Canada’s postering scene makes its mark (CBC article)

[DevO]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/poster.html

Poster Expressionists

Canada’s postering scene makes its mark

By David Balzer

March 9, 2006

Stroll up the Mile End portion of Montreal’s Boulevard Saint-Laurent or down the gallery-lined sidewalks of Toronto’s West Queen West district, and you’ll likely see them: silkscreened or spray-stenciled posters in a neon rainbow of hues, typically on high-quality paper stock, promoting indie-rock gigs or underground dance parties.

Postering is hardly a new thing — notwithstanding periodic snits by politicians and local business associations, it’s been subculture’s modus operandi for decades. It’s the aesthetic quality of the posters, however, that bears renewed examination. Rarely in the past 20 years have so many bands sought out screen printing, as opposed to that old punk standby, photocopying (or more recently, design-for-dummies software like Photoshop and Illustrator). What’s more, current silkscreened posters are clearly slaved over; they’re detailed, clever and, quite often, utterly gorgeous. Fans raid bulletin boards and poles for them; websites like GigPosters.com allow aspiring and established artists to display their goods and devotees to buy them.

A superficial investigation leads to a single, prolific instigator: Montreal’s Serigraphie Populaire — Seripop for short — a small, five-year-old studio run by noise-rock enthusiasts Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau. So prevalent is Seripop’s vision that one can hardly imagine contemporary Montreal without it. The studio’s unmistakably garish aesthetic — a heavily psychedelic, nearly illegible approach that makes a kind of bloodbath of vintage Push Pin Studio-style graphics — has in many ways become the city’s turn-of-the-millennium wallpaper, coinciding with Montreal’s recent coronation as North America’s hipster metropolis. (Seripop has made posters for ultra-hyped local bands like the Arcade Fire and the Unicorns.)

The studio is gaining such a profile that Lum and Desranleau have embarked on a European gallery tour taking them to Berlin, Paris and Hasselt, Belgium’s Dramarama Festival. And yet, according to Lum, Seripop’s plan “was never grand.†In fact, her angular, screechy band AIDSWolf (in which Desranleau plays drums) takes priority over studio activities. “First and foremost, we were musicians and we wanted to promote ourselves and didn’t want to have to hire someone else to do it,†Lum says. “And a lot of our friends were in bands and we wanted to do the same for them. More people know who we are now, but our day-to-day reality remains the same: 85 per cent of the work we do is still for underground bands.â€

Courtesy Seripop.

Courtesy Seripop.

Truth be told, the Seripop phenomenon is merely a manifestation of a do-it-yourself sensibility that has deep roots beyond Montreal. As designers and musicians, Lum and Desranleau are very much indebted to the thriving arts scene of Providence, R.I. — particularly to Fort Thunder, a collective that, since the mid-1990s, has been successfully marrying loud avant-garde music with paper culture, especially printmaking. An equally strong influence on Seripop is the Marseille, France-based group Le Dernier Cri, whose tentacles spread all over the world. They have a significant Quebec contingent, which includes alternative comic legend Julie Doucet, who has published mainly with Drawn & Quarterly in her native Montreal and has contributed artwork to Le Dernier Cri anthologies.

Seripop’s founding in 2000 coincided with two other key developments on the Montreal screen-printing front: the emergence of Studio Alphonse Raymond, a gathering of similarly industrious artists, and the Mobilivre/Bookmobile project, a traveling trailer library full of zines, small press books, flyers and other ephemera.

Why these methods, and why now? “Punk rockers are growing up,†explains Will Munro, the Toronto promoter, DJ and artist who runs queer dance nights Vazaleen, Peroxide and Moustache, all of which employ spray-stenciled or silkscreened posters. “The aesthetic that we’re seeing comes from a post-hardcore culture, from people who strongly believe in making culture for themselves. We’re living in a time when everything is advancing technologically, but most of it’s boring. It’s a reaction, really. People putting on events are trying to present them as more than just capitalism, so they put forth more effort.â€

Circumstance and timing help, too. Michael Comeau, Munro’s promotional designer for Vazaleen, is quick to point out that “Toronto is way behind Montreal†as a hub of the handmade, mostly because real estate in Montreal has always been cheaper, thus allowing silkscreeners to set up shop more easily. Comeau also speaks of Montreal’s ongoing dedication to “low art†principles: a belief that art can and should emerge publicly, anywhere and at any time, without the support of a commercial gallery system to regulate its flow. That might explain why the most important DIY postering scenes of late have cropped up in Providence, Marseilles and now Montreal rather than, say, New York, London or Paris.

Courtesy Seripop.

Courtesy Seripop.

