Stage 3 Research: Shepard Fairey.

"Placing something in usual places, that is memorable, has a power. I decided I should take this and evolve it." -Shepard Fairey (2014).

My project this year will be exploring skateboarding as an art form, my research into street art and skate art culture led me onto Shepard Fairey, an American street artist. Fairey derives his inspiration from skateboarding, influenced by the designs and illustrations featured in Punk bands, as well as board graphics and logos, both subcultures heavily influencing one another.

One of his earliest projects, "Andre The Giant Has A Posse" (1989), featured a ripped image of the famous wrestler transferred onto a sticker, he proceeded to "sticker slap" (graffiti using stickers) the image in various locations throughout the city. Other people began doing the same, an example of the potential exposure and widespread appeal possible using simple graffiti. Fairey's work expanded into using stencils, posters and forms of printing and college, the concept became more about political and social commentary, more apparent in his later work.