These things of mine

These things of mine

Things.

They surround us everyday and they help us everywhere. Our own things inspire us to create in the same vein they themselves were created, and push us in directions we might not have otherwise imagined. They are more than just objects we have, but parts of ourselves. They tell stories of our journeys and remind us of who we are, where we came from, and the places we want to go.

This book is a collection of some of these special things that people surround themselves with daily, and their thoughts on why they matter.These are the things people look onto for inspiration in whatever field they roam, and the things that, without, they couldn’t do what they do - create, craft, fix, design, imagine...

These things are ours

Blake Dunlop _ Illustrator/Photographer

Sega Nomad A relic and piece of art from the tail end of gaming’s golden era. When I look at this I start to choke on the greasy Fish ‘n’ Chip-filled air billowing through the campground dairy where I threw my first Hadouken at E. Honda’s gut. As a human being, I can be prone to allowing the brain to overthink and clog every now and again and so, for me, gaming is like sleeping. I guess it’s escapism (sprinkled liberally with procrastination). It channels your brain to concentrate on a more singular function and reprograms it for a clean slate, much like the eraser slide on a magna-doodle. Once you take down M. Bison then you can go and get things done.Play-doh The smell. Shit. It’s like a time-machine to a past world; that place of naivety and an absence of inhibition; a place conducive to spawning ideas from nothing. I used to spend hours with this stuff making heads for toilet roll humans. Then I’d go and help my friends throw the weaker kids down various slides.Cameras Pretty much all of my snap boxes were acquired through conscientious thrift store visitation: instruction-less, and generally foreign. I guess the idea of unpredictability, educated guess-work, or the fact that you never exactly know how something is going to turn out will often add more to what you’ve tried to capture. Word of warning: It can also really fuck things up. Shooting on film keeps things exciting, it reattaches some of those truncated emotions that drop off you like leprosy as you grow older; it’s like recreating that Christmas morning for yourself every time you develop a roll. The full-metal jackets, build quality, chrome/leather materials, leather carry pouches and one design point-of-difference being that ‘it can fit in a gentleman’s suit pocket’: inspiring elements of a bygone era.PensI am a bit of fine black line fetishist. And paint in a pen? Nobel prize-type genius.Batman and Ninja Turtles Comics (C. 1989)There’s nothing quite like images and words all mashed together. Whether it be comics, movies, or resisting the urge to prematurely flick to the measly few images at the center of an autobiography, there’s untold inspiration to be found in any one of these creative forms. I spent one New Years Eve watching Batman and Batman Returns back-to-back. I didn’t regret it.

Drypnz _ Artist

I create objects of visual expression that seem to have become a giant self portrait exercise, the diss-evolved humans that are dumbed down from the lack of stimulation and to much safety seem to reflect my own existence within this town, city, country, nation, civilization, world, nothing.

I first became influenced to take the direction I’m on when I was about 17 and came to New Zealand in search for a new life. I have always been creative even from an early age, 5 and drawing underwater scenes with sharks and fish. My recent direction, both street and studio works is mainly due to my surroundings, peers, parents, and world media.

The objects I have supplied are just things, things that surround me every day. Things that influence me or confuse me, things I use or things that happen to sit on the shelf staring but actually do nothing. The things that make me smile and the things that make me question my position in the world. They are fun objects that question objectivity.

Gunter Muller _ Artist Hi... I like to think I do many things creatively, but in reality I find nothing more satisfying than painting. Applying paint to a surface is the only thing my brain can do for an extended period of time. As a somewhat socially retarded person I used to draw a lot as a kid, and anything went, because they were mine, my drawings that no one could comment on. This is where I found my love for all things different. Different in the experimental sense. Graffiti was my gateway to be as different as I possibly wanted to be. The can of spraypaint is my tool of choice. The idea of creating fine art with a medium that has such a stigma behind it is very exciting to me. My tiny sketchbook contains sketches from writers that I look up to from around the world, this book has been with me for more than 6 years. The other tiny book is a found book that I started drawing in. The style I found myself drawing with inspired me to create my latest series of paintings, something I am very excited about. I am a very big music fan, and create beats that I don’t show very often. I am very selfconcious with music, but it keeps my brain happy when paint isn’t near. I love my old sampler. The creation of a beat is the same form of layering fun that I have in my paintings. They relate... I am obsessed with the band Animal Collective. Everything they do has a massive effect on me creatively, I think it is their “fuck everything else” approach. For Reverend Green off the album Strawberry Jam is one of the greatest songs my ears have ever had the pleasure of hearing. I heard the song during an epiphany. The small tools are my workmates, the shittest tools I can find or buy. Usually $1 brushes and brown paper. Expensive tools? Does that make you a better artist? That’s why I use whatever I can find. I like to smoke cigarettes, especially while I paint....it makes me feel like a badass 50’s artist...but a happy one.

