact.
Thanks.

INTERNAL NETWORKZ - Vol:1 The Quaggy

Internal Networkz is the first in a series of video documentaries exploring Lewisham's connecting wild corridors, such as its rivers and train lines. In this first volume, the viewer comes with us on a journey as we explore the path of the river Quaggy. We pick up the route at its end, where it flows into the River Ravensbourne at Lewisham Train Station. We follow it where it passes underground at the police station and on, through suburban parks and the backs of houses through south east london. Unknown to us at the time, as we traveled up river, riots came to the streets of Lewisham. We keep to the river and slip through the world above us unnoticed. We explore and study the secret markings left under bridges. We look for links and clues of London's underground legends and mythologies. In particular, for traces of 'The Lewisham Natureman', a mysterious character from South East London 'Graff' folklore. He has never been seen and only appears through the tiny symbol [often carved] which can be found in the wild corners and corridors of the capitol, mainly in Lewisham and her surrounding boroughs. The symbol is that of a crown, formed from a circle of figures holding hands [like the crown used in the logo of Lewisham borough] , with a single dandelion growing through it. Some say he is not a man at all but some kind of spirit of nature. A contemporary, urban Green Man or Herne, who walks in these wild places where the weeds grow. The small tag has also been linked to another figure in local street folklore; Solomon Wild. Solomon is believed to be some kind of urban explorer / amateur scientist of London's wild cracks, he is thought to be conducting a ongoing study into The Lewisham Natureman legend. But some believe the two are in fact the same person and Solomon is the one leaving these tags. Either in attempt to propagate the myth, keeping it alive and fake his own results. Another version describes Solomon as not a scientist but as a vagrant herbalist and shaman, who uses these places to rest and grown his herbs and food. The hidden tag is said to be a simple and discreet 'i was here' message to his friends and those who know where to look. There are many legends on the underground.

'The Fire Mix' [six sacred weeds]

This is phone footage, supplied by a member of the public. It is of one of my six small shadow rituals, performed live using each one of the six sacred weeds that make up the 'Fire Mix'.
This was inspired by the footage i filmed of Solomon Wild, believed to be performing an ancient version of this ritual at dawn on the Summer Solstice earlier this year [though this ritual was usually performed at dusk on midsummers eve.]
It was believed that the weeds were 'familiars' / spirits of the crops and by burning them, the smoke would cauterise pestilence and 'noisome influences' from the fertile land.
Also there was the belief of 'Sympathetic magic' which at its core, is the idea of analogy, all things in the universe connected by influences, suggested by their superficial appearance. The heat and the light created by theses bonfires was to aid the sun at the exact moment in the year it begins to wane.
The six weeds were believed to be chosen for their resemblance in some way to the sun and stars. For this series of shadow rituals, they were all tracked down and gathered from various wild cornerz of the capitol.
They are as follows:
Ragwort, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Plantain, Vervain and finally the most magic of all in the mix; St. Johns Wort.
The leaves and flowers are cut off each weed and arranged to form a magic circle.

Summer Solstice Ritual 2011 / Solomon Wild / Secret Filming

I recorded this footage at Sun rise on the Summer Solstice in a piece of commercial wasteland in SE12. It captures, what I believe to be a secret ritual, performed by the mysterious underground character; 'Solomon Wild.' Solomon Wild Folklore

Very little is know about who Solomon is,.. or even if that is really his name or was given to him. All I really know of him is through folklore and myth. He seems to be some kind of herbalist and cryptographer, an explorer and mapper of London's wild corners and cracks. His purpose for and exact line of research is not altogether clear.
I am pretty sure I have received his Short Wave radio transitions a number of times over the years. It has only ever been a one way monologue and he only uses code to communicate by [mainly Morse but sometimes lesser know, older aquatic codes.] The content is usually reels of strange fractured sentences, single words, locations and times.
Despite his anonymity, he has become a kind of distant collaborator to my work. The Summer Solstice Ritual

It is said that every Solstice and Equinox, Solomon performs various rituals, contacting spirits and making magic to both use and aid the seasons. These are said to be held at secret locations around the city. Anticipating this event as ever, I posted messages on various types of forums and contacted others, in order to glean any information I could about the where abouts and/or the nature of this Summer ritual. All my digging proved unsuccessful.
Then, the day before the Solstice, I routinely checked my various threads and to my excitement, found I had one response. This was on the forum pages of the London graffiti website; rockingthecity.com. It simply said '24 Gb 459'. At first I was hugely disappointed, thinking this was just scrambled net coding. But after pondering over it for a while I realised the last three numbers; 459 was in fact a time; 4:59 am. This was the exact time of sun rise, on the day of the solstice. After cracking this, I then worked out that 24 Gb were in fact coordinates for a map. They correlated with my London wall map inside The Lighthouse and pin pointed an area of roughly 2 square miles. It is in the district of Lee in the borough of Lewisham. This is an area familiar to me and knowing Solomon seems to have some kind of relationship to the cracks of the city including its wild wasteland space, I knew it could only be one of two places.
I visited both patches that evening at dusk, as reconnaissance. After circling the walls of each and peering through the gates, I decided on the second place; a piece of commercial wasteland at the corner of Baring Road, SE12 as the spot I was going to return to for the Solstice.
The land used to accommodate a local diary but has been desolate for fifteen years. It is now owned by the Yellow Box storage company but due to on going lobbying by local residence, the companies applications to develop the land have been repeatedly rejected. Over the last fifteen years the land has been cut back roughly 6-8 times. There is a striking variety of weeds in this large patch and is completely closed of to the surrounding main roads by a high grey wooden fence. On it, hangs a large sign which threatened 24 hours guard and dog security by a company called 'StrongGuard'.
The following morning on the Solstice, I set off before dawn. Equipped with my old video camcorder and camouflaged overalls. I used a street bin to climb on top of the bus stop and then lowered myself down the other side. I plotted down in a corner behind the thick bushes of Buddleia on an old mattress and waited for the first signs of day light, hoping it might bring me a glimpse of Solomon. The perfume of the local wild flowers scented the air and it felt like there was magic afoot.
With dilated pupils and a beating heart, I waited in the twilight.
Here is what I saw. ...

The Bigga Picture! - the Toulambi tribe

This is incredible footage. The Toulambi tribe have never seen a westerner before and believe the white man [if he exists at all] is a spirit or ghost of a fallen solider.

The Fire Mix [six sacred weeds]

artfridge: LONDON: JACK THURGAR'S WILD SUMMER SOLSTICE RITUAL...: "These are two hypnotizing videos that I took last Friday from Jack Thurgar's performance 'The Fire Mix [Six Sacred Weeds]' at the Glory ..."

dark n cold classic freestlyes 1

Uk hiphop legend Skeme from Deptford with big Big P of Peks. This was on number two of the classic 'Dark n Cold untapped' freestlye videos. Theses bits are all muffled and fuzzy from repeated rinsing. Still sounds sick and fresh. These two represent the missing link, to some extent, in the development of uk urban music. Skeme particularly is an older from south east london and was raised from a youth in the legendary Saxon sound. Which featured many Ragga stars such as Tippa Irea and Papa Levi, who were an early influence to Skemes mic Stlye. Skeme was born in the hiphip generation and worked within the uk hiphop scene of the late nighties and early nauties. As an older now, Skeme works as mentor to young Grime Mcs including the likes of Jammer, Little D and P Money.

Jem Cohan's Lost Book Found

The nameless narrator encounters a character in New York, simular to our own Solomon Wild.

Skinny - Tufnell Park Bars still!

underground uk hiphop/grime legend; skinnyman drops some bars to kids round his manor.

Who Is Bozo Texino?

Part of a lovingly put together doc/film about Hobo train tagging in the U.S and the mysterious 'Bozo Texino' character.
A book called 'mostly true' was also published by the film maker which is a beautiful document.

Solomon Wild footage; performing a radio ritual on the Winter Solstice

For information see text underneath the video on the Youtube page.

Vandalism: Where's Your Lad Tonight?

Keep Out! u.k railway safety ad.

The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water

Disturbing UK Public Safety advert aimed at children. 1973