#crying about not being able to afford the tools to create art? no artist started with the expensive tools we use - we FOUGHT and WORKED-

[forsty]

feels like we need to be way more vocal about bullying people who do AI generated stuff

no fucking tolerance for that soulless piece of crap

[herselfportrait]

INTERVIEW: DILLY DALLY

“Dilly-dally: verb; informal; to waste time through aimless wandering or indecision.” This definition is ironically the furthest thing from the vitriolic Toronto punk band of the same name. Frontwoman Katie Monks was so certain of Dilly Dally that in 2009 she and the band had their names tattooed on their arms before releasing a single body of music. Crawling straight from the underground, Monks’ coarsely-textured screams over instrumentals that groan and snarl like a rusty switchblade have cemented their reputation as one of the best punk bands of the moment. 

The release of their latest album ‘Heaven’ was the rebirth Dilly Dally were craving. Following the meteoric success of their debut album ‘Sore’, the aftermath was “a period of confusion and sadness – our friendships were tattered.” Monks reflects after performing at Headrow House in Leeds. “‘Heaven’ was very much a record we wrote for ourselves. I think we’d all grown so much spiritually in life, and the only way we could have made it was to shut out the whole world and make something special and healing for us.”

It would be easy to file Dilly Dally alongside the likes of Hole and Pixies, but Katie Monks is quick to point out that there was an effort to keep ‘Heaven’ away from contaminating influences. “I feel like for this record, especially, we almost tried to shut out the world and look inside ourselves instead.” She begins. “We tried to find what makes Dilly Dally, Dilly Dally. We just wanted to try and create our own thing without being confined to guitar music. Actually, a lot of the band listen to different genres so it’s easier to disguise what our influences might be.”

The lyrics in ‘Heaven’ lay down naked truths, at times pleading, at others yearning – more often than not, they are a cry for help. “I guess, secretly, I tried to put it together lyrically in a way that would reach out to people who struggle with depression. There are a lot of messages and hopeful thoughts and feelings to try and give people some positive tools with getting through depression. The music also, at times, illuminates the sadness that people might be feeling who we’re trying to reach out to.”

Many of the tracks on the album contend with our vices: ‘Sober Motel’ washes its hands of romanticising alcohol after bass player Jimmy Tony struggled with addiction. “Alcohol is a huge part of the music industry – I mean, you get paid in it when you’re starting out.” She laughs. Touring, and its toxicity, had marked the undoing of a band that began as tight-knit as Dilly Dally. “The thing with being on tour is if you have any skeletons in the closet, they will reveal themselves to everyone you’re around. Everybody is faced with their biggest insecurities and weaknesses. You have to look at yourself quite harshly in the mirror, sometimes, because the people who are constantly around you suddenly know you better than you know yourself.” 

“A lot of artists I know wear their hearts on their sleeves and allow themselves to be vulnerable with each other. It’s very hard to escape the mental health conversation when you’re in a band. I think, for Dilly Dally, that’s the most beautiful thing about this record: not only have we worked on our mental health in practical ways and focused on taking care of ourselves better while we’re on tour – like not sleeping on floors anymore – but the music itself is infused with healing qualities.”

The music industry, historically, has always been an unhealthy one – both physically and mentally. Dilly Dally are testament to this. However, does the frontwoman see signs of improvement in the age of open discussion and emphasis on self-care. “It’s hard to say.” She sighs, pausing for a moment. “For me, more than anything, it’s that there is a huge class divide in the music industry right now. The millions of fans or artists who are struggling to make ends meet can’t afford to be junkies anymore. You have to work so hard and do all these extra-curricular things; we only hired a manager seven months ago, before that we were hiring ourselves. All the things pile on top of each other, like managing your own tours and time. You just can’t afford to be the rock’n’roll stereotype anymore – unless we get our big break, then we’ll get really fucked up.” She laughs, before adding, “That was a bad joke.”

Success is measured by the records: that’s something Katie Monks knows unquestionably. “My records are my babies.” She says. Rightly so, they have been her greatest source of joy and struggle.  “The whole band is really proud of ‘Heaven’ because we wrote it together in an entirely different way to how we wrote the debut album. It was a lot more of ‘you do your thing, I’ll do my thing’ and we trusted each other. It feels like a Dilly Dally album, it feels so ‘us’, and we’re all really proud of that. A big part of success is if you’re making art you believe in. I have no control over how our music is received, but I go to bed every night knowing that I worked my ass off on something that came from the heart and has a good, positive message.”

Dilly Dally have forced themselves through a dark tunnel, and found light at the end of it. The release of ‘Heaven’ demarcated a new dawn for the band, but they show no signs of slowing down. “We just filmed this live music video with two different songs off the record. We curated this DIY show in this old warehouse in Toronto.” Katie Monks begins excitedly, “It used to be a coffin factory in the 1800s, and all these artists lived and worked there. It’s getting demolished soon, though, so it’s kind of an ode to this beautiful, creative space. I was living there this month, and very naturally was able to curate this show with all the people I know in the music scene. We made this really magical secret show, and we filmed these two songs. We’re putting that out after this tour. I’m really excited to do that and showcase our live performance to people who haven’t yet had the chance to see us in ways that they might not expect. And then write: which is something we’re able to do a lot faster now. We do have a manger which is really helpful. I’m very much hoping for the third Dilly Dally album to come out much sooner than the second one did. We’re also going to be doing a lot more touring – this time we’re aiming for the States.”

Dilly Dally, after all, had to die a little to reach ‘Heaven’.