Tim Booth _ Jeweller

Silver nuggets, silver nuggets!!! Pure, clean and straight from the stream. Now.... to form these beautiful, irregular shapes into recognizable objects is a laborious and time consuming process, but one that comes with great satisfaction. Most of the tools above are involved in the flattening, cutting, filing, sanding and polishing that takes place in the cave below my house. From which I emerge bleary eyed to show Rebecca my newly formed wares.

There are a few items that stand out as influential to me. First of all, the small spidery looking critter in the corner. My dad is responsible for these silver creations which are the laval stage of the NZ Spiny Lobster and was a hobby of his in times gone past. While helping him I was first exposed to working with silver, and also produced a few little critters of my own. The shabby little stingray next to dad’s piece is one I made when I was around 9 and represents a starting point for me in working with silver. And also my first sale! Although it was to a family friend. The brooch in the front is a piece made by my auntie, Anne Culy. A visit to her studio and workshop in Dunedin when I was 10 was an eye opening experience for me and prompted my interest in silver and showed me the beauty of a finely finished piece of jewelry. Between the age of 11 and 22 there was a slight lapse in work ethic, until we come to the final and most influential item. My girly in the picture, was my prompting back into the world of silverwork. For her 22nd birthday I produced, rather tentatively, a set of knife and spoon earrings (in foreground) using the old tools and left over silver from my dad’s fairly depleted stockpile hidden in the far corners of a well-known hoarder’s garage. From these beginnings I have honed my skills, e.g. tiny wooden knife on knife pictured above. Sitting in a dimly lit cavern hunched over a tiny table shaping a piece of silver the size of your thumb nail… not everyone’s idea of a good time, but for me the challenge of producing a nicely finished piece is rather rewarding.

Sincerely,Tim’s Tiny Trinkets.

Charlotte McCrae _ Graphic designer

These ‘things’ reflect who I am as a creative. I have always believed that a Photograph can say 1000 words so will keep my explanation brief.I am a creative who studies Graphic Design and Typography. I am inspired by: details, paper, history, words, typefaces, grids, pieces of time, fashion, independent creative projects, people, drawing, crudeness, music, the unknown and tools that aid my creativity.These items are important to me as they have taught me how to express my creativity in some way or another.

“I think all creatives need things. Things are after all what we create.”

Andrew Steel _ Scientist/Artist

Bits And Bobs.A small poem about my stuff by Andrew J. Steel, 23 & ½ years old.

These objects are essential instruments required to creatively produce,items that magically give mere thoughts material juice, Individually they aren’t much use, but collectively the limits are profuse.All are an important part of process, from thought creation to idea implementation, though none will be of much use preventing economic inflation or fixing the Apollo space station.Objects to generate an idea, objects to give it flare, objects to document and objects to compare, with friends to share, even objects to mend your underwear.My items might not be too snappy, apart from the camera, but they are good at making me happy, they cheer me up when I’m feeling crappy.I surely won’t deny, the latest gizmos you wont spy, I’m a simple guy that is having a fling with DIY, I hope you liked this poem if you are high.