But undertaking screen-printing as a career is never a breeze, no matter where you are. Comeau and Seripop’s Lum readily admit to the gruelling, unglamorous nature of their passion. Financial commitments aside, the very act of silkscreening is tedious and physically punishing, involving lots of repeated movement: bending, lifting and crouching. Lum and Comeau are full of quasi-Dickensian war stories; chronic knee, back and neck problems abound. Astoundingly, Seripop turns out approximately three multicoloured posters a week, each with print runs of more than 100. The visibility of their work, then, seems as much a sign of roaring success as of masochistic obsession. Earlier this year, Seripop invested in an automated press, which in Lum’s view was a necessity, not a perk; she was developing such bad carpal tunnel that she was beginning to have problems just holding a pencil.

There are also politics at play in such steadfastness. Comeau used to co-run a print shop and gallery in Toronto’s Kensington Market, and expresses intense pride at being able to produce great quantities of work under his own steam. He notes that in the face of increasing corporate outsourcing and automation, he’s a rare breed. Sure, style is part of it — just don’t dare tell him that silkscreening is a quaint trend with retro cachet.

“That you can translate a drawing through serigraphy into something that’s as lush and beautiful as the amount of hard work you’re willing to put into it really means a lot,†Comeau says. “You can subvert the art and advertising industries. You can subvert galleries because you’re showing your work on the street. You can subvert mainstream publishers by publishing your own stuff, and by doing it in a better way than they ever could.â€

Oddly enough, Seripop has recently been displaying its posters in galleries across the U.S. and Canada. In October, the group finally made its local debut, co-showing at Montreal’s Madam Edgar with Providence-based artist Gunsho. Seripop has also done illustrations for magazines like En Route and Maisonneuve. Granted, the studio takes on most of this higher profile work selectively and by request. According to Lum, their founding ethos is in no danger of changing any time soon.

“We don’t go after big contracts, or have an agent or a rep — that’s not the kind of work we’re looking for,†she says. “Ultimately, we’re very stubborn people. When we quit our jobs in order to do this, we knew we were going to be broke, but we made the decision that it’s more important for us to do what we want to do every day than to have money. We still scramble for rent, but I could never see myself working for a huge design firm. I think I’d rather be dead than do that.â€

[bouche]

I think we were just in that area for the Slip, but somehow didn't notice posters.

[SmoothedShredder]

Those posters are great looking, but...

I find the article misleading because, I've never really seen them up on Queen West or in Kensington. And if they do go up, they're probably ripped down within hours.

For example, I was postering today down there, returned for the start of a show tonight at the Elmo, and These huge glossy printed posters had been put over top. In some cases I found the remnants of my posters thrown right on the ground underneath... ripped off while it was still wet.

Then you have to deal with the city, who are pretty much dealing with the problem by having 7 day a week removal done by what it seems like an small army of people with paint scrapers.

Postering is ruthless, and I couldn't imagine any indie group wanting to pay for quality silk screening which certainly would cost more than black and white photo copies, when the lifespan of a poster is a day at best.

There have been some serious discussions in the last couple of days at Toronto City Hall about changing the by-laws, and how they have proposed it I am in favour of. They would limit the size of posters to 8.5x11's, which would stop the Guvernment from stealing all prime locations with their sq. km's of Rave advertizing.

Posters' would also have to use staples, so only utility poles, and newly constructed kiosks could be used. They would also discourage having posters covered over. There's significant discussion that if you put up a poster, you may be responsible for taking it down, but it would be interesting to see how they would enforce that considering the current state of the issue. i.e. They have laws against the current practice of postering but they are never enforced... just cleaned up quickly and effectively.

Anywho, I love the art behind the posters. I liked how Phish and Pearl Jam would have different professionally designed posters for each date on the tour... it was a great touch... I just find it hard to deal with the ruthlessness of the current postering environment, and think it keeps promoters from becoming more active with their postering and postering design.

[YearsAlongTheSea]

I feel you on the lifespan front of the poster situation and I like what I'm hearing on the policy front. But I will say, I'm a big fan of great artwork being used as a promotional tool as long as these pieces aren't wasted, aka torn down on placed over, but maybe distributed or displayed more effectively. And yes, Phish (forget the artists' name), and a great number of other bands have put out amazing pieces of art comemorating their shows.

[Blane]

seripop is amazing, by the looks of it, I'd say Jack Dylan did the Surprise Me Mr. Davis ep cover.

Check out his stuff, it's all over the streets of montreal, and doesn't get torn down. Also gets sold at art shows though. I've seen two of his shows in the past year.

His sense of irony (about the MTL scene and his own art in general) is brilliant.

