Words by Madeleine Boyd
What the world needs now …
Magical, huggable microbes to make FriendsWithYou
Rev. Samuel Albert Borkson and Arturo ‘Tury’ Sandoval III are two parts that make FriendsWithYou alchemy. From the FWY bases in Miami and NY they are spreading feelings of Magic, Luck and Friendship through the medium of loveable plush characters, art-playgrounds and rainbow-bright graphic designs. The legend goes that unbelievably small microbes that live under the ‘wishing’ part of your brain have been enlarged to communicate their message and help the world dream. FWY characters Malfi, Red Flyer, The Boy, Mr TTT Burger, Albino Squid, Shoebaca and a whole crew of others are here to help … if you’re lucky! ‘Magic is real, luck is fun, and friendship is the entire story wrapped in a fun chant!’
FWY magical creatures and art-works have spread quickly through the world since their first appearance in our dimension during 2002. New plush series releases are eagerly anticipated by their love-hyped fans and serious collectors – check VinyPulse and KidRobot for updates. The popularity of FWY artwork is shared throughout the world, touching on a common thread of understanding. ‘People are more and more alike around the world. Now that we can all broadcast our thoughts to the entire world, we realise we are not so different.’
The first edition of the FWY compilation book and manifesto, released through Die Gestalten Verlag in October 2006, sold out on release. It’s now available in reprint. This is a relief, because it’s a must-have companion to comprehending FWY legend. The compendium documents their ‘wizard powers’ from concept scribbles to major installations. Borkson and Sandoval talk about their approach like a special mission. ‘A big giant connection of all art and artists working towards a fresh and happy consciousness through media and information reaching as many people as we can.’
The new FWY website can get you through the magic portal as well, like a magic carpet ride for the senses. It’s not all happy, happy, joy, joy though. There are lessons to be learned, so consider carefully before casting your wish. If ‘Albino Squid’ transmutes from the wishing place to become your special friend, remember that ‘he is a jerk’ he ‘reminds you how not to act’ or, if you are the jerk ‘he wants to kick the ass of all your competitors and help you rule the world!’
Luckily, the world-wide explosion of vinyl and plush toys happened around the same time as FWY. They were instantly established as pioneers of plush, introducing the genre of collectable free-form/twisted character soft toys. The love of plush and vinyl characters is still expanding and diversifying, as our favorite 2-D artists (Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, Fafi …) embrace the delights of 3-D collectables. Even ‘tough’ Graff artists like Flying Fortress are doing it. It has become a design revolution.
The medium of art-toys with a freestyle approach has opened the floodgates of imagination, not to mention bringing the financial delights of merchandising and branding to independent artists. The ability of each artist to put their message and their designs out there through websites and fresh-minded art-toy companies like StrangeCo. has also played an important role – getting ideas past the dream censors at big companies like Hasbro and Disney. ‘The whole collection of the universe is guiding all artists to an interconnected spirituality mission of fun and information connection. It will make for a great universe that is all one. We are just hearing the signals that feel purest to us.’
At the Miami Basel International Art Show 2006, FWY established a spectacular presence with their Skywalkers parade. A series of giant and bizarre character inflatables – enormous versions of their plush collectables – were pulled bobbing through the air above crystal white sands at Miami Beach. Volunteer art-lovers, tourists and the occasional model were happy to join in the fun, despite the risk of flying out to sea with their giant friends. The ethereal quality of inflatables perfectly evoked the imaginative surrealism of FWY. For FWY it was ‘the best feeling and most important thing we could do in the moment, glowing love and spreading our perception to other dimensions while making some really nice friends and lovely art in the process. Mostly it was something that is a highlight of life.’
Not only a visual delight, the Skywalkers parade marked a major leap for the avant-garde urban art movement that is sweeping into and over institutions of the bourgeois, ‘hi-brow’ art-world. ‘We’ll Make a Lover of You’, curated by Francesco LoCastro together with the Jonathan Levine Shooting Gallery and other galleries, brought together the freshest underground/low-brow/graphic/pop-surrealist artists that are rocking art right now. These included Ron English, Jeff Soto, Yumiko Kayukawa, and Shepard Fairey, alongside FWY. The Skywalkers parade also included pieces by other awesome art-crews pushing the boundaries of aesthetics, art and magic – PaperRad, MumbleBoy, David Choe and Devilrobots. ‘The crew grows bigger by the moment. We have so many extensions we are like Beyonce’s hair or an awards show.’