Matt Whitburn _ Furniture designer/Roofer

Winchester hunting knife. This knife is super sharp and practical. I’m not sure how I acquired it but have had it for 9 years and feel it will last my lifetime.Assortment of Air Force and Navy brass buttons. My ma gave me these for a birthday years ago. I thought it was a rather boring gift at the time but am now old enough to appreciate these beautiful buttons dating back to the second world war. Mini cigar nib cutter. This item doesn’t hold much value but it’s a good looking and practical tool I like a lot.Engraved brass shoe.I received this when my Nana passed away at the age of 12. It used to house her hair pins and sat on the window sill above the sink in her bathroom. I went through a faze of taking one each time I visited her then would try and pick the locks on the school gym at lunch and play time.Japanese fisherman ornament. My grandfather got this in Japan for my grandma when he was there to “clean up the mess” of the second world war. By far my most beloved item. It always reminds me of how free and fortunate we are growing up without the threats and constraints of war.Copper nails. I found these in the far reaches of my parent’s basement when I was a kid. They remind me of home.Small Japanese peering knife. Given to me by a friend. Authentic and practical.Clutch pen.I use this frequently to draw my furniture and lamp ideas I want to create.USSR Hat.I bartered with a crazy Turkish guy in Berlin for this hat. Reminds me of my travels.Velcro granddad slippers. Got them for $8 when I was 15 and there still going.Woven flax wallet. Found it when dumpster diving. Cannabis.I use this substance to think on a different level when stuck for ideas.Zippo lighter.Given to me by my mate for my 21st. I’ve got some tricks down but have nothing on the nerds on youtube.Super 8 video camera. Found it in its case in a pile of rubbish on Willis Street. Still in perfect condition.Engineers ink roller.My dad gave me this item. His dad got it for him when he began working with a local engineer at age 17. Still works.Bone carving. Carved by my dad.Brass dog with Pounamu necklace.Found the dog in a dumpster. Received necklace from my parents on my 21st.Milk bottle. You can’t see in this photo but in the picture on the bottle the calf is fighting off a piglet trying to steal its precious milk. Found in a dumpster. File and rasp. Crucial when I craft wooden objects. Easy wind up extension cord. Found in a dumpster.

Ivan Muller _ Graphic designer/Rap sprayer

I feel safest when working with black on white for then you are free from the feelings colours convey. The variety of black mediums serves as a personal growth timeline. Starting with the Sharpie permanent marker, for doodling and sketching out graffiti on paper. The ideology of graffiti culture led me to source larger markers such as the Pilot and inevitably to spray-paint. The aerosol can symbolise my addiction to the graffiti-art-movement and culture. A love affair that started out as a rebellious fling, but turned into a well-respected relationship. Graffiti is the reason why I chose to pursue the path of graphic design and typography. When I am designing graphics I take inspiration from graffiti and when I plan a mural I take inspiration from design principles. Everyday bridging the gap between the two disciplines.

Cigarettes, alcohol, Hunter S. Thompson and National Geographic go hand in hand and symbolise the inspiration I get from people I meet with alternative views on life. There is a lot you can learn with a head full of LSD travelling through an unknown countryside with only two cigarettes in your pocket.

Ralph Jenner _ DJ/Coffee Merchant

I run on, Music and mealtimes. Blogs and bicycles.

These are all pieces of me. Stuff that I have scooped up along the way. Some physical things and some which are just memories. I’m inspired by the act of collecting and the people who do so. Trading forgotten formats and other bits of “junk”. I work with my hands and am often curious of how things work. I’m inspired most by the people around me and all the amazing stuff they do and produce.

Vinyl _ Writer

These are my preferred tools.I like to cause vandalism with them.The mask is to hide my identity from the bitches in blue when painting,I like to draw inspiration from the local graffiti scene hence the local graff rag.I also have a metlink map so I know where I have been and can achieve my goal of ALL CITY.

Mitch Smyth _ Clothing designer The first day I tried sewing was when a mate came over and showed me something he had made, it was epic, so we started making clothes together. The first lot of gear we made was pretty shit but getting inspiration from each other, we soon built up out skill set. I soon moved to Wellington and with a shit job and no money began making clothes to sell and made a tidy side income and I never looked back.

