RAMS Getting Up – Verbatim INTERVIEW Montana Cans Location Auckland, NZ Profile @rams_msk The stakes are high! Visibility of the spots, legibility of the letters, size, notoriety, and quality of the works instantly come up when writers discuss what is needed to make a bomber famous. Undeniably, fame is a fundamental motivator within graffiti culture. Bigger, better, more. The more risk, the more recognition. The journey to fame within the culture is called getting up, a process of constant repetition and perfection of each previously mentioned component. So, Craig Castleman and Marc Ecko were right after all. But what happens if you take getting up literally? 98 Artist in focus RAMS
We talked to RAMS, a member of MSK, who took graffiti to a new level with skill and dedication. We spoke about puns and painting over a relaxed cup of coffee. While he was traveling, we sat in the office, our conversation hanging by a thread as the Wi-Fi disconnected here and there, once more proving Murphy’s law. Sadly, technology partly let us down, but RAMS’ mood was up as he prepared for the next mission. MONTANA CANS Hey, RAMS, thanks so much for taking the time! How’s life at the moment? RAMS I’m good, just chilling. Just got some breakfast and about to check a spot to paint later tonight. We were checking before but I told my friends I needed to dip out for an hour to get something to eat and chat. The food here’s pretty sick. I got some onion rings and a coffee. M Bon appetit! Since you enjoy local cuisine, what else do you like about traveling? Is it a harsh contrast between Europe and your home country? R Well, I’m from a small country, so you run out of stuff to do in terms of graffiti quite quickly unless you repeat the same stuff. If I wanted to do graffiti properly, In my opinion I had to leave. It’s a relatively small island; with no metro system. Europe, on the other hand has so many options and opportunities. M Is your approach to painting here the same as that in New Zealand, or do you approach things differently? R The circumstances are just so different. When I’m at home, I have my circle of friends, so I only occasionally meet new writers, but when I’m traveling, I’m usually lucky enough to meet up with friends or friends of friends. I wasn’t too big on connecting with people initially, but over time this changed. Meeting new people, sharing information, hanging out, getting food, and just having fun in general - I get more joy from that than the actual painting these days. M So it’s a social thing? R Yes and no; I still have goals in mind and am working towards them, but meeting and connecting with new people is a really great part of it, and I can learn a lot from others! I mean, often, I’m connected to train writers, and sometimes they’re interested in rappelling. So I can share some insights and show them certain techniques. Then it feels a little more of an equal exchange, so I don’t just show up, get some help and then leave. It feels a lot better being able to give something back. M That is a nice way of seeing things! Speaking of rappelling, how did you start with it? It must be an exhilarating feeling leaning over the edge of a roof for the first time and literally putting your life on the line. R I did it for the first time in America. My buddy Notice had already done it a few times before. We went out the night before I left Philadelphia. I didn’t even know what the equipment was – He showed me on the roof. After that first time, I got some gear and went to LA. My crew and I got on top of buildings every night and did a lot in a short period of time. Later on, when I had some downtime, I started researching the gear and safer ways of doing rope actions. M Safety is a significant concern, right? Have you ever experienced scary situations, like fear for your life while painting? R Yeah, a couple of times, not setting up the gear properly Artist in focus RAMS 99
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