FWY recently presented (and performed in character costume) at another event significant to contemporary art and character design the Second Annual Pictoplasma Conference in Berlin. Artists present included Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, eBoy, Emily the Strange, Flying Fortress, Pete Fowler, Furi Furi, Genevieve Gauckler, MadReal, Dalek, Jon Burgerman, Fons Schiedon, Obey Giant, Miss Van, and many more. The intention of the conference was to explore the power and wonder of a new visual language of character design. Consider the lasting power of Hello Kitty, and the rising omnipresence of characters like Scary Girl, Gloomy Bear and Emily the Strange in our visual world of fashion, art, merchandise and marketing.
The artist as world-creator evokes exceptional worlds to engage the hearts and minds of their fans. The art-works, objects that represent elements of these worlds, then become the means to transport us to a different way of feeling; to connect with something bigger. Something real but trans-dimensional. The key to the characters FWY and other ‘character artists’ are putting out is the way they represent pure emotion through form and expression. It’s not by reason, but the surreal mind and the heart that we connect with FWY artworks. ‘The Boy’ is a simple white form with polka-dot blue eyes, but ‘The Boy is not a toy! He is a magical spirit!’
Ultra-cool Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s touring group exhibition ‘Superflat’ presented a similar theme in fresh contemporary Asian arts arising from otaku or anime culture. The artworks are drawn together by their use of bright colours flat graphic style and uber-joyous expression, often mixed with shocking darkness – living dead bunnies and grotesque mice. The concept behind Murakami’s series is the growing expressive power of imagination in a homogenised and pressurised world. The potential of the self is realised outside of the mortal coil, and this brings real feelings of joy, happiness and understanding. In the Murakami tradition, FWY has created a super-flat world through its striking graphic style. FWY add, on the role of art as a pathway to other dimensions, ‘this life is one play occurring at the same time as another. We are floating consciousness enjoying a special opportunity right here and in other planes.’
FWY plush art-toys are the 2-D graphic characters come to life, to play and hug. FWY fine artworks are also interactive – giant playgrounds for all ages. FWY installations have appeared at the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); the prestigious Fox Hotel art project in Copenhagen; a Wishing Well series, the ‘Garden of Friendship’ at the Diesel Denim Gallery, NY and they’ve recently installed the ‘Rainbow Valley’ children’s playground at the Aventura Mall in Florida. These installations are like modern rituals – interactive, spiritual, imaginative and processual. The themes are mountains, clouds, spirit-beings, rainbows and polka-dots. ‘Pattern, chaos; each a tiny little universe all in relation to each other in the exterior polka dot realm. It’s sometimes kinetic.’
Cloud City was a ‘larger-than-life’ playground installation which inaugurated annex MOCA at Goldman Warehouse in Miami. Cloud City celebrated the innocence of youth and referenced tribal rituals. Viewers encountered slides, toys, and massive foam characters. FWY members performed in character during the installation and are certainly having fun with these oversized magical playgrounds. Asked about their favorite dream projects, they say ‘ALL of them. It’s too hard to tell the best ones. We are really exploding so many fun things. We are making all of our dream projects now – playgrounds, theme parks, resorts, toys, magical vessels, shows, games, adventures, magic spreading. And sharing mystical experiences with the world.’
Original and unique musical scores accompany the FWY installations. Arturo ‘Tury’ Sandoval III is the grandson of Cuban jazz legend Arturo Sandoval I, who played alongside Dizzy Gillespie and other greats of the era. Arturo I composed the music for the Skywalkers parade. FWY compositions sound a little like electronic eight-bit jazz of the trans-dimensional future, curiously calming, delightfully trance-like. They often collaborate with the Parisian sound design duo Mami Chan and Norman Bambi of PonPoko (http://perso.orange.fr/doowop/). The CD of the soundtrack to the FWY Cloud City installation and the Rainbow Valley playground is now available online. OMG! The new nursery rhyme from the future has come to bless everybody! Want to rock it out in an imaginary world? Want to dance and play and DREAM! Yes, let’s start to do it. Let’s play in the future together for love and light! Magic, Luck, And Friendship music comes alive! Cloud City was a magical ritual which involved this original music, at each changing of the melodies lays another level of the Cloud City universe!
FWY has not yet exhibited in Australia, but to those who have not encountered the FWY legend, they have this special message ‘Yes. Please join our powerful club where we will soon all get magic powers and share in an amazing moment together, once you realise everything is FriendsWithYou if you want it to be then you are super!’
www.friendswithyou.com
See also our FriendsWithYou Plush Toy Gallery, FreindsWithYou Rainbow Valley Gallery and FriendsWithYou Skywalker Parade Gallery
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