Gun and ZippoWhen thinking or planning about anything I fidget hard out, the gun and Zippo are perfect for this. Being a closet gangster popping the trigger or flicking the lighter helps me to start or reignite my creative flow. HeadphonesWithout music I find it hard to get motivated, headphones are key, helps put out all other distractions.Bandanna, Glasses and Raiders CapEverything I make gets tried on by me, so a good sewing session is pretty much a dress up session too, so these accessories are good for getting in the mood to get busy creating.Scissors and PinsScissors and Pins are an essential part of my creation process, the easiest things to lose, especially when they are right in front of you but very little can be done without them!“Tracksuits and casualwear with your overlooker”Classic book I picked up off trademe a couple of years ago when I first got into it, has some amazing (an not so amazing) homemade gear in it, straight outta my childhood, every now and then I’ll give this book a flick through to get my creative blood boiling. Great little find.Op shopThe op shop is one of my primary sources of inspiration. You never know what you might find, what will ignite a flame and send you into a creative frenzy. This amazing piece of fabric was one of these great finds, its colours are awesome and its radical patterns help inspire me to get busy when I’m just not feeling it.

Shigeo Miwa _ Dancer/Painter/Lamp maker

Hammer knife dance it me.It means all items is hero of my life!They have no problem without meI have little problem without themThey give me extra power

Israel Tan _ DJ/Music Afficianado If you know me, then you know there are three things I love in this world, music, weed & fried chicken. All represented here from the various LP’s, 45’s and tapes etc. A mish mash of some my favourite artists - Alice Coltrane, James Brown, Black Sabbath, J Dilla, King Tubby etc etc. Tapes by Bad Brains & The Beastie Boys. DVD’s of Michael Jackson, Stones Throw - my favourite music label of all-time, the documentary Scratch which lit the fuse for me becoming a DJ (if you’ve seen the movie – that movie to me was like what Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket” was to those DJ’s). Books on Jazz, the Wu Tang Manual & pocket dictionary of the Maori language – I had to laugh because that particular book is yellow (myself also being of Chinese decent). The picture of Jesus I found after moving into a friends room and it always kind of intrigued me. I added the speech bubble as a way of saying “hey you don’t have to believe what they tell you” and “that you should make up your own damn mind up about things”. I suppose it’s more of a philosophic reference than religious. The knives – spots, dots – I love marijuana, it just sits with my vibe. Smokers can understand that so yeah, peace to all the smokers! As for the camera, I don’t shoot or anything, I just think its dope, instant photos, I’m down. Lastly the KFC box, ok, you can take all that fancy food you like – and I dig it too – but shit, if they said I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t even blink. All these things are like my friends I guess. All leading me to an earlier grave. But fuck it. Like they say, ‘it would be real stupid to die of nothin’.

Harry Culy _ Photographer/Skateboarder

This stuff helps my brain when I’m feeling jaded. I’m kinda obsessed by animals, so I collect stuff, animal mugs, teapots, whatever. People think I’m gay with my cat bag but whatever. I like to make lists, so stationary is very important to me. I’m border line autistic, having this stuff arranged symmetrically helps me clear my brain. Right now I am a photography student and a skateboarder. Thanks.

Alice Sharpe _ Architect

My name is Alice, I am an Architect, and these are my things. These objects represent a small snapshot of the tools that I use to do what I do, and love. The sketchbooks are particularly important to me as they contain a collection of drawings and thoughts assembled over time. Some have sketches, notes and maps from Rome where I spent time studying and drew a lot of inspiration from, others are from projects and ideas throughout university - and some from more recently containing ideas from projects at work and out of work that I am currently undertaking. The book collection is made up of both technical and inspirational material, these I think symbolise the balance that is constantly needed in the art. The headphones and Rotring T 0.5 pencil are old friends.

Oli Brook-White _ Bike mechanic

The bicycle to me equals freedom - freedom of thought and freedom of movement. From my first ride-on Triang tractor to my current Italian racing bike I’ve always lived for the feeling of being on wheels under my own power.

As a kid I used to ride from home to school and back again on my home-made tip-face one-speed purple cruiser with ape-hangers and banana seat, graduating as a teenager to riding from Oriental Bay to school in Johnsonville and back again on my 10 speed Raleigh Arena.

While building that purple freak machine, then later learning about the wonderful complexity of the derailleur gears on my ten-speed, I discovered that I loved tinkering with my bikes as much as I loved riding them. I spent so much time at the bike shop asking questions and borrowing tools that eventually the boss asked if I’d like a job, and I’ve worked in the trade for most of the next thirty-odd years.