[connorrenwick]

Where I Work: Kate Banazi

London-born, Sydney-based artist Kate Banazi is definitely one to watch if you don’t already have her in your sights. Her Instagram account is like a heaven where color and geometry meet in perfect harmony and you might remember this cool collaboration she worked on with another designer she met through that very same social media app. Focusing on silk screen printing, her playful work explores layers of graphic components, gridded structures, and bold color palettes that keep your mind intrigued just as much as your eyes. We decided to explore her process further by virtually heading to Sydney, Australia, to check out her art studio and to see a little bit of how she does it, in this month’s Where I Work.

What is your typical work style?

My work style is haphazard, depending on how late I worked the night before and work I have going on. I like to work on Saturdays and take my weekends as a Sunday and Monday, although the nature of what I do means I’m always drawing or working some idea through. I move between silkscreen printing at my studio to working on the computer or sketchbooks at home. Inevitability both places end up filthy.

What’s your studio/work environment like?

I think I’ll admit to messy although my studio mate, Daniel Gray, will probably say it’s much messier than messy – borderline feral.

How is your office organized/arranged?

I work from a factory unit in Sydney. I’m on a mezzanine level which has the kitchen and bathroom attached, so our door is always open and my other studio mates come through often. My space is organized into desk spaces and printmaking space – dry/wet space. I share my space with the illustrator Dan Gray Barnett and the whole unit is shared with a glass artist, a creative and media company and a photographer.

Photo by Jacqui Turk

How long have you been in this space? Where did you work before that?

I’ve been here three years now and before that I was in a beautiful space in Koskela, sharing with Joanna Fowles the textile designer. Before that, I was in my neighbours spare room and on a tiny plastic wrapped balcony at home. I’ve been so lucky with the support and friends I’ve made since I arrived in Sydney who have made space for me or pointed me in the right direction..

If you could change something about your workspace, what would it be?

The only thing would be to be able control the heat, the space is too cavernous to have air conditioning so there’s a couple of months of the year which are really bad for printmaking, so it’s always working a way around that as soon as the summer starts to hit.

Is there an office pet?

Stanley my dog comes in with me sometimes, he loves spending time with the other studios – probably because he gets spoilt and they’ve got sofas.

Do you require music in the background? If so, who are some favorites?

I love having the company of music or a podcast, we’ve got eclectic tastes so we keep it democratic with the weekly discover playlist on Spotify and now I’m hooked on the new gems I’m being sent every week. I’ve also been listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast ‘Revisionist History’ which has been really interesting.

How do you record ideas?

Sketchbooks, backs of hands, envelopes, text messages and poorly in my brain.

Do you have an inspiration board? What’s on it right now?

I don’t as everything keeps falling off the walls! I keep everything in sketchbooks, scraps of paper, and folders stacked high.

Photo by Jacqui Turk

What is your creative process and/or creative workflow like? Does it change every project or do you keep it the same?

It tends to differ with each project but always starts with a sketchbook and pencil, it’s my go-to beginning, a therapeutic start and is the easiest process for me to start ideas flowing.

What kind of design objects might you have scattered about the space?

We don’t tend to keep design objects in here as I’m so messy, it’s more of an industrial space. But I’ve got gifts from friends and families, a much loved Joe Colombo Boby trolley which holds all my pencils, a nodding dog from my mum, drawings from my son.

Are there tools and/or machinery in your space?

I’ve got a great selection of power tools plus the usual printmaking tools and machinery, an exposure unit, washbay, vacuum table. Most used tool must be the hairdryer and a scalpel.

What tool do you most enjoy using in the design process?

INK! Does that count as a tool? Pencils, all my equipment… I’m a lover of all my tools.

Let’s talk about how you’re wired. Tell us about your tech arsenal/devices.

A computer, a Wacom tablet, a scanner, camera and that’s about it.

What design software do you use, if any, and for what?

Photoshop and Illustrator are my tools for creating and producing the filmwork which I send off to be made up.

Is there a favorite project you’ve worked on?

So many that I feel lucky to have worked on with great people or collaborators, a recent one was with my friend Diego Berjon who lives in Spain, which became an across continent collaboration for WeWork in Sydney. We created a big body of work for their new building in Sydney. And the most recent would be the collaboration with Berlei for their centenary – seeing Serena Williams in a bra with my art on it made me cry a little!

Do you feel like you’ve “made it”? What has made you feel like you’ve become successful? At what moment/circumstances? Or what will it take to get there?

I’ve never thought about that because I’m always trying to learn new things by working with people in different disciplines. I feel successful in that I’m able to work on things I really enjoy or challenge me, within a creative industry that’s constantly changing. Working with great people like LocalDesign gives me a ‘shelter’ to develop ideas and a support system to try new things which I’m never going to take for granted, I’ve worked enough jobs that gave me little joy to know how lucky I am right now and that I’m always learning.

Tell us about a current project you’re working on. What was the inspiration behind it?

I’m working on a huge collaborative project with some and getting some new work together for the Stockholm Affordable Art Fair in September, as well as planning a new show in London for next year.

What’s on your desk right now?

I’ve had to clean it, I’m not showing you pictures of half eaten plates of food and moldy coffee cups. This is not a true representation, it is super tidy for me… and I found a load of things that I’d forgotten about!

Do you have anything in your home that you’ve designed/created?

Some clothes, some artwork and lots of not quite rejected objects that I consider are works in progress that sit around gathering dust until someone else quietly disposes of them and I don’t notice.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/17/where-i-work-kate-banazi/