Typographica's Top Fonts of the Year

More hotness- I really dig Estilo (and cheap!!), Freight, and Herr Schwartz-kopf's triple sweep.

The Walls Belong To Us

In October 2006, a Special Investigations Unit of the New York Police Department performed a search of writer, artist and publisher Alain KET Maridueña's From Here to Fame (FHTF) home office. They seized documents, computers, art supplies and equipment used in publishing three of FHTF's titles. The seized materials included historical photos being used for an upcoming book on the history of New York City's graffiti movement, images for a book being published with Michael O'Mara books from London and slide shows for university lectures. As an artist, historian and journalist, all of the materials seized are used for work purposes and pose no risk to anyone. The seized property was to be analyzed and, if deemed criminal by the District Attorney's office, indictments would be handed down.

In March 2007, police returned to Alain's home to arrest him on criminal mischief charges, violating an agreement that Alain's lawyer, Daniel Perez, and the District Attorney worked out for Alain to voluntarily surrender. At the time, Alain was out of town and the Brooklyn District Attorney's office was forced to work with Perez to arrange for Alain to surrender to face formal indictment charges in three separate counties.

On March TK, 2007, Alain turned himself into the Brooklyn District Attorney's office and was charged with three counts of criminal mischief in the second degree, a class D felony. After being released on his own recognizance by the judge, Alain was re-arrested and taken to Manhattan to be formally indicted there. On his way out of the courthouse, photographers snapped photographs of Alain which indicate that the case was larger than previously imagined. Alain spent the night in jail in Manhattan before seeing Judge Yates in the morning. The charges in Manhattan amounted to nine separate charges ranging from criminal mischief in the second degree to possession of graffiti tools. Unlike the Brooklyn judge who released Alain on his own recognizance, Yates granted the District Attorney's request for $50,000 bail. For the next week, Alain sat in jail coordinating with friends and family to raise the needed bail money. Queens County's indictment was still pending.

On March TK, 2007, Alain was transported from his cell in the Manhattan correctional facility to a Queens court to face indictment. In this case, the judge did not grant the District Attorney's request for $50,000 bail and instead reduced the bail to $10,000. From Queens, Alain was transported back to his cell in Manhattan until all the bail money could be raised. He was finally released on March TK, a full week after surrendering to the District Attorney. Today, Alain faces a possible 20 years in prison in what has become increasingly clear is a politically motivated attempt to silence a writer, publisher, historian and artist whose work popularizes an art form criminalized by city government policy.


Art Auction To Benefit Ket's Legal Defense begins online July 25th.


"The Walls Belong To Us"art auction

"Supportket.org"

"Support Ket on Myspace"

Big Brother is getting bigger

3000 Cameras to cover NYC below Canal Street. Terrorists and art vandals beware.

"Those who prefer security to liberty deserve neither."
- Benjamin Franklin

2 shows in NYC this week

TUES JULY 10, 7-10pm, LE SOUS SOL. 137 Rivington, LES
J Strix, Chris Yormick, Steve Zeitzoff


FRIDAY, JULY, 13, 7-10pm
McCaig Welles and COPE2 are proud to present "New York Legends", an exhibition of works by COPE2, SEEN, BLADE, GHOST, IZ THE WIZ, and JONONE.
Press Release Follows:

The McCaig-Welles Gallery and COPE2 is pleased to present an exhibition of work by COPE2, GHOST, BLADE, SEEN, IZ THE WIZ, and JONONE. The exhibition will open with a reception for the artists on Friday, July 13, 2007 from 7-10pm.

A collection of old school graffiti legends gather at McCaig Welles for a group show, brought together by "The King of Kings" COPE2. Prominent writers of the early seventies and eighties, they are the forefathers of the graffiti art world. Having individually achieved international fame and success, they come together again in New York City where it all began thirty years ago,

The exhibition will be on display until July 29th, 2007.

Phototype

Just found this specimen in an old phototype book in Korea- the same wonky alphabet used for the bit of signage in an older post. One of the best things about Asia is the sheer volume of really cheap phototype books that you can find everywhere. Some really rad (and really crappy) reworkings of classic fonts with goofball names and no publisher contact info whatsoever.
For example, check out "Melior Flare"- so rad, yet so wrong!

Happy Fourth of July... From Coney Island