I like the problem-solving aspect of repairs, as well as the craftsmanship it takes to do the very best work I can. I am also lucky enough to be known for the wheels I build. Constructing a wheel from it’s distinct components is something that is relatively easy to do, but very hard to do well. It takes a certain set of skills, which were handed onto me by several mentors including the great Empire Games Champion Ron Ulmer (Grandfather of Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Ulmer), but it also takes a great deal of feel that you either will develop or you won’t.

I am proud to say that wheels I’ve built and bicycles I’ve fettled have carried riders to National and World titles in situations of extreme duress, and it’s super rewarding to have been a part of such success. As well as loving running my own workshop doing general repairs, I’ve worked on races at all levels here and abroad and I love the challenges and quick-thinking/high-stress situations that bike racing can throw up...

As for the objects:The Detto Pietro shoes were my first pair of racing shoes, bought in 1979. They served me well and I won my first race in them, so they have great sentimental value. They are also a reminder of a more rudimentary time in bike apparel, where hand-made leather created by Italian artisans was the norm rather than mass-produced nylon and

carbon-fibre churned out in Asian factories.The Cinelli helmet is a favourite for much the same reasons, although also it is redolent of a style of rider aesthetic that I used to try and emulate but has long faded; a style epitomized by the Italian, French and Belgian Champions I used to see in the grainy black-and-white photos in the magazines I used to devour every month.The book “The Rider” is a lyrical book translated from the Dutch describing moment by moment the experience of a racer in a race - some passages are exact experiences I experienced, and all bike racers will relate to at least some of the writing. I no longer race, but if ever I want to recall how much it used to hurt I will reread this excellent novel.The cap is just one I love - the stripes are those of the World Champion, so perhaps it expresses what I used to imagine myself being as I rode my Raleigh Arena around the streets of Welington.The green (more accurately “celeste”) bottle is a souvenir bottle in the famed colour of my beloved bicycle marque, Bianchi. This historic brand of bicycle was established in Milan in 1885 and has been raced by some of the greatest Champions of cycling, such as Coppi, Gimondi and Pantani. I own three of these bicycles and, even though they are all over 15 years old, they ride as nicely as anything made today, if not more nicely. Like a Ferrari “tifosi” with his car, I’m bewitched by the Bianchi brand.The Campagnolo Super Record rear derailleur dates from 1977 and is an example of the jewel-like components that all aspiring bicycle racers used to lust after, but only a few could afford. It took me a year of saving before I could afford one and I still remember the smell and feel of opening the blue box and unwrapping it from the wax paper is lay in. The technology has moved on so far from this I’d hesitate to use it these days, but it still inspires with the sheer quality of the aluminium and titanium fabrication.The Campagnolo chain tool is modern, but still epitomizes the superb engineering and tool-making standards that Italy has always renowned for. I look forward to breaking and joining chains just so I can use this tool.Again, I call on Campagnolo to inspire me. This time, it’s the derailleur hanger alignment tool (the long dog-legged tool) that fires me up. I love this tool because it assumes that the user is on top of his game, relying on the old “eye-ometer” instead of the other brands precise dials and gauges. I know guys who have fixed bikes for years and years who won’t trust themselves to use this version of a much-required tool, but I use it happily.The Raleigh spoke tool was given to me by one of my early wheelbuilding mentors, 2x National Wheelbuilding Champion Henry Chlebowicz. Again, it’s a tool that requires an innate feel and knowledge to use, so not any mechanic would be comfortable with it. I love the more guru aspects of bicycle repairs - the stuff you can’t be taught, you can only learn.*The Park three-way allen tool is just cool. Without actually chucking it I wield it like a throwing star, and it’s invaluable on the start line of a race when you need to make a lightning fast adjustment.The final object is the actual jersey NZ’s first ever double Summer Olympian Susy Pryde wore at the Sydney Olympics. Susy was my boss at my first World Championships and took me on as her mechanic for NZ’s only women’s professional cycling team, the now defunct Jazz Apples Team. As an athlete, a boss and a person Susy is one of the people who has most inspired me in my work in the last 6 years or so, and I’m super proud to be called a “mechanic extraordinaire” by this extraordinary woman who doesn’t give praise lightly.

Maximillian Scott-Murray

2011

For more info on the people included in this book and the work they do, please visit the website

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Peace