With a seemingly gots-to-have-it craze for bombing, Sthlm-based TagsAndThrows have dropped yet another monochromatic venture that pays an enduring homage to hooded bombers active in the subculture. And so for the sole cause of keeping the invisible scene visible and alive – these bombing endeavours are completely necessary for the sake of immortalising tags. In case the mere memories of TagsAndThrows’ previous flicks haven’t been enough to feed your cravings for bombing, perhaps the 4th edition ‘Bombing Alone’ will – all 16:43 minutes of it.
The short-doc was shot last summer in Stockholm on four different occasions; an early evening, midday and early morning and unfolds an exclusive insight into the streets and city squares of the capital as the city’s currently most active bomber takes to the streets – all in the name of bombing.
You’ve mentioned that Bombing Alone is your ‘best film’ yet, what separates this film from your previous work?
– Well, first off I’ve become accustomed to shooting the art form now and get more ideas directly on location and also capture moments better than I have done previously. This time I also have a team with me, which automatically alters the content – Smutskatt has exclusively produced the music (also ft in Bombing With Guns and Bombing In Copenhagen) Pete Porch has once again delivered the graphics and Leon Sadeghi Hallén has made sure the sound in the film is crisp and clean. Eboi is the narrator of the piece, and then finally there’s Alone who adds up to the story by being incredibly skilled and talented as a bomber. Not only is he funny, he also provides a lot of interesting thoughts on bombing as a whole in the film.
So this is your 4th short-doc on bombing, what keeps you going? And why is it important for you to capture the bombing scene?
– The love for bombing is what keeps me going, there’s nothing in in this world that interests me as much as bombing right now. To me, visually, it’s just beautiful and I appreciate the act in itself. I never do anything halfheartedly, I want to become the leading documentary filmmaker of this particular subculture. As for my photographs, it’s important to capture tags-and throw ups, due to the simple fact that they’re washed away regularly, the art form is constantly subjected to deletion, hence, why it’s a necessity to preserve the art form for future reference, and to keep it alive through photographs.
Obviously, one could only imagine that obstacles and challenges do occur when you’re out shooting a bomber, in your experience – what has been most challenging?
– I’m cautious about not exposing them to any additional danger on top of the evident danger they’re already exposed to, I don’t wanne be the reason why somebody gets caught. But, naturally, you do attract more attention if you’re out luring and stirring up suspicion, chances of getting caught are more plausible if you’re not flying solo. Which is why it’s important not to look suspicious, to stay calm and to avoid looking like you’re up to no good. When I’m out shooting, I try to stay focused and document the art form in the most beautiful and honest way I can.
Uh-huh, but have you ever been caught red-handed?
– This one time when I was I shooting Guns in Puerto Rico, he was stopped by the police outside of a gas station. I managed to dodge them and hid the memory card of my camera in a bush nearby. I returned to the gas station, surprised to find him buying some snickers at the counter. Apparently, the cops had been soft with him and told him to ‘stop his doodling’ and that was it. That would never happen in Stockholm, we were lucky.
Finally, as a filmmaker, what’s the best thing about documenting bombers?
– Its always interesting to see and understand different bomber’s styles. But, the best thing about documenting various bombers, would be that I get to know new people up close. In order to create a good film on bombing, you have to know the person you’re shooting well, you’re pretty much put in a position of trust where you have to create an internal way of communicating through silence.
Dig into TagsAndThrows’s previous flicks here > >
Bombing With Guns / / Bombing in Copenhagen / / Daytime Bombing with HNR
Tags&Throws are heading towards Sao Paulo this weekend to shoot a short-doc covering the bombing scene in Brazil. Besides that, there’s an exhibition coming up showcasing some of Stockholm’s most notorious bombers exhibiting their solo tags and collections, executed at the Affordable Art Fair (3-6 Oct in Sthlm) in collab with SCAM Gallery and Dokument Press.
Bombing Alone (2013)
Film by: TagsAndThrows
Featuring: Alone
Audio mixing by: Leon Sadeghi Hallén
Narrated by: Eboi
Music by: Smutskatt
Graphics by: Pete Porch
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