Love Interruption

In the middle of Stavanger city there is a huge wall with letters, a text made by Ben Eine, on of my faviourite street artists. I saw it first time late evening and it was dark but the wall was lighten up with spots.

I could make make words of the letters, and the sentence made just partly sense. The words and the sentence was poetic.

Months later, I'm sitting on the the light train home from work and listen to music as usual. I listen to Jack White and "Bing!!!" the connection is made. The lyrics of Jack White and writing on the wall in Stavanger. I've heard thet song "Love interruption" lots of times, but never made the connection before. It's a great song. If you look closely Ben Eine`s text is altered a bit from the original lyrics.

  

Love Interruption

I want love to: roll me over slowly,
Stick a knife inside me, and twist it all around.
I want love to: grab my fingers gently,
Slam them in a doorway, Put my face into the ground.
I want love to: murder my own mother,
Take her off to somewhere, like hell, or up above.
And I want love to: change my friends to enemies,
Change my friends to enemies, and show me how it's all my fault.

And I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me
I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me
Yeah I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me, anymore.

I want love to: walk right up and bite me,
Grab a hold of me and fight me, leave me dying on the ground.
I want love to: split my mouth wide open,
And cover up my ears and never let me hear a sound
I want love to: forget that you offended me,
Or how you have defended me when everybody tore me down
Yeah and I want love to: change my friends to enemies,
Change my friends to enemies, and show me how it's all my fault.

Yeah I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me
I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me
Yeah I won't let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me, anymore.

Eine: Letters into words that make you think!

Im a big fan of Eine. Ben Eine have done graffiti and streetart for about 20 years and have been arrested a numerous times for his graffiti works around London. His interest in typography tranformed him into a street artist who work with big letters, typography and usually forming words or small sentences. Ben Eine is the "street artist who made it to the white house". When David Cameron visited Barack Obama in July 2010, he gave Obama a screen print made by Eine which read "TWENTY FIRST CENTURY CITY". A brilliant peace of work and Ben Eine later, in an interview, said:

"It's quite mad, really," says Eine whose early creative life as a particularly productive graffiti artist earned him 15 or 20 arrests, five convictions for criminal damage and, on the final occasion, a narrow escape from jail. "But it's OK. It's not the kind of recognition I seek or get every day, but Cameron seems quite a positive kind of guy and Obama's a dude. I would probably have had issues if it had been for Bush."

I first saw Eines work here in Bergen on the wall of the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), which read: "CONTROVERSIAL CALCULATE CASH”. Big colourful letters. First, I thought is was some kind of commercial. But the text did not make immediate sense and did not refer to any known brand or product. I became curious and photographed the wall (See the work here). I did some research and discovered Ben Eine.

On a trip to London in february 2012, I spotted the work pictured above right ouside the tube station on Old Street. I just love it! See more of Eines work at Eine Diary. Together with Eines work I have chosen "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (click the link or the "play" button below!)

Big Letters! Ben Eine

Ben Eine started as a graffiti writer in the underground street art scene of London in the late 80´s and 90´s, and is a friend of Banksy. Both are now superstars in the street art movement. Art curators is of course part of their commercial success, organising street art shows in combination with gallery exhibitions in major cities world wide. Ben Eine is lives in London and his works is very present and visible in East London (Shoreditch), and when I´m in town it´s a pleasure to visit and photograph in the street art areas of East London. It´s like having the biggest open air art gallery in the world!

Ben Eine and his works are frequently featured in major trend magazines and music videos by big bands. In July 2010, President Barack Obama was presented with a screen print by Eine, Twenty First Century City, as an official gift from the British Prime Minister David Cameron. I'm not sure if Cameron knew about Eine´s criminal record from his graffiti years when he was arrested numerous times.

Ben Eine is present in my hometown Bergen too: On a wall at NHH (Norwegian school of Economics). Visible from the highway were thousands of cars passes every day, and hundreds of students walk by into the campus. I think many do not recognise this as a piece of art at all.

At first glance it looks like a collection of letters. A commercial of some kind? A big board announcing something? The letters are bright, clear and colourful. The letters make three words: «controversial» «calculate» and «cash».

The wall was spray painted by Ben Eine during a few summer days in 2011 as a part of a festival on Capitalism by NHH.

Please visit the Eine Diary (One of the coolest web pages on this planet).