MICHAEL BLACK ELECTRO

MICHAEL BLACK ELECTRO

MICHAEL BLACK ELECTRO
Artist portraits
Article photos in Basso Magazine (FIN).
Cover of Minervanpöllö.
Remix vinyl cover.
Cover photos, design by Mikko Kempas.

DESCRIPTION

Photos of artist called Michael Black Electro.

FIELDS

Photography

DATE

2012

Back To Top ↑

JORGEE Portrait of Jorgee. 2012 Photography
WHAT´S UP KERT? Hey Kert, how is it going, are you at home in Tallin Estonia now?

Morning Kai. Doing pretty good, just woke up at long beach, got here a few days ago. Escapin the encino Estonia freezin winter, too much snow, too much white drives me insane. Surfin at launderland, biten some free internet right now and washing those dirty socks.

How has the year started for you, what is the plan or is there one?

Uhh, started off slow, lagaloid, swamp start, had a mental breakdown for a second been stuck in florida suburbs. Got around it tough, gettin better now hah. Must have been the tainted citrus trees from the neighbors yard that started to rot my mind. plan the plan, trying to finish my rotten video part in a few months, Chris Crawfords project. Been siked on filming for that, pushin the body smashes. Slowly start filmin for the next Bone deth video this summer and just working around new ideas for all the Bone deth goodies, we got all our brains rotting right now to keep the weirdness going. A lot of new sick things happening this year with bone deth. Other than that just figurin things out on the road.

Can you describe your way of riding and living this so called “bmx-life”?

Gremlin monster pedaling around climbing things. Dont know, ill let the others figure it out when they see it. Life - just tryin to do it my way, have it kinda figured out in my head how I want to make it happen. I want a lot out of myself, so I have endless fights inside, that noone really sees, I give myself a hard time. Always takin the stubborn route with everything, cause it just feels right. Im just trying something else, looking for my place. I feel like i have a lot to give still.

Are you looking for some kind of street setups usually or do you ride all that look ridable?

Wierd grimy setups, that some might just pass. Trying to look where some might not, keep my head looking up, i get more kicks out of lookin for some certain setups i got kookin in my head. Setups before spots. Sometimes you just got to take whats there tough.

Who or what kind of people do you enjoy riding with?

Always have the most fun ridin with bone deth deadmans. They make something come out that usually doesnt, turn me into a gremlin, it just a whole different feeling. Back home i got a few certain guys i ride day to day, pretty tight crew. I like feeding of off eachother, get siked to get things done, so i try to ride with the same dudes most of the time. I wanna feel allright with the crew.

How do you spend time when you have to heal some injury?

Freaking out mostly, i keep on ridin even when my body is mangled, stupid move tough in the long run, getting smarter now. Mangled body just limits the wildness. Entertain myself, work on different things, switch it up. Get my artsy side out, just work on some stencils or refine my tailor skills. Usually just end up boogie at the bar way too much.

What kind of bike do you have? Is there some specs/measures you like & why?

Bone deth creepozoid with all the bone deth bits and 48-s. Short frame, hard tires - mean machine. Keep it strong so it doesn't fold under me.
Always had the most fun with short setups, so kept it midget bike kinda. No limburger rides.

What is your first memory of bmx?

Skiding around on my friends bike, hopping some curbs. Felt fun as hell so i pretty much quit playin hockey next week and started riding as much as i could to figure it out.

Last words for now!?

Uhh, just eat it. Eat the bug. stay sick, turn blue! 2012 Digital Photography, Photography, Photojournalism
NIKE BLAST HELSINKI 2012 Event photography for Nike Finland. 2012 Digital Photography, Photography, Photojournalism
PEDRO STARTED TO SURF Pedro is now days surfing almost every day at his local spots in Algarve. He says it is super fun and addictive ones you get hold of your first waves! 2012 Photography
HEAD OF FABIO Portrait of professional skateboarder & collage artist Fabio Pires. 2012 Photography, Retouching
CHAD´S FURNITURE DESIGNS Article featured in A.R.T magazine (FR) 2012.

Few facts at first: who are you, where are you from, age, years riding?

Chad Johnston. Long Beach, California. Riding BMX since 1980ish.

How & when did you first come up with the idea of reusing bike parts to interior design?

I’ve always been into repurposing things, kinda outta necessity usually. If the part or material is interesting to me, I’ll hold on to it and sometimes it works better as something else rather than the originally intended purpose. I also hate to throw something cool away, even if it’s damaged. The tables started coming together around 2008 after Amy and I bid on and won two Haro/Nike number plates from the A.R.F. Lightning Bolts auction. The plates came with a pair of bars and a stem each as way to display the art. When we got them home we displayed them without the bars and stem and those extra parts just collected dust. One day I realized I had two pairs of
identical forks in storage and when I looked at all these pieces together it was like a mirror image, they looked like a base for a table. We didn’t have a dining table at the time so it made since to make one.

What was your first "piece"?

The old school chrome table that I’m talking about above was the first.

Are you into design and recycling in general?

Yeah, I’m interested in both.

What kind of design do you like and what does recycling mean to you on daily basis?

I appreciate all forms of design. I’m really into bike design and messing around in graphic arts. I try to recycle as much as possible. Our new place has a recycle chute right next to the garbage chute so that makes it convenient. Also the grocery store across the street has automated
recycling machines; I can drop off an empty six-pack and get some change to put towards the next one at the same place.

Along all these years of riding you probably know some of the guys designing bike parts?

For sure. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of the best riders and designers in the industry.

What do you think of the plastic bmx parts these days? Do you know if the bmx industry is working anyhow with green/recycling ideas?

Seats, bar ends, pedals and valve caps are about the only plastic I want on my bike. I’ve seen plastic pegs break off and shoot across the indoor street course at Woodward West. It was like a gunshot. I know Moeller is working on upgrading The Building to make it green friendly; he recently had solar panels installed that power the entire operation.

Do you search for inspiration some how, some blogs or designers perhaps etc..?

Inspiration usually finds me, but when I have to search for it, I Iook around my surroundings, like the neighborhood, city or state. Music is key also. Music is a huge inspiration in my life, a good beat or riff will instantly put me in a place where I can imagine being on a higher level, almost like
a dream. Music can change my mood and enhance positive vibes. It transports me. I don't always listen to music but a good song is usually in my head. I like all kinds of genre's, especially live performances. Good music makes me want to create something that others might enjoy. My
favorites usually vary, I've been real stoked on B.I.G. and early Metallica lately.

The internet is another great source, seems like endless images there. I’ve stumbled across some great blogs that I’ve added to my book marks.

So, you might find something useful from the streets...what has been the coolest thing you have found?

I’ve found all kinds of cool stuff, recently a set of old Araya 24” rims that will work perfect for a tabletop edge. I was walking home from the post office and someone set them next to a dumpster in the alley.

When you make lets say a table, what are the stages of the whole project from idea to dinner ready table?

It starts with collecting the parts, once I have a group of parts that look interesting and functional I piece them together trying to not modify them if possible. For example, I’d rather use existing holes than drill new ones. It’s always an experiment and if you try something permanent like drilling holes than when you try another configuration the holes still remain there. There are no rules though; I actually have plans to drill holes for an upcoming project. I want each one to be unique, so I won’t stick to just one technique. I’d like to experiment and learn something new with each piece.

Where do you get the building materials and do you have memories or some meaningful history to the parts you are using?

The materials come from all over the place. I really like bmx parts and always seem to have spare or damaged stuff. If I need something specific that I don’t have, I’ll search online. Ebay and the BMX Museum are good sources. Some of the pieces have memories attached to them, but most are just found or acquired.

Do you weld and work with pro painting equipment etc. also?

No, not yet. I like the survivor look, but who knows? Maybe in the future I’ll try that also. It depends on the materials; if the original finish is too far shot then I’d possibly repaint.

Maybe you know some other guys repurposing bike parts also, are there any friends doing it out there?

Leif Valin does a lot of creative stuff; he sent me pictures of a lamp he made out of forks off of a road bike. There’s other people doing this type of thing; I’ve seen bikes repurposed before but not tables like this.

You have many nice bikes hanging all over the crib. What is the deal? is there some personal history with each bike? Do you consider your self as a collector?

Thank you. We wanted large artwork to fill the wall space in our loft and bikes seemed like the natural solution. We built 5 bikes to complete the idea we had, each with a color theme. It actually grew beyond our original concept to flow around the whole upper area of the space. I would consider myself a collector, Amy also.

You own a bmx shop Neighborhood Bmx with Aaron Boström. Who designed the layout of the shop and your logos and such?

The design and lay out was an organic process, Aaron and I both contributed ideas and made decisions together; I drew a quick sketch and we went from there. Mark Maligmant designed the logo; he met with us a few times at the shop so we could vibe, a short while later he came through with a few rough drafts and we chose our favorite. He dialed it in and sent the file to Ron Plumlee at 22 who printed the stickers.

I heard you moved to new house lately, how is it looking over there? Do you have some nice new ideas for interior design?

Yeah, we’re stoked to have a live space with room to create more pieces.
Currently I’ve finished two tables and half way through a third one. I’ve got more ideas for other repurposed type things. I want to do some lamps or some kind of lighting next. Maybe chairs, end tables, desks… 2012 Journalism, Photography, Photojournalism
REDWOOD Redwood in Big Sur, California Usa.

Redwood is a rapidly growing tree, and some individual trees have been measured at more than 360 feet in height, making it the tallest measured tree species on the earth. In favorable situations, trees 20 years old may average 50 feet in height and 8 inches in diameter. Average mature trees are from 200 to 240 feet high with diameters of 10 to 15 feet at 4 feet 8 inches above the ground.

Exceptional individuals sometimes reach a height of 350 feet, a diameter of over 20 feet, and an age of approximately 2000 years.

Redwood leaves are green, flat, and sharp-pointed. The brown cones are egg-shaped and only one-half inch in diameter. The soft, reddish-brown bark, six to twelve inches thick, is one of the Coast redwood's most distinguishing characteristic and, together with the wood, names the species. 2011 Photojournalism, Photography, Digital Photography
KYLY, SAUNA BY AVANTO ARCHITECTS Photos of Kyly-project by Avanto Architects (FIN) at the Habitare Expo 2009 Helsinki Finland. 2012 Photography, Digital Photography, Photo Manipulation
NOORALOTTA, NIKE FINLAND. Client Nike Finland. 2012 Photography
NIKE FINLAND RUNNING CLUB Photos for promoting Nike Running Club Finland in print & web media. 2011 Photography
UP WITH KALLIO Photos for district project in Helsinki called Up With Kallio. Up wih Kallio is a network of businesses and other active parties in the districts of Kallio, Alppiharju, Vallila, Sörnäinen and Hermanni.

Check more works of the graphic designer of this project: www.ahjopalo.com 2011 Photography, Photojournalism, Creative Direction
FOCUS, SAIFFA FLO MO DANCE SCHOOL B-Boy Focus, SAIFFA FLO MO DANCE SCHOOL. 2012 Photography, Editing
BMX FREESTYLE Bmx comes from words bicycle motocross & when you ride your bmx with freestyle it can look like in these photos. I have had a lot of good times on both side of the camera when it comes to this activity. Ride on! 2010 Photography, Photojournalism, Digital Photography
SAINT VACANT 2012 Look book & catalog #1/2012 for Saint Vacant footwear.
www.saintvacant.com 2011 Creative Direction, Photography, Digital Photography
COSTO, BAMBOO SHADES. Wooden sunglasses of Costo. 2012 Photography
SK8 Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report found that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. 85 percent of skateboarders polled who had used a board in the last year were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male. 2010 Photography, Photo Manipulation
LUCIANO THE MESSENGER & MIKEY GENERAL Portraits of reggae artists Luciano & Mikey General. Photo of Luciano ended up being the cover of his latest album Rub A Dub Market (2011).

Luciano (real name Jepther McClymont OD, born October 20, 1964 in Jamaica) is a Jamaican second generation roots reggae artist and poet.
He first began recording in 1992, with his debut single "Ebony & Ivory" on the Aquarius Record label and followed with his debut album Moving Up for RAS records in 1993. Luciano is the seventh of nine children and was born to extremely spiritual and musical parents while growing up in Daveyton, a small district in the central parish of Manchester, Jamaica. 2011 Photography, Digital Photography
DIAGONAL MENTAL STRUCTURE Photos of Diagonal & their office/studio in Helsinki.
http://diagonal.fi/ 2012 Photography, Digital Photography
CUPPING Photos about cupping for a magazine article.

About cupping:

"Wet cupping appears to be a living reminiscence of the traditional Finnish healing methods. Fifteen persons practicing or having practiced cupping were interviewed in Savo Province, Eastern Finland. The knowledge and skills of cupping appear to be transferred by personal apprenticeship within a family or from a neighbour. No written material is nowadays available and known to be used in learning. Cupping is considered by healers to be useful in the treatment of aching and pains of teeth, head, neck, shoulders, back and legs. Cuppers report cupping effective also in hypertension and skin diseases. On the other hand, the method is not regarded to be useful in problems of internal organs. Cupping is done after a sauna and bathing of the patient in a warm environment (in sauna). It is often preceded by massage. The small wounds in the cupping sites are made with the aid of a small knife. The healers have the opinion that bad blood must be removed from the superficial areas of the ailing parts of the body, The cupping sites were more or less specific to the ailments of the patient and the number of cups varied from patient to patient depending on the condition and size."
-Hänninen O, Vaskilampi T. (Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6126077)

http://www.basso.fi/lehti/numero/34 2011 Photography, Photojournalism
NIKE BLAST 2011 FINLAND Photos of these training professionals doing their thing were taken during one event day in Espoo Finland 2011. Nike used these as part of their digital marketing and included them to their event media bank made for the press. 2012 Photography, Digital Photography
HELSINKI Wikipedia says about Helsinki:

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 596,233 (31 January 2012), making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is located some 400 kilometres (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of St. Petersburg, Russia and 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia. Helsinki has close historical connections with these three cities. 2012 Photography
COSTO CATALOG I was asked to create idea and shoot the first catalog photos for this awesome Finnish design company located in Helsinki Finland.

We used only "real" people as models and wanted it to be simple, unisex and all ages friendly. This is a small bit of it!

www.costo.fi 2010 Photography, Digital Photography, Branding
SAINT VACANT 2011 Look book photos for Saint Vacant during year 2011.
www.saintvacant.com 2012 Photography, Art Direction
B-BOY ÄTÄ Big ups to B-Boy Ätä! Here are few photos I took of him 2009. 2012 Photography, Photo Manipulation
SUPER JANNE Interview photos of Super Janne featured in Basso Magazine (FIN). 2012 Photography
GEORGE CLINTON Featured in Basso magazine (FIN).

George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost innovators of funk music, along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Clinton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. 2012 Photography
GULF OF FINLAND, BALTIC SEA. Photos from the gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Tallin.
The gulf is usually frozen from late November to late April. The freezing starts in the east and gradually proceeds to the west. Complete freezing is usually reached by late January, and it might not occur in mild winters. There are frequent strong western winds causing waves, surges of water and floods. 2012 Photography, Photojournalism
AALTO DESIGN FACTORY & VENTURE GARAGE Interior photos for Aalto University Design factory and Venture Garage in Espoo Finland. 2012 Photography
UNISSA This is a set dreamy black & white photographs. 2011 Photography
ZONA ...ongoing Zona project... 2012 Photography

FOLLOW ON Bēhance