A few samples:

This one is part of a "superhero" series of 5 or 6:

My fave recent poster (especially funny because I first saw it posted on the telephone post that it's "set" in front of).

Fucking auto-resize. The dialogue there is:

-Girl 1: I like that guy's illustrations, but I'm kinda maxed out on them.

-Girl 2: No fucking kidding

Edited March 10, 2006 by Guest

[DevO]

They may not be the norm, but I've always appreciated a nice show poster. The Tijuana Bibles design and silkscreen their own posters for their shows - they've made some real keepers.

On the topic of the legalities of postering.. Back in 1993, a local Peterborough folkie named Reverend Ken Ramsden was charged by the local authorities for postering (breaking a local bylaw at the time). The Reverend lost the case, then appealed. Eventually this ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada, as it entailed our Chartered right to freedom of expression. I believe that he won, paving the way for all you promoters to not get arrested for putting up the posters. Maybe StoneMtn can add some info? Hey, check this out:

Ramsden v. Peterborough (City) (1993) 2 S.C.R. 1084.

I tip my hat to Reverend Ken!

Edited March 10, 2006 by Guest

[mattm]

Man, cities should all do what they've done here in ottawa with the poster sleeves. They have metal, about 3 or so feet high and protruding about 1/2 foot off a lot of downtown posts specifically for postering. You can put them up for 21 days. The bylaw also says that you can put a poster on a post without a sleeve so long as there is no sleeve within 200 m of said post.

rules

Edited March 10, 2006 by Guest

[SmoothedShredder]

Ya I like the Ottawa Version of those... now if you could only get enough bands to go there to fill them up with posters!

[YearsAlongTheSea]

Coming soon to an Ottawa near you.

[Large Marge]

There have been some serious discussions in the last couple of days at Toronto City Hall about changing the by-laws, and how they have proposed it I am in favour of.

From the Toronto Public Space Committee :

Specific notes on the new proposal:

Definitions

The new bylaw defines "COMMUNITY POSTER" as "a poster promoting citizen participation in religious, civic, charitable or non-profit activities and events, or advertising festivals, community events, political ideas, or missing persons, pets or items." We are happy to see that "community poster" has been defined in an inclusive way. We strongly encourage the addition of "arts and cultural events" to the definition which would include small-scale music and theatre performances which may not be "non-profit". We also feel that small local business should somehow be included, ie: piano lessons, babysitting, etc.

Size

The new bylaw restricts the size to a "letter size" piece of paper (8.5 x11). We'd like to encourage going up to at least legal (8.5x14) size paper. Most of the really beautiful screen-printed posters are larger than 'letter'. Indeed, many of them are 11x17.

Affixing

The new bylaw only allows poster that are "securely attached flush to the surface of the utility pole using staples or removable tape." We'd like to see the inclusion of glue. Tape can get very messy, especially in the winter when tape simply doesn't stick. Staples don't work on concrete poles of course. Water-based paste is enviro-friendly too.

Overlap

The new bylaw states that "a poster may not cover or overlap another poster or community poster, in whole or in part. Posters or community posters can be only one layer thick." We understand the motivation – no one wants the unsightly buildup that can happen in major postering corridors. But we don't believe that this approach is an enforceable or workable solution. This could lead to an increase in littering as posterers are unlikely to carry a recycling bag with them. We are also concerned about the potential for conflict on the streets as people are removing other people's posters. Street cleaning and maintenance should be carried out by city staff on a scheduled basis. Posterers could be 'encouraged' to remove outdated posters, but creating an obligation to remove other posters is unnecessary and problematic.

Removal

The new bylaw states that "the community poster is displayed for not more than...five days after the end of the advertised event." In general, this makes sense. But again, we find this is an unrealistic request and makes it difficult to be a law-abiding citizen.

Fines

The new bylaw states that "Any person who contravenes any provision of this article is guilty of an offence. ...The sign removal fee payable to the City under is $60 per sign." The idea that a community group could be charged $600 for a minor violation, such as putting up ten posters that overlap on top of other posters, is absurd. Individuals and groups who rely on community postering often do not have much money. That's why they are postering! Because they can't afford advertisements in magazines or newspapers or on billboards. This is the LAST group of people who should be a target for City revenue through bylaw enforcement. A small fine is sensible, to ensure compliance. But it should be a one-time fee applied to the group, rather than multiplied for each poster.

We all want this bylaw to work, and for it to work it has to be realistic. The TPSC would be very happy to discuss possible alternatives and we're sure that together we could come up with a workable alternative that would be both easy to abide by and serve the intent of proposed clauses.