Sunday 16 January 2011

HALDEN PRISON - NORWAY.




That Norwegian artist Dolk was commissioned to paint a 1 Million pound piece in the exercise yard of Halden.
Imagine how this sort of thing would go down with the British Taxpayers?










The £15 million Halden Prison took 10 years to build and has been touted as the most humane in the world for its 252 inmates.
Prison authorities claim the luxury environment of the 75-acre site helps reduce the country’s already very low crime rate.
Each inmate gets a private cell with mini-fridge, flat-screen TV and even a private en-suite bathroom and barless windows - because they let in more sunlight.
Then for every 12 to 15 rooms there is a top-spec kitchen with stainless steel work tops and lounge areas complete with IKEA-style sofas and coffee tables.
To cap-off their stay at Halden the prisoners are also able to use a gym, complete with rock-climbing wall, a music studio, and a luxury library.

Saturday 15 January 2011

SPANGLED

4 COLOUR SCREEN PRINT ON SOMERSET 300GSM CARD.
SIGNED AND NUMBERED EDITION OF 25.
50×70CM.

THE ONE,PARIS

Probing the edges of system late one night we found her, The One. That place in the system which sets itself apart from the rest. Like NYC's City Hall or Sydney's St James, this is Paris' jewel: An abandoned section of tunnel converted into an underground facility, including a tunnel packed with the fading red and green of vintage Sprague rolling stock waiting to be moved to a museum.





True to Parisian form not only was the space enjoyed for what it was, it was enjoyed for what it could provide as a party venue.The dumbest possibility was embraced and using the power already provided a huge stereo system was hauled in for the sickest party of the year. A few hours after it all kicked off nosy residents in the street above reported swarms descending upon their swank little cul de sac. Four cops arrived and discovered 200+ people partying to deafening music in an abandoned metro tunnel full of old trains. Word raced through the crowd as the four bewildered police reached the edges of the mob. The gates to the live system were flung open and 1/3 fled via the live tracks, 1/3 managed to escape via a vent shaft and the rest well, they were just too damn blazed to give a fuck.





Naturally the RATP flipped and in the weeks following the locks were changed to virtually unpickable Abloy Disc-Lock Pros and the other entrances locked, plated and welded shut. Access had lasted only a month and with total lockdown the party was over. Finally the Sprague-Thompson's can rest in peace until the day they're cleaned up and given a real home.