Meeting of Styles Mexico: FASE Interview

FASE reminds us of the importance of love and commitment in graffiti- that it is a kind of art that does not guarantee fame but instead is about the love of it. The following is the transcript of our interview, facilitated by SWER, partially in English and Spanish.

C: What name do you write?

F: FASE

C: How do you spell it?

F: F-A-S-E.

C: What crew name do you write?

F: I don’t have a crew.

C: What does Fase mean to you? Qué significa?

F: No es un significado realmente profundo, solo me gustan los letras y simplemente pensado un etapo o momento, FASE.

S: It doesn’t really mean anything deep but at the time she liked the letters.

C: When did you start writing?

F: Like nine years ago.

C: How old were you, que edad tenías?

F: Fourteen.

C: Why, Por qué?

F: Solo me gustaba y pensé solo—era algo para expresarme en ese momento y después haciendo me gusta ya.

Just because I liked it and it was a way to express myself, and after I liked doing it.

C: De dónde eres tu estilo? Where is your style from?

F: Mi estilo es muy simple me influencía mucho por lo que veo de los Estados Unidos, California, letras. Lo que mas algo, lo que más me gusta.

My style is very simple and is influenced by what I’ve seen from lettering from the U.S. and California, which I like the most.

C: Algunas personas en particular has influyado? Any people in particular influence you?

F: MSK Crew. REBO y SABER.

C: Cuantos del “Meetings” has participado? How many MOS have you participated in?

F: Trés o cuatro. Three or four.

C: Algunos cambios en los Meetings? Any changes in the Meetings?

F: Si, yo veo que en este hay menos gente que en otros años. Yes, I’ve seen that in this one there are less people than in other years.

C: Y tantas artistas internacionales que en otros años? And as many international artists than in other years?

F: En este creo que menos. En otros años han venido muchos mas. In this one I believe less. In other years many more have come.

C: How did you find out about it?

F: Soy muy contenta venir y ver a mucha gente. I was happy to come and see a lot of people.

S: No, dice que como aprendiste del Meeting of Styles?

No she says how did you find out about MOS?

F: Ah, por internet. Y porque siempre organizas eventos por muchos amigos. On the internet. And because friends are always organizing events.

C: What is your favorite part or best memory of the Meeting?

S: Cual es tu parte favorito o mejor memoria de la Meeting?

F: Ver a todo el gente que viene, porque poco genta de la Republica del pais entonces es uno de pocos eventos por nosotors estar juntos.

To see the people that come because there are few events that bring us all together.

C: Que te molesta o te frustra mas de la Meeting?

What bothers you or is most frustrating about MOS?

F: No no me molesta. Nothing bothers me.

C: Es perfecto? Its perfect?

F: Si. El sol, la clima a veces.

S: The weather, the sun sometimes is annoying.

C: Why do you think its important to see international artists?

S: Por que creo que es importante ver artistas internacionales?

F: Porque pues tomar mejor inspiracion, tal vez, y estan carte de somos estile o anuncio o diseño.

Because we can be inspired, or perhaps to get something from their style or design.

C: Who is the audience for MOS?

S: Quien es la audiencia para el Meeting of Styles? Solo grafiteros o algo mas?

F: no, toda la comunidad que pueden. Y más en Neza siempre ha vido mucho graffiti la gente aqui lo acepta, lo admira vamos.

No, all of the community can see it, and more so in Neza because the people have seen a lot of graffiti and they accept it and admire it.

C: How was MOS helped the community or changed the community in Neza?

S: Como le influenciado?

F: A Neza? Pues creo que la gente sea mas abierta a todo tipo de personas y no nos califique como delinquentes unicamente o como gente castigaño de la sociedad.

In Neza? I believe that the people have become moe open to all kinds of people and don’t characterize us as only delinquents or people that are cast out of society.

C: How would you feel if there were no more Meeting of Styles in the future?

S: Como te sienteras si no hay más MOS?

F: Seria triste. I would be sad.

C: Como definiras graffiti?

F: Como una manera expresar o tambien demonstrar lo que eres tu.

S: It’s a way to express and to show what you can do and who you are.

C: How do you think think graffiti could help communities or help Mexico if at all?

S: Como crees que graffiti puede ayudar la comunidad?

F: No creo que ayude mucho tampoco porque nos gusta tambien la illegalidad, y nos gustan las cosas que no deben hacer, pero, pues unicamente como un medio de arte porque finalemente el aerosol es un tecnica, no más, en la que uno manera de pintura, una manera crear arte.

I don’t think it could help much either because we like also the illegality, and things that you aren’t supposed to do but, it is mainly a medium of art. In sum, aerosol is a techniquen, nothing more, a way of painting, a way to create art.

C: Do you have any fears about the future of graffiti? Any worries?

S: Tienes algun miedo por graffiti en el futuro?

F: No, creo que cualquier que pase o que la misma comunidad de graffiti lo superas, siempre va graffiti mas arriba de lo que nosotros pensamos.

S: No, I think that there is always graffiti that goes above us or out own style—its an evolution.

C: How do you document your work?

S: Como lo guardas?

F: Pictures, facebook, myspace.

C: How do you feel when your work gets buffed or gone over?

S: Como te sientes cuando tu trabajo es encima…

F: Nunca me ha pasado. Never. I think I’d feel mad, I don’t know, but I’ve never…

S: Its never happened to her.

C: Do you think graffiti has a social purpose?

F: Creo que graffiti tengan uno proposito? Es que mas bien que nosotros hacemos de eso manera porque graffiti solo es la pintura en la pared y nosotros somos lo que hacemos para un proposito social…

Graffit is just painting on a wall and that is what we do for its social purpose.

C: Do you think that artists in Mexico have a particular role to play in society?

S: Cual es el papel que es que juega el artista aqui?

F: No, pues.

No.

C: Tienes una relacion con los Tres Grandes como Orozco, Siqueiros, o Rivera en tu trabajo?

F: No los consideran un influencia para mi trabajo porque yo solo hago letros, porque son lo que más me gustan hacer, pero, obviamente los admiro y admiro mucho el trabajo de los muralistas mexicanos pero no considero como por le menos para mi un influencia, no que hago.

I don’t think of them as an influence for my work because I only make letters, because that’s what I like to do the most. But obviously I admire them and admire the work of the Mexican muralists a lot, but I don’t consider them an influence for me.

C: Algo mas que quieres decir a los estadounidense cerca del graffiti?

Anything else you want to say about graffiti?

F: Principalmente si lo van hacer, lo manejen con respecto, y no solo lo hagan por hacer parte de algo o despues lo dejen o queran demostrarle a algiuen que son algo y despues lo dejen. Esto es una manera de vivir, tambien.

S: Shes says, if you do graffiti, don’t just do it for one moment because you want to show off something. Or you want to prove something. You have to do it beause it is part of your life, it is a lifestyle. And it involves a lot of things. So do graffiti because you love it.

C: Muchas